The Color Brewer
Butterfly Pea Flower
Clitoria ternatea · Dried + Powder
Nature's pH Indicator
Butterfly pea is doing something none of the other grove herbs do: it changes color in your cup based on acidity. Steep the dried flowers or dissolve the powder and the brew is a deep indigo blue. Add a squeeze of Myer's lemon and watch it shift through violet to magenta-pink in real time — pure anthocyanin chemistry.
Beyond the visual, the ternatins — a class of polyacylated anthocyanins unique to this plant — are among the most structurally complex antioxidants found in any common garden plant. Research links them to eye health, cognitive function (acetylcholinesterase inhibition, the same enzyme targeted by Alzheimer's medications), anti-diabetic activity, and anti-tumor potential.
Ternatins
Polyacylated anthocyanins unique to this species. Potent antioxidant, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory. More structurally complex than typical anthocyanins.
Delphinidin Glucosides
The blue pigment base. Eye health, retinal support, cardiovascular protection. Also responsible for the pH color-shift chemistry.
Kaempferol
Anti-inflammatory flavonol, also found in trace amounts in bamboo leaf. Adds to the cumulative antioxidant stack when blended.
Acetylcholinesterase Inhibition
Extracts slow breakdown of acetylcholine — the neurotransmitter for memory and learning. Traditionally used as a memory tonic in Ayurveda.
Neutral pH
Deep indigo blue — straight from the flower or powder
+ a few drops
Violet purple — first acid contact
+ Myer's lemon
Magenta pink — full squeeze, warm acid
Powder form: Dissolve ½ tsp in warm water before adding other ingredients for the most vivid color. The grove-dried powder retains full ternatin activity — low-temp drying preserves more anthocyanin than heat.
Standalone · Hot or Cold
Butterfly Pea Brew
- 1Hot: steep 8–10 dried flowers in 195°F water for 5–7 min. Cold brew: 15–20 flowers per quart, overnight in fridge. Powder: ½ tsp dissolved in 8 oz warm water.
- 2The brew pours brilliant blue. Taste is mild and slightly earthy — neutral on its own, designed to blend.
- 3Add lemon balm or lemongrass for aroma. Add Myer's lemon at the end for the color shift. Honey optional.
The color-shift moment is striking enough to serve to guests as a talking point. Pour into a glass, hand them the lemon half, and let them squeeze it themselves.
Cold Brew Blend · Blue → Pink
Grove Sunset Cold Brew
- 1Mason jar: 20 butterfly pea flowers + 2 stalks fresh lemongrass (bruised) + 10 fresh spearmint leaves + 2 lemon verbena sprigs.
- 2Cold water, refrigerate 10–14 hours. Strain — deep blue with a citrus-mint aroma.
- 3Serve over ice and let guests squeeze in half a Myer's lemon. Blue shifts to violet, then pink before their eyes.
Every ingredient in this glass grows at Moody Grove. Zero inputs from outside the forest.