Core Tip: Chrysanthemum tea is especially suitable for drinking in spring, but why does it sometimes turn green when brewed? Can you still drink the green chrysanthemum tea?
Spring is a great time for chrysanthemum tea. However, when you brew a pot, you may notice the tea's color slowly changing from a light yellow to a pale green. What causes this? Can you still drink the tea once it has turned green?
Actually, this is a normal phenomenon and not a sign of spoilage, so there's no need to worry. The chrysanthemum tea we usually brew is light yellow. Research has found that this light yellow color is mainly due to substances like flavonoids. Flavonoids are considered a primary reason why drinking tea is beneficial to health. Many recent studies have discovered that flavonoids have excellent antioxidant properties, helping the body eliminate free radicals, and offer various health benefits such as antioxidant effects, cancer prevention, cholesterol reduction, and inhibiting high blood pressure. In chrysanthemum tea, flavonoid substances are typically yellow, so when they dissolve in the water, the tea appears yellow. However, flavonoids are very unstable and can be easily oxidized by oxygen in the air, causing them to lose their original yellow color and turn green. Therefore, chrysanthemum tea often changes color after being left for a while.
Besides oxygen, the pH level of the brewing water and metal ions in the water can also affect the color of the chrysanthemum tea. A study by Wuhan University found that if the brewing water is alkaline, the tea will be more yellow, while acidic water will produce a reddish-orange tea. If the water contains high levels of iron or aluminum ions, it will also cause the tea's color to change. Therefore, tea brewed with tap water tends to be yellowish-orange, while tea brewed with distilled water is lighter in color.