Zijuan
Deep purple leaf and liquor, anthocyanin-rich with a plummy, slightly piney character.
Zijuan (紫娟, "Purple Beauty") is a Yunnan large-leaf (assamica) cultivar developed from a natural mutant with purple buds and leaves found near Pu'er in the 1980s and selected by the Yunnan tea research institute into a registered cultivar around 2005. Its purple colour comes from unusually high anthocyanin content, which carries into a violet-tinged liquor.
Processed as sheng pu'er or as a purple black tea, Zijuan has a distinctive plummy, faintly piney character with a drier mouthfeel than ordinary Yunnan material. It is marketed heavily on the antioxidant appeal of its anthocyanins and remains a specialty curiosity rather than a mainstream pu'er base.
Teas produced
Flavor signature
Growing regions
- Yunnan (Pu'er, Menghai)
Origins where Zijuan grows
Brands likely carrying Zijuan
Direct-sourcing operations with focus areas that align with this cultivar's typical growing regions.