Pink Tea With Baking Soda

Reposted The Art and Science of Kashmir’s Pink Tea by Sribala Subramanian (atlasobscura.com) The first step, a prolonged boiling of green tea leaves with baking soda, involves a bit of chemistry. Certain fermented teas, when boiled with a pinch of soda, change color from amber to deep maroon. Scientists call that an acid-base reaction, where sodium bicarbonate neutralizes mildly acidic tea, enhancing the color but also taking the edge off its astringent tannins. An international biochemistry journal, which held a contest called the 'Pink Tea Challenge,' explained the science behind the color change: 'Polyphenols in green or Kashmiri chai act similar to phenolsulfonphthalein, a common pH indicator better known as phenol red.' My friend told me that she was making “Kashmiri chai” tea this morning. She correctly anticipated that I did not know what Kashmiri chai was and sent a link to the recipe she was using. I read the recipe and learned that the tea is pink because of a reaction that…