See the Blue Tea Everyone's Talking About Magically Transform This Drink Into a Rainbow

Although I couldn't get Phong to reveal his magical recipe in its entirety, he did have two words for me: butterfly pea (flower). I found out that butterfly pea can be bought as a powder or a concentrate form and is derived from a stunning indigo-colored flower that has been growing and vining buildings in Burma and Thailand for thousands of years.

Don't fret if you aren't in the Los Angeles area and can't make it to Pearl's Finest Teas. Below, you'll find my notes from observing Phong making the famous orange yuzu. And if you are in the LA area, come early November, there will be a whole new set of rainbow teas for your sipping and Instagramming pleasure.

While Phong is not a chemist, he calls himself a "tea tender" and can make any drink for you based on your flavor preference, even mood, without it even being on the menu. If you ask me, I'd say he's more of a tea and coffee whisperer.

Different flavors in squeeze bottles, cocktail jiggers, and cocktail shakers line the bar and are readily available for quick drink making. Phong measured out two types of orange-colored liquids and poured them into the shaker. I believe one was an orange syrup and another was orange juice at about 1 1/2 ounces each. After a quick swirl in the cocktail shaker, he added a few spoonfuls of yuzu (a syrupy, marmalade-like concoction) into the mixture directly from the jar. He then poured the mixture into an empty cup and topped it with ice.

In a separate container, he combined a cold hibiscus tea with either butterfly pea extract concentrate drops or powder (amount will dictate the level of indigo in the final product) and poured it directly into the yuzu mixture over ice. Because of the PH of citrus already in the cup, you'll see the magical rainbow tea layer right before your eyes!

Note: most of the orange peel chunks from the yuzu floated up to the top, so make sure to mix up the drink before consuming (after snapping a pic, of course).