Ahoy, Mateys! I confess: I’m a pirate at heart, always on the hunt for the ultimate treasure—the Fountain of Youth. My latest, most baffling quest took me deep into the volcanic heart of São Miguel: the enigmatic town of Furnas.
The Legend of the Purple Brew
When plotting my adventures in Furnas, I stumbled upon a tantalizing clue: a National Geographic article detailing a legendary purple tea.
The source of this mystical brew? Not a rare leaf, but a specific mineral water from one of Furnas’ 32 public fountains. There is only one place in the world that serves it: the exclusive Chalet da Tia Merces, which offers a €45 for 2.5 hour tea tasting—by special, often months-in-advance, reservation only.
Naturally, a pirate doesn’t book ahead; a pirate finds the source!
The Alchemist’s Lab: Furnas’ “Hydrofoils of the World”
Furnas is known as the “Hydrofoils of the World” because of its multitude of mineral springs. The air is thick with the scent of sulfur from the steam vents, and the ground itself is a cauldron, famous for cooking the cozido, a traditional beef stew slow-cooked in the volcano’s fumaroles.
I always carry containers to sample the public waters, but this time, the mission was specific. I needed the one unique spring that would react with tea to produce the mythical violet hue.
- The Problem: I’ve tested three different public springs, but each one has only turned my green tea a slightly darker shade of green—not the brilliant violet I sought.
- The Challenge: Despite knowing there are 32 unique springs—each with different properties—there is no public map of their locations or contents.
For hours, I wandered the labyrinthine, one-way streets of Furnas, passing both the clear, potable springs and the águas azedas (“sour waters”). These therapeutic, warm-to-scalding hot springs are believed to cure everything from skin disorders to aiding digestion. I spent far too long searching, never with enough bottles to sample them all. The violet treasure remained elusive.
Finding X Marks the Spot
I had nearly abandoned the quest—writing it off as a well-guarded secret or clever gimmick—when a rainy day led me to the Centro de Interpretação Ambiental das Furnas.
There, on a display screen, was my map! It detailed every single fountain, along with its unique mineral composition. I cornered the guide and asked about the “purple tea fountain.” He revealed the secret:
“Most springs are visible along the street, but this one is hidden. Tucked behind a wall, down a set of stairs, completely concealed from public view.”
Knowing the town’s crazy, GPA-defying roads, I navigated to the location. Sure enough, there were two fountains: one public, and the other—matching the center’s photo—hidden behind a wall. My heart pounded! In my haste, I had no glass container, so I bought a plastic bottle of water, emptied it, and filled it with the treasure.
The Heartbreak of the Half-Hearted Violet
Back at the Golden Mermaid Villa, I prepared my experiment. The rules of the legend state the water must only work with Gorreana Green Tea, Europe’s oldest tea factory, founded in 1883. The tea from nearby Porto Formoso (only 2 km away) would not work.
I brewed three cups in glass:
- Regular tap water.
- Water from my last visit (a different Furnas spring).
- The water from the secret, hidden fountain.
I waited for the steep, my eye on the third cup…
They all turned a slightly different version of green. Crestfallen, I feared my plastic bottle, or the cooling of the water, had ruined the magic.
But then, a glimmer of hope! My friend, who had filled a glass bottle of the same water, claimed hers had turned purple!
Avast, Ye! The Quest Continues!
It seems the perfect confluence of conditions—perhaps the exact temperature of the spring, which emerges at 140 degrees F, or the use of glass—is key to unlocking the violet secret.
My pirate determination is renewed! Next time I visit Furnas, I will bring my own glass cup and a fresh bag of Gorreana tea and brew it right at the fountain’s edge.
Whether this is a genuine mineral magic or a genius gimmick invented to extract a few extra doubloons from gullible tourists, this determined pirate will find his Elixir of Life!
Anthony “Tiger” Liu is an American expat and the operator of Golden Mermaid Villa and Longevity Habit retreat, where he shares a passion for the vibrant culture and nourishing lifestyle of São Miguel.
