Specialty Teas Growing in Popularity, Tea Bags and Your Health, Our Featured Accessory and Tips for Iced Tea

Specialty Tea Service Gains Steam

Customers are thirsty for speciality teas like this

Single Trunk Phoenix Oolong

Have we reached a big turning point when it comes to the popularity of specialty teas? A new story from Restaurant News certainly thinks so. More than ever, customers are looking for quality over speed and have a genuine interest in where their products come from and how they're made.

David DeCandia said, "The growth is really in the orthodox specialty teas. Like wines and specialty beers and cigars and all that jazz, people are really digging the fact that tea can be grown in a certain area and a certain elevation and in a certain field. That's what people are really striving for. They want to see a special [tea] that's gone through an enormous amount of steps and is only made a certain time of year. That appeals to them."

Read the rest of the story here >

Iced Tea Tips: 4 Methods

It may have taken a little longer than we'd hoped, but it seems like Spring is finally here. It's the perfect time to start offering your customers' favorite brews over ice. Here are some tips to make sure everyone gets the best out of your next brew.

Use glass or ceramic pitchers for the cleanest-tasting iced tea

The Impatient Method. Can't wait? Infuse two teaspoons of tea per 8 oz. water. After infusing, pour over a glass full of ice and enjoy! Serves one.

The Patient Method. Infuse one teaspoon per 8 oz water. After infusing, chill and serve. Serves one.

Cold Infusion. Grab size four T-sacs and add approximately one oz. of tea leaves inside T-sac. Fill a one gallon pitcher with cold water. Place T-sac in pitcher and let set in refrigerator for 6-8 hours.

The Party Method. Have need for more? Grab a Size 4 T-sac and use the Impatient Method on a larger scale. Fill up a the T-sac with one ounce of tea leaves and place in a one-gallon pitcher. Infuse tea using only 1/2 gallon of hot water. After tea is done infusing, pour over a one-gallon pitcher of ice.

Looking to carry the freshest options? Stock up on spring blends >

Featured Accessory:

Iced Tea Pitchers

We love this Beehouse Iced Tea Pitcher and we know your customers will, too! Making your favorite brew over ice doesn't have to mean foregoing the great quality of loose-leaf tea. While many pitchers don't come equipped to make great iced, loose-leaf tea, this one is ready-made with Beehouse's trademark tea infuser.

Ring in spring with our Beehouse Iced Tea Pitcher

Your customers will love this versatile and easy-to-use pitcher!

It's the perfect way to usher in the warmer weather, with a a sleek, clean design that features soft, swooping lines. It also comes in five fantastic colors: Banana, Blueberry, Artichoke, Avocado and Carrot.

Here's what Beverly from Nebraska had to say: "I got this iced tea pitcher (in blue) last summer, and use it for both ice & hot teas. It brews beautifully, plus has beautiful graceful lines."

Looking for another terrific option?

The Takeya Iced Pitcher lets your customers easily brew leaf tea, bags, or flowering teas. With BPA free glass, this pitcher features a fine mesh infuser, airtight lid and is dishwasher safe for easy clean up.

Tea Bags and Your Health

"Are tea bags turning us into plastic?" That's the question posed by one writer over at The Atlantic. When it comes to choosing paper tea bags or so-called silky tea bags, could there be a difference when it comes to the health of your customers? Wouldn't it be better to avoid bags altogether?

Could "silky" tea bags hurt your health?

If you're looking for a great rundown on how exactly the hot temperatures needed to brew tea may be breaking down materials in tea bags, this is a great feature to read. It's well researched and references some important scientific studies.

Of course, we've decidedly come down on a completely different answer to this debate: the best bag is no bag! This is a great piece to share with our fellow loose-leaf evangelizers.

Read the full story here >

Thanks for sharing your love of tea.

Let us know if there is something you'd like to see in the newsletters for the upcoming months. Email us at wholesale@theteasmith.com.

Sincerely,

Tim Smith, Chief Leaf
The Tea Smith, L.L.C.

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