The Year in Tea (2008)

This is an excerpt from one of my World Tea News articles. To find out more about my freelance writing or to ask me about writing copy for your tea business, please contact me at vee at veetea dot com. Thank you.

Tea, tea everywhere

Once uncommon in the United States, it seems like now teas and tisanes are everywhere you look. These days, you can even buy tea without leaving home. Internet options aside, Teas, Etc. recently struck a deal with home shopping giant QVC.

This year’s big-money headlines include Coca-Cola’s 40 percent stake in Honest Tea and Starbucks’ deal with PepsiCo and Unilever/Lipton to distribute Tazo RTDs. Both are prime examples of big beverage businesses turning to tea to offset slumping soda sales, and ensuring continued RTD tea growth through the widening of distribution channels along the way. Expect to see more RTDs on shelves, and more tea businesses in headlines, soon.

Falling pop sales also led Dr. Pepper Snapple to revamp Snapple’s image to seem healthier. The health aspect of tea also can be seen in its rising application as a superfood in dietary supplements and health foods, which have proliferated in drug and grocery stores across the nation. For instance, The Republic of Tea’s Superfruit Bottled Iced Teas are now available at Whole Foods Markets, Cost Plus World Markets and Wegmans.

On a less healthy note, tea began to really shine this year as a flavor focus in cocktails, savories and sweets. According to a recent Vogue Magazine article by Jeff Steingarten, tea is now entering the science-inspired realm of “hypermodern cooking,” indicating strong potential for futuristic, avant-garde tea creations from the culinary elite.


Soon, you’ll be able to read the remainder of this article on my portfolio site, Copy & Taste.