How Super is Your Tea?

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.

Manufacturers and sellers often tout teas and tisanes, particularly greens, whites, rooibos and yerba mate, as superfoods. However, teas and tisanes have yet to gain the same foothold in the North American market as better-known superfoods, such as now-ubiquitous pomegranates and blueberries.

To sort out what the superfood fad means to the tea business, WTN looks at other superfoods’ popularity and how superfood consciousness has boosted tea’s mainstream appeal.

Superfoods 101

Although there is no standard definition for superfoods, they are generally recognized as foods that are particularly high in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. They are not new foods, but current diet trends have put the spotlight on them and are encouraging a rapidly growing number of consumers to try anything and everything that includes them, said nutritionist Abbe Gorberg of Nutrition Counseling Services.

Gorberg said high levels of antioxidants are reputed to fight oxidation of cells by free radicals, repair damaged cells and even help prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, infections and weakened immunity.

The primary reason for superfoods’ popularity is the perceived health benefit, sources agreed, but the most popular superfoods are those that are most palatable to the mainstream consumer. This trend works to the advantage of tea makers and sellers who offer teas blended with naturally sweet superfruits and other readily palatable superfoods, because these increase the perceived health benefit while giving teas more accessible flavors.

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