Tea, Everyone?
Who wants a cuppa tea? These days more Americans are answering that simple question with a resounding, “I do!”
By Caroline Kennedy -- Gifts and Dec, 1/1/2009 12:00:00 AM
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Daydream teapot by Teaposy |
Hot tea or iced. Black, green or white. Herbal or flavored. Tea has a 5,000 year history and is an ingrained part of many cultures, but here in the U.S., tea has played second fiddle to coffee. Is this the residual effect of tea's role in the formation of this country? After all, it was over a matter of tea — or should we really say, a tea tax? — that our forefathers started a revolution and established this nation. Probably not. Nevertheless, we owe a lot to tea, even if we haven't appreciated it on the same culinary and cultural level as the British, Chinese or Japanese.
That is changing. Tea has blossomed in the marketplace and shed its stodgy image. It is no longer perceived to be the beverage of grandmas. When such well known sports figures as MLB's Joe Torre and broadcaster/former NFL quarterback Phil Simms embrace tea and allow their images to be used to promote a brand, you know that tea has entered into a new era.
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Lemon Poppy Scone Mix by Lollipop Tree |
A TEA-VOLUTION
“Even if you are a confirmed coffee lover, there is no escaping the fact that tea's popularity is ever-increasing,” notes Joseph P. Simrany, president of the Tea Association of the U.S.A. in his “State of the Industry” report. Simrany referenced the increasing numbers of specialty tea rooms and shops cropping up in cities across the country that are attracting a new generation of tea drinkers.
Tea expert Alda Ellis, Alda's Gifts & Home Decor, Little Rock, AR, agrees, “The tea industry is growing while the coffee industry seems to have leveled off. It seems coffee is of the business world — get it fast and go. Tea is of a different realm … there is something so stress-relieving about a cup of tea.”
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Tea Cocktail infusers by Tea Forte |
Stress-relieving, yes. But more to the point, a succession of research reports in recent years confirmed many health benefits derived from tea and attracted a whole new tea-drinking audience. Tea's anti-oxidant polyphenols have been found to help counter the risk of developing certain types of cancer, stimulate the immune system, lower cholesterol levels and reduce some causes of heart disease. It was the cancer-fighting properties of green tea that lured Joe Torre into the tea-drinking camp. Other health-conscious consumers are also embracing tea with vigor and have begun to explore and enjoy the array of different types of tea on the market, spurring growth in the tea industry. But not to downplay its stress-relieving quality, tea's relaxing qualities have meshed well with the recent growth of the spa industry, combining its slow-down-and-relax properties with its health benefits.
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Chocolate Mint Truffle Tea by Mighty Leaf Tea Company |
THE TEA EXPERIENCE
As important as the health benefits are, tea experts agree that the greatest part of tea's appeal is the experience. “It's all about the experience,” remarks Jane Whitman of Tea Forte, Concord, MA.
And the experience is not just in sampling the beverage itself. “The pleasure is in the cup, the pot, the accoutrements that go with it,” says Alda Ellis. And this gives the gift retailer a lot of range to generate sales.
“We're selling a lot more tea cozies, pots and tea bag holders than tea itself,” notes retailer Carol “Orange” Schroeder, Orange Tree Imports, Madison, WI, admitting that even though she carries fine specialty teas, “you can get tea at the grocery store.”
The experience is also about the ceremony: the simple act of boiling the water and brewing the tea. It is the pleasure of the moment, whether it is the simple act of wrapping your hands around the mug and savoring the pleasures of its warmth, aroma and taste, or it is sharing a rainy afternoon around the tea table with friends.
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Decorate Your Own (Flowers) mini cookies by Byrd Cookies come with confectionary markers |
TEA IN BLOOM
Some teas contribute to the experience, especially when brewed in a glass pot; loose teas, especially those like Oolong that come in tightly clumped “pearls,” unfurl as they release their flavor and color into the hot water. But another type of specialty tea that is piquing a lot of interest is blooming tea — tea leaves tightly wrapped and hand-tied around a real flower bud, which “bloom” or open up in the hot water, revealing the flower within.
Watching the tea bloom is all part of the experience — an experience that can brighten the darkest of cold winter days to spring-like cheer, as Maxine Gee, creator of Teaposy, Rochester, NY, related to Gifts & Decorative Accessories. She read part of a letter she received from a customer who discovered her product while on a visit home from her duties in Antarctica. The customer noted that she purchased a quantity to take back with her to the “bottom of the earth” and that even in the coldest, darkest gloom of that climate, she can enjoy the experience and think of spring as she watches the flowers bloom brightly before her.
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Leaves teaware by Andrea by Sadek |
THE TEA-TAIL HOUR
Further moving tea away from its stodgy image is a new trend emerging out of chic bars, hotels and tea rooms and one that puts a whole new spin on the idea of tea-time — tea cocktails or alcohol-free “mocktails.” This blending of the tea culture with the cocktail culture serves tea up in a way that it is being embraced by the young, the hip and the adventurous. “World of Tea News” writer Lindsay Goodwin observes that innovative tea cocktails created by master mixologists are “going beyond the classic hot toddy,” while alcohol-free mocktails provide festive alternatives. Their intrigue is a combination of enticing names and descriptions that give an exotic sense of adventure, along
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Silver shell tea scoop by Alda's Gifts |
with a blending of unusual ingredients. Designing these cocktails is not a simple matter, according to mixologists; it takes more of a culinary approach. And savoring the cocktail becomes as much a culinary experience as it does a cocktail experience, notes Tea Forte's Jane Whitman.
And of course, tea companies are helping to move “tea-tails” out of the trendy bars and into the home, by providing the home mixologist with tea-based infusers and mixers to remove the guesswork from the recipes.
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Botanical Tubes by Too Good Gourmet are filled with Lemon Tea Cookies. |
TEA-TILLATING SALES
In today's stressful times, tea gifts are a thoughtful way to give something comforting to help someone slow down and take time to reflect.
Knowledge about tea, its customs and accessories adds to a retailer's ability to romance merchandise and advise the customer on what would make a good gift presentation.
“Education in and about the world of tea is crucial to both the retailer and the consumer,” notes Alda Ellis. Although they need not become tea experts to sell tea or enjoy tea, it helps to understand some of the tea basics; for example, knowing the difference between a tea and a tisane, or afternoon tea and high tea (see sidebar).
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The Tea Drinker's Handbook by Abbeville Press |
The “go-with” items enhance the tea experience and add to sales. So, as with many gift categories, cross-merchandising tea, tea accessories and other related items together helps to attract customers and build sales. For the traditionalists, there are black teas, the scone mixes, biscuits (cookies) and jams, as well as the pots, kettles, cozies and tea bag plates; for the health-conscious, there are green teas, organic snacks, meditation/relaxation music, candles and spa accessories; for the new wave customer who may be into the tea cocktail culture, there are nuts and cocktail snacks, as well as martini glasses, cocktail shakers and other cocktail accessories.
“From a retail point of view, tea related items are the strongest part of our business, for it spans all ages and generations,” relates Ellis. And products with such age-spanning appeal are good for ensuring continuity of customers for a gift shop.
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