June is iced tea month, and with the World Tea Expo predicting a 50% growth in premium tea sales by 2016, consumers' thirst within this market seems to be hotter than ever.
Now is an exciting time for tea as new products and ideas surface within the beverage industry. George Jage, World Tea Expo founder and director, said tea is "undoubtedly on an upswing in North America."
"There are a lot of factors driving the growth of tea," Jage said. "But what drives consumption is taste, and tea has enormous depth and range that other beverages simply can’t compete with."
A variety of tea flavors have been trending this summer, including sweetened and unsweetened, black teas, green teas, and combination varieties of apricot, papaya, strawberry, mango and ginger. The North American Tea Championship recently awarded the best iced teas for summer 2013, featuring 20 teas of all different styles and flavors.
Companies like Baskin Robbins also have jumped into the tea trend with its new lemonade iced tea sorbet, blending lemon and tea-flavored ice. Even summer grilling features tea flavors this year, with McCormick's Grilling Flavor Forecast of 2013 showing sweet tea tops the list of new flavors to watch.
Tea has also snuck into various new cocktail flavors, including tea-infused gins and vodkas, as well as tea-flavored cosmopolitans.
Recent studies reveal a variety of health benefits from drinking tea, such as diabetic weight and glucose management, reduced stroke risk and a boost in brain power.
For more information, check out the special Focus Report—Tea: Rediscovering an Ancient Beverage in the 21st Century on SupplySide Beverage Insights that discusses the vibrant activity in the tea market. From its natural health-boosting benefits and versatility to an influx of new products and tea chains, specialty tea is attracting consumers of all ages. Areas of interest to watch in the coming year include RTD (ready to drink) tea beverages, more sustainable packaging options and an increasing spotlight on tea as a key ingredient—allowing its functional properties to shine, rather than masking tea beverages with high sugar contents.
