First thing in the morning, I like to drink tea. Tea is the most popular drink around the world and cafés are using tea in a variety of ways to appeal to tea drinkers. Specialty flavored teas are extremely popular, while creative beverages are being created every day utilizing tea. Tea smoothies, chai lattes, iced teas and many other beverages have energized the tea industry creating niche markets within a very broad and diverse tea drinking population. The most common and easiest to prepare tea beverage in a café is iced tea. These are typically made in a tea dispenser and served when a customer asks for it, similar to how drip coffee is served. Hand crafted tea beverages are made to order and utilize specialty tea bags. Iced tea and flavored iced tea have gained in popularity both at home and in cafes. Custom crafted iced teas are easy to prepare and serve and offer high margins to cafes.
When I was a freshman in college (we won’t say when that was), one of my favorite cocktails was Sex on the Beach. I was tickled when I was in Seville last year to see a tea flavor called Sex on the Beach… It was made with green sencha tea, pineapple, papaya, peach, orange slices, cranberries, thistle flowers, orange blossoms and marigolds. WOW! I was happy with Rum, Peach Schnapps, cranberry and pineapple juice!
