We told you what tea trends will be taking center stage in 2017: green tea, matcha, and easy packaging options like on-tap tea and bottled teas. Now we’re here to show you just how you can be a part of these trends. If your New Year’s resolution was to be cool, you’re in luck. Get ready to be ahead of the curve:
1) Green Tea
Green tea’s expected to perform very well in 2017 and beyond, especially as a bottled option for busy commuters in search of a healthy alternative to sugary sodas. Snapple, Lipton, Honest Tea, Arizona, and Tazo Tea all offer iced green bottled teas. Swipe one when you want to be trendy but you’re pressed for time. Or order an on-trend coffee-inspired green tea beverage, like a green tea latte from Starbucks or a green tea latte paired with vanilla or peppermint from Peet’s Coffee. Look for green tea to be offered at more and more locations, from highway rest stops and movie theaters to convenience stores and vending machines as it settles decidedly into the mainstream. Go big green!
2) Matcha
Matcha is on the rise. Look for it on tea menus as a beverage and as a flavor in dishes from breakfast and lunch to dinner and dessert. Scan your menu and you’ll probably find matcha waffles and French fries or matcha chicken and pork belly this year. This green powder is infiltrating all parts of the menu, and not just at fancy restaurants. Matcha’s made it to the Big Leagues: Haagen Dazs sells its matcha green tea ice cream by the pint in American grocery stores and Trader Joes sells a Matcha Green Tea Latte Mix. Don’t be surprised if Japanese products like Matcha Oreos and Matcha Kit Kats come to the United States sooner rather than later. Get ready to be singing “Break me off a piece of that matcha stick!” OK, the jingle may need work, but the point is: matcha will be rolling off more and more tongues.
3) Tea On Tap
Get ready to see bartenders carrying kegs of tea or pulling a kombucha tap at the local watering hole this year. You can be part of this trend by ordering a tea keg for your next birthday party or installing a tea tap at your eatery. Full Service Restaurants said last year that, “Beverages on tap remain fresher for longer and offer a unique experience—bold flavors with an eye-catching presentation.” Several companies work to bring tea kegs and taps to restaurants and organizations, such as Joyride, who argues that a tap “is the perfect solution to serve non-alcoholic beverages, offering product consistency, streamlined workflow, reduction of waste, and a unique customer experience.” That’s a lot of benefits on both sides of the bar! Joyride offers Ceylon Iced Tea and Green Tea in kegs and kombucha on tap. Look for signs outside bars advertising the allocation of taps to kombucha and tea, perfect for tea lovers not in the mood for an alcoholic beverage or non-drinkers looking for a way to feel included by the bar hopping experience.
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