Styling and Photography by Laurie Mosco

Nothing brings on warm and cozy feelings quite like a piping hot cup of tea.  Maybe that’s why grocery sales of premium tea bags grew an unprecedented 18 +% in 2020 (Tea & Coffee Trade Journal). But don’t think their mugs are filled only with basic black. It’s anything but. They’re playing with premium blends and ingredients that support health and wellness.

Don’t be “chai.” Pour a cup and read on for the “it” tea trends that are TEA-riffic for your hot beverage selection.

Selective Sipping

Over the past year or so, at-home cooking trends have changed – and it looks like this pattern is here to stay. Customers want the restaurant experience at home, and one of the most affordable ways to do that is with tea (Tea & Coffee Trade Journal).  Compared to other premium beverages, the home tea experience isn’t price-prohibitive. For a very affordable price, customers can be transported to different lands and feel very fancy (can you say pinkies up?).

Every aspect of the experience should be premium, from the ingredients, to the packaging.  A premium tea that’s a break from the ordinary is Taylors of Harrogate.  The moment customers lay their eyes on the dark boxes with high contrast colorful bands and gold lettering, they know they’re in for a premium experience.  This UK tea supplier has been creating its signature blends since 1886. Taylors of Harrogate takes tea seriously, and customers. appreciate the serious tea experience.  Whether it’s a tour of English Gardens through herbal blends like Blackberry and Raspberry Tea or Green Tea with Jasmine, or an invite to English Tea time with classics blended to perfection like English Breakfast tea or Afternoon Darjeeling Tea, Taylors of Harrogate will make the them feel like royal-TEA.

Quench the thirst for the exotic with Wissotzky Tea.  Founded in 1849, and at one time, the exclusive tea purveyor to the Russian emperor, Wissotzky Tea is known for its unique flavors and exceptional ingredients.  One sip of their Rich Assam Black Tea will transport customers to the highlands of India. Sometime it’s a rare form of a common ingredient that elevates a tea to premium status. Wissotzky’s mint teas use nana mint, an exotic mint variety sourced from the southern Mediterranean region. Nana Mint adds a bright, sweet, refreshing taste to green tea like Green Tea with Nana Mint. For sippers searching for a bold and fruity citrus blend, Nana Mint with Ginger and Lemon.

Wellness is in the Bag

With a new focus on health and wellness, consumers are constantly on the search for products with ingredients that do more for their body. They’re acutely aware that what they consume can affect how their bodies function, making functionality a growing trend within the beverage space (Martin Bauer Group). Functionality is a fancy way to say that what you eat has an impact on how your body functions. American consumers now view tea as a superfood, and teas with added functional ingredients are even more appealing (Tea & Coffee Trade Journal). Two of the top functions customers want help with – calming and immunity. 

Enter a brand like Yogi, a word synonymous with calm. Yogi Tea seeks to bring mind, body, and spirit into balance with blends like Yogi Calming made from classic soothing ingredients like chamomile, lemon grass, lavender, and licorice, or a tea blend that does double duty, providing soothing and immune supporting effects like Yogi Elderberry Lemon Balm Immune + Stress Tea. Look to a company steeped in tradition, for a real premium experience. We like TEEKANNE’s Chamomile tea. Teekanne has been brewing taste-TEA teas with superior ingredients since 1882.   If sustainability and ethical sourcing are as important as functionality, try Clipper with their positivi-TEA promoting brews. Clipper helps folks relax with teas like Snore & Peace a blend of chamomile, lemon balm, and lavender.

Fo an immune boost, customers want teas that contain ingredients rich in antioxidants and those to support immunity (Tea & Coffee Trade Journal). Green Tea is known for boosting antioxidants. Offer excitement with a citrus and floral twist like that in Yogi Green Tea Super Antioxidant or Clipper Queen of Greens. Vitamin C is a popular functional ingredient that also adds flavor. We love TEEKANNE Rosehip & Hibiscus Tea. Rosehips are said to have some of the highest concentration of Vitamin C.

Help customers discover immune boosting ingredients with teas that feature the immunity right in the name like Yogi Echinacea Immune Support.

Digestive health is a popular function addressed in tea blends (Tea & Coffee Trade Journal). Our gut tells us that you should add digestive calming blends like Yogi Blackberry Apple Cider Digestive Tea, Yogi Green Tea Kombucha , and TEEKANNE Peppermint Tea to your selection.

Black teas — Green teas — Herbals 

For a tea selection with endless possibili-TEAS