Healthy living and exotic flavor trends have consumers rethinking what’s on their plates and what’s in their glasses – first with third-wave coffee and today with specialty tea. According to Datassential, 41% of consumers now drink iced tea AFH weekly making it one of the beverage industry’s hottest segments. Meet your customers’ expectations with new drinks and preparations focusing on wholesome lifestyles and creative flavors!
Flavor Beats the Heat
The Tea Association reports that almost 85% of tea consumption in the US is iced. Recent data also shows that those same iced tea drinkers are often looking to quench thirst – 35% to be exact. Instead of sipping on a steamy hot tea, more and more consumers are finding their new favorite teas chilled for a change.
Iced tea is so versatile that some have experimented with incorporating herbs, spices, and fruits for a wholesome flavor boost. Consumer favorites include peach, raspberry, southern sweet tea, and the classic Arnold Palmer.
51% of consumers said their last iced tea was prepared in-house at a sit-down or quick serve restaurant. With an emphasis on quality and variety, restaurants are searching for fresh brewed tea options to keep up with demand.
Brewing teas for these unique recipes can be cumbersome, and push-button solutions, single-serve pods, and dispensers are on the rise, balancing demand with resources. With the Nestea Urn, you can eliminate waste and the time spent on brewed-to-order tea without compromising on taste.
Simple brewing solutions like the Nestea Urn are also the perfect backdrop for a customized and flavor-rich tea menu.
Try a few of these palate-pleasing recipes:
Sweet and Spicy
Bring equal parts sugar and water + ½ tsp cinnamon to a boil until the sugar is dissolved. Mix with plain unsweetened tea and garnish with cinnamon sticks.
Seasonal Mash-Up
Add your favorite fruits and veggies to a pitcher of iced tea and chill overnight for a refreshing hint of flavor. Fresh seasonal ingredients can fly solo or be combined for an exotic twist. A few of our favorites include cucumber, blackberry, orange, lemon, lime, strawberry and mint.
Beach Tea Mocktail
Combine equal parts coconut water and unsweetened tea with a splash of pineapple juice, and garnish with a slice of pineapple or a wedge of lemon.
Watermelon Mint
Blend seedless watermelon until nearly pureed. Strain and reserve the juice. Mix juice and tea with muddled mint leaves, and garnish with fresh mint.
Fruit Fix
Freeze a variety of juices in ice cube trays. We suggest orange, pineapple, cran-raspberry and lemonade, to name a few. Add frozen juice ice cubes to plain unsweetened ice tea for a hint of fruitiness.
About Nestlé Professional beverage
Nestlé Professional Beverages offers an exciting and growing portfolio of hot and cold, non-carbonated beverages, including juices, teas, enhanced waters and black and specialty coffees. Our leading brands, including Coffee-mate, Nestlé Vitality and NESCAFÉ in combination with proprietary dispensing technology and custom solutions backed by unparalleled service network, are all designed to help customers maximize their beverage sales and profits. Nestlé Professional Beverages is part of Nestlé S.A. in Vevey, Switzerland – the world’s largest food and beverage company – with sales of over $98 billion.
All trademarks are owned by Société des Produits, Nestlé S.A., Vevey, Switzerland, or used with permission.
SOURCES: Datassential Nestlé Cold Beverage Tracker, 2015 http://www.teausa.com/14655/tea-fact-sheet