Vancouver, British Columbia-based coffee leaf tea company Wize Monkey brewed up a cool new collaboration with Faculty Brewing. Wize Monkey and the team at Faculty have made the world’s first Coffee Leaf Tea beer: Mango Party Cream Ale.
The companies experimented with infusing Wize Monkey’s fan-favorite Mango Party tea into a cream ale. The final results are formidable.
Wize Monkey applies traditional rolling and oxidizing techniques from the tea industry to the coffee leaf, and the result is a uniquely smooth and lightly caffeinated “Coffee Leaf Tea.” They are constantly experimenting with ways Coffee Leaf Tea can be consumed, from cocktails to cookies to kombucha, and now beer.
For this brew, the collaborators went with a smooth and drinkable cream ale as the base. Cream ales are stylistically clean, well-attenuated, and refreshing. This style was chosen for its thirst-quenching characteristics and to let the delicious mango flavors from the Coffee Leaf tea shine in this brew. As for hops, the companies brewed with Mandarina Bavaria to tie in some citrus aromas with the tropical fruit notes from the tea.
Faculty Brewing adds the Wize Monkey Mango Party tea right at whirlpool, much like when you are making a cup of tea at home. Large mesh bags are used to let the tea steep in the beer to extract all the mango flavor. The tea is then removed, yeast is added, and the beer ferments.
The launch party for the new collaborative brew was held on Thursday, March 7th at Faculty Brewing in Mount Pleasant, Vancouver.
(Photo courtesy of Wize Monkey)Last Autumn, Wize Monkey released a new line of loose leaf tins in eight blends: Original, Jasmine, Earl Grey, Minty Marvel, Strawberry Hibiscus, Ginger Lemon, Sunset Chai and Mango Party, which is incorporated into the new Mango Party Cream Ale. The colorful 100g tins marked the beginning of a proper loose leaf offering for Wize Monkey, attracting the ever-growing sophisticated market of tea and coffee drinkers seeking innovative and socially responsible products. The 100g tins are now selling on WizeMonkey.com and on Amazon Prime.About Wize MonkeyWize Monkey is the global leader in Coffee Leaf Tea production, research, and innovation. Stemming from a 2013 grad school project, Wize Monkey has since established itself as the world’s first Coffee Leaf Tea company. They are vertically integrated from “Earth to Cup” out of Nicaragua and based in Vancouver B.C. Wize Monkey Coffee Leaf Teas are available in more than 800 stores across North America.
Wize Monkey's website presents a new documentary series about coffee farming and how the coffee leaf is making its mark on the tea and herbal tisane industry.
Additionally, customers can also peruse a variety of food and drink recipes on the on the company's website that incorporate this coffee leaf tea, such as the Earl Grey Gin Tonic Cocktail, the Pirate's Minty Elixir, and the Mango Party Coconut Chia Pudding. Each recipe exemplifies the versatility of the leaves of coffee plants.
A new Coffee Leaf Matcha will also be released in the coming months, which will be available for purchase on the company's website.
Wize Monkey will make an appearances at the Northwest Tea Festival and at the San Francisco International Tea Festival later this year.
