3 Companies Debut Teas with Alcohol

Wandering WhistlerIntroduces Alcoholic Teas

(Photo/Wandering Whistler)

Portland, Maine-based beverage company, Wandering Whistler,introduced two alcoholic teas in May, reported Forbes.Founder Jackie Atlas combined her experience in the beer industry with her loveof tea.

The craft brews are:

  • Earl Grey + Elderflower, which is a blend ofEarl Grey tea, elderflower and a touch of honey;
  • Jasmine is a blend of green tea and jasmine fora light and crisp taste.

Atlas ferments cane sugar, tea leaves and yeast and thenadds natural flavor for enhancement. Each can contains 4.5% alcohol by volumeand only 3-4 grams of sugar.

So far, the alcoholic teas are currently distributed to barsand retailers in Maine and Rhode Island with Massachusetts next. Atlas intendsto grow distribution in the Northeast and then spread to the Midwest and WestCoast. The target demographics for these beverages are wine and hard seltzerdrinkers, as well as the hot tea community.

Chai will be the next alcoholic tea blend to debut soon.Atlas also plans to add Moroccan Mint, Rooibos, and Lemon Verbena flavors inthe future.

Newground CreatedHard Tea and Coffee Lattes

(PRNewsfoto/Fundamental Beverages, LLC)

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Fundamental Beverages just launchedtwo NewgroundHard Dutch Lattes in the United States. Imported from Holland, the beveragescombine nitro technology and quality ingredients for smooth taste.

Hard Dutch Café Latte and Hard Dutch Chai Latte are maltbeverages comprised of real tea or coffee, Dutch cream, natural flavors andalcohol.

While the Café Latte provides a caffeinated boost, the ChaiLatte is a caffeine-free blend of black tea, natural spices and notes ofvanilla. The beverages contain 5% alcohol by volume.

"Inspired by the Dutch philosophy of living every dayto its full potential, we jumped headfirst into developing a brand that breaksnew ground and created an entirely new RTD category," said PhilRooney, CEO of Newground in a pressrelease. "Newground Hard Dutch Lattes are versatile enough tobe enjoyed anytime, from a post-night-out brunch to a much-needed afternoonkickstart or end of day sweet satisfaction. We're excited to share a taste ofHolland with the US and introduce hard lattes to the market."

The Newground Hard Dutch Lattes are available in Georgia andPennsylvania at select retailers, including Publix and Circle K. Distributionwill continue to expand throughout the United States.

Visit Newground on Facebook at /DrinkNewground and on Instagram at @DrinkNewground.

The Boston Beer Co.Introduced Hard Tea

(Photo/Origlio.com)

The Boston Beer Co., basedin Boston, Massachusetts, added Wild Leaf Hard Tea to its non-beer productrepertoire, reported Just-Drinks.

Wild Leaf Craft Hard Tea is made from premium selectrainforest-grown tea leaves. The tea leaves “provide a cleaner, crisper icedtea due to the unique climate in which they are grown,” according to thecompany’s website. 

The hard teas’ two unique flavors are: Black Tea with Lemon& Honeysuckle and Green Tea with Apple & Honey.

Each 12 ounce bottle contains 4.5% alcohol by volume and hasonly 130 calories and 11 grams of sugar.