The Tea Spot: Innovating During the Pandemic, Supporting First Responders

A few months ago, in the midst of the pandemic, The Tea Spot developed and introduced the Flu Fighter tea. It’s a caffeine-free herbal blend that features functional ingredients, including astragalus, honeysuckle, organic licorice root, orange peel, tangerine peel, dandelion root, mulberry leaf, red root and organic ginger.

The ingredients in the new Flu Fighter tea were chosen based on a recent medical report, published in Military Medical Research (Volume 7, Article Number 4, February 2020), on the diagnosis and treatment of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), where a combination of herbs and roots were used to support flu-like symptoms.

According to Uspenski, many of the natural herbs in this sweet, nourishing tea were also used in ancient times to make wellness broths for recovery and building strength. And while the Flu Fighter tea is meant to be supportive and maintain wellness, it is not meant to treat, cure or prevent any disease or ailment.

Overall, The Tea Spot’s Flu Fighter tea is an example of how one company is focusing on innovation and staying relevant during tough times.

The Tea Spot's Flu Fighter tea. Photo: Courtesy of The Tea Spot.

“The pain and stress of the current pandemic has pushed The Tea Spot to think outside the box as to how we can help empower people to find and support better overall wellness,” noted Uspenski. “The result of our efforts is our aromatic and medicinal Flu Fighter herbal tea, inspired by recent medical research. This supportive tea is intended to be used in combination with social distancing, good personal hygiene, sound diet, ample exercise and rest, while it encourages wellness and facilitates calm amidst the turmoil and uncertainty that’s happening around the world.”

Since its launch, sales of the Flu Fighter tea have been strong – and the product even received a mention in The Wall Street Journal this summer.

Supporting First Responders
In addition to creating Flu Fighter, The Tea Spot considered ways to support the community during the pandemic. In fact, supporting community wellness is a brand mission for The Tea Spot, and the company donates 10 percent of all profits in-kind to cancer survivors and community wellness programs.

Consequently, The Tea Spot decided to donate more than 55,000 specialty tea sachets to first responders, doctors and nurses at eight hospitals and clinics in some of the states most impacted by COVID-19 in the United States, including New York, California and Texas. In May, the tea sachets were shipped to the breakrooms of first responders at:

  • Stony Brook University Hospital – Stony Brook, N.Y.
  • Lincoln Medical Emergency Center – The Bronx, N.Y.
  • Maimonides Medical Center – Brooklyn, N.Y.
  • NYU Langone Family Support Center – Brooklyn, N.Y.
  • NYC Health + Hospital – N.Y.C.
  • MetHealth PA – Haltom City, Texas
  • John Muir Health, Walnut Creek Medical Center – Walnut Creek, Calif.
  • Dr. Eric Jung and staff – Los Angeles, Calif.
In May 2020, The Tea Spot shipped tea sachets to the breakrooms of first responders at eight hospitals and medical centers in the United States. Photo: Courtesy of The Tea Spot.

In total, The Tea Spot donated more than $35,000 (retail value) of tea sachets from its line of specialty teas, including: Organic Spring Dragonwell, Japanese Orchid Sencha, Rise & Chai and Organic Natural Glow White Tea.

“The Tea Spot exists to help people empower wellness through tea, and we are continually looking at innovative ways to help our customers and the tea-loving community,” said Uspenski.

The Tea Spot’s premium, award-winning loose tea blends are micro-blended in small batches. With full-leaf teas, botanicals and functional teas, the company has evolved age-old traditions to allow exquisite flavor and good health to collide in every cup.

To learn more about The Tea Spot, visit TheTeaSpot.com. The Tea Spot’s Flu Fighter tea is available online and retails for US$25.95 per one-fourth pound bulk (50 servings), or a sample size for US$5 (five servings). The Flu Fighter tea blend can be re-infused two to three times per serving. The Tea Spot’s wholesale website – for specialty bulk tea, iced tea and Steepware products – is also available at Wholesale.TheTeaSpot.com.