Here’s a great example of how one restaurant/bar establishment has elevated tea on the menu. Makers & Finders in Las Vegas has incorporated a matcha bar and a well-thought-out tea menu, and the business is seeing an “explosion” of sales.
Makers & Finders is internationally recognized for its Latin comfort food, specialty coffee and unique ambiance, and the restaurant has received attention in Bon Appetit, The Sunday (U.K.), The New York Times, Washington Post, Las Vegas Review Journal and more.
World Tea News spoke with Makers & Finders Founder and CEO Josh Molina to learn more.
Question: How has Makers & Finders elevated tea on the menu?
Answer: I think that probably started in 2016, when we partnered with a local tea distributor that is invested in transparency and fair trade and small estate teas and matchas called Tealet. We wanted to elevate our tea program beyond having tea bags available, and that was our first step in doing so. The founder and CEO, Elyse Petersen, is a world class tea connoisseur, trainer and guru, so she was able to train our staff and management on the culture of tea and how a few easy steps incorporated into our flow would result in a better-quality tea product.
The biggest elevation of our tea program is the matcha program. We invested in direct trade, stone ground matcha from northern Japan. It is a café grade, and there’s only one grade above which is ceremonial, but for a high-volume production like Makers & Finders, café grade is the perfect fit. That café grade matcha – that high quality – plugged into our tea program and resulted in an explosion of matcha sales.
We took it a step further in 2018 and added a matcha bar. We have five unique matcha based drinks utilizing that product. We have the Turmeric Wellness Shot, with turmeric and a splash lime juice and agave, as well as the Matchaccino, which is a matcha cappuccino, and our standard Matcha Green Tea Latte cut with raw simple syrup. Matcha has a very refined acquired taste, so we create our own raw simple syrup to balance the flavors out, which many people love. We can also create the latte without syrup, which many seasoned matcha drinkers prefer. We also have the Matcha Bulletproof, which is a huge hit and very unique.
Question: What’s been the benefit of having a great tea menu and how have customers responded?
Answer: The benefits are that we are definitely attracting a large demographic of tea drinkers. While we are known for our coffee program, having a strong tea presence brings those guests in and gets them coming back. We have unique drinks you can only find in our shop, and we utilize high quality products, something that has gained us a lot of respect in the tea community, as a place that cares about quality and sourcing of tea products.
Question: What advice do you have for other restaurants, cafes or bars that want to incorporate tea on the menu, instead of simply offering iced tea?
Answer: I would strongly recommend it! Tea is very versatile. Especially bars and cocktail lounges, you can incorporate tea-based products as a syrup for cocktails or non-alcoholic drinks in addition to just offering tea. What I think most people think of when you have a tea product is that it is a standalone product and that if it doesn’t sell, or it’ll just sit on a shelf. Sure, you can offer it as a standalone product, but to make sure you’re moving it, you can add it to syrup bases or cocktail bases, which will enhance your cocktail flavor profile and make it much more unique. Not many places think of tea like that. For example, at our Downtown Summerlin, we have cold brew iced tea – which is just a slower way of brewing the tea and results in a really nuanced flavor you wouldn’t expect. We took that tea, which is so great, and incorporated it into a cocktail – which led to the creation of the Southern 75. The drink is built in a Collins glass and is made with peach purée, honey, slow brewed black iced tea, fresh lemon juice, and topped with prosecco. It’s a Southern influenced cocktail that is very beautiful and light and perfect for spring or summer. When you incorporate high quality tea, the versatility increases beyond just single serve tea.
Question: What’s your favorite tea or tea beverage on your menu and why?
Answer: My favorite is the Just Peachy, which is available at our tea bar. It’s made with hibiscus iced tea, lemonade and peach purée. The drink is cool aesthetically, as the components are layered, and the hibiscus is red, the lemonade is yellow, and the peach is orange. But the taste is so refreshing, and delicious. The hibiscus iced tea is cold brewed, which produces a really delicate flavor, so it makes for a well-crafted beverage.
To learn more about Makers & Finders in Las Vegas, visit MakersLV.com. To learn more about tea at bars and restaurants, among other specialty tea topics and trends, attend this year’s World Tea Conference + Expo, co-located with Nightclub & Bar Show. Visit WorldTeaExpo.com and NCBshow.com.