Tea is one of the most versatile and exciting beverages available on the planet, but the tea industry needs to become innovative beverage leaders and show the restaurant and bar industry why and how to embrace the exciting opportunities tea can provide.
Tea Can Be Magical in F&B
The tea industry needs to share new tea ideas, create new tea concepts, and share different teas and their flavors, so they can be more appreciated in the restaurant and bar industry. We need to open their eyes to the world of tea and demonstrate how tea can become magical when used to support F&B.
No longer should the restaurant and bar industry consider tea to be simply consumed hot with milk or with sugar added. Tea can be used in a cocktail, a mocktail, as a base for simple syrups, and as an infusion that can be used in a myriad of ways including to cook with. Tea also needs to take an important place on a menu – not as a small add-on or after thought. We need to change the way tea is signified and we need to work with the hospitality industry to share these ways through education.
Let’s face it – so many places just offer English breakfast, earl grey, peppermint or chamomile and, of course, usually the only other option offered is whether you should have it with honey or lemon. How many people ask what is the origin of the English breakfast, or what is in the blend? This is what we must start to do and keep the pressure on. It is no longer acceptable to be offered a 10-cent tea bag when you’re a tea lover.
An Exciting World of Tea
When there is a whole exciting world of tea out there, we should work with restaurants, bars and cafes to help improve their tea offerings. On the other hand, restaurants, bars and cafes need to open their minds to how exciting tea can be. It takes both parties to work together!
It always blows my mind that we can have so many amazing coffees on offer all over the world but when it comes to tea, it’s often a poor forgotten family member. Let’s not take it away from the coffee industry – they’ve worked hard on it. But we need to do the same. We can no longer sit back and be the poor relative of beverages.
Related: This insightful article, along with many others on the topic of tea and bars/restaurants, is featured in a new white paper from the World Tea Conference + Expo. CLICK HERE to download the free white paper.
Tea menus need to improve. Take a delicious single origin, artisan tea – brew it, cool it and serve it in a wine glass and the customer’s perception of the beverage changes. Swirl the tea and indulge in the aroma, pair it with food and watch the customers eyes light up at the experience. There are thousands of unique tea-growing areas around the world, and many are undiscovered by either the consumer or the F&B industry.
Why is it that you can indulge in the most amazing food in a restaurant – and that includes some of the best places in the world – but when it comes to the tea that is offered, it’s subpar? In many situations, watch the whole dining experience take a nosedive with a poor-quality tea finish to the meal.
The Art of Tea
Tea is a great base for innovative simple syrups. It’s a great base for creating exciting cocktails. Try a chai flip, or how about a soju spritz? How about a smoky blend of lapsang souchong and a peat-style whiskey? Or a rose and lychee infused vermouth? What about making a peach bellini created with white tea, peaches and schnapps? Using tea in house is more than just using matcha.
We recently created a tea blend for a new local restaurant based on Aperol notes. This one blend has been used as a base for cocktails, in addition to being an option for delicious non-alcoholic beverages. Tea blenders can work with the F&B community to develop signature blends. Tea can be used as a substitute for bitters, and it can be infused with basically any spirit. It’s also a great non-alcoholic option.
How about ancient tea in a cold drip on show at the bar? Throw in some dry ice. Try infusing some Wuyi Rock oolongs in a plum brandy blended with cacao, some earl grey in a whiskey sour. The citrus notes in the bergamot give a unique twist, and the possibilities are endless.
The story of tea, its varieties and its history is as interesting as a great wine. The tasting notes of a rare tea that’s picked and then hand processed by a small farmer is the equivalent story of a winemaker who produced the wine, or the coffee roaster who travels the world in search of the perfect beans. Take delicious artisanal teas and pair them with food. The tea menu can become like a wine menu. Indeed, the offerings are endless.
The art of tea, the visual experience of tea, the flavors of tea, the stories of tea, the opportunities for tea in the bar and restaurant industry – it must be embraced by all parties to make a change that will create an incredible synergy. Indeed, the journey is just beginning.
Learn More at the World Tea Conference + Expo
To discover more on how the tea and bar/restaurant communities can flourish together, among other tea business topics, register for the upcoming World Tea Conference + Expo, June 28-30, 2021 in Las Vegas. The event will be co-located with Nightclub & Bar Show, North America’s premier conference and expo for the bar and restaurant industry.
Registration for World Tea Conference + Expo, along with the conference agenda, is available at WorldTeaExpo.com. All World Tea attendees will receive access to the co-located Nightclub & Bar Show.
Sharyn Johnston is CEO of the Australian Tea Masters Association Pty Ltd. Her company currently produces and exports more than 12 tons of tea and wellness blends. She also educates in modern tea mastery, tea blending and tea sommelier training, providing training to various sectors of the hospitality industry – both locally and internationally. Visit AustralianTeaMasters.com.au to learn more.