Even though tea is the most consumed beverage in the world after water, coffee industry is clearly ahead of competition with tea when it comes to innovation. Also we are in an era when baristas are expected to make a perfect cup of tea. In England, OVER A THIRD of consumers visit a café to drink coffee they can’t drink at home, whereas only 15% says the same for tea. Over 25% of consumers think tea served at cafés doesn’t taste as good as a brew they can make at home.

There are many more coffee prioritized serving places all over the world compared to places where tea is served. Tea is certainly available at coffee places, but the person who make tea is the barista. In order to attract more tea lovers in to these places, it’s better if baristas can be trained on tea preparation by a professional tea master. Hiring a tea master will be an extra cost, but it will definitely bring more people in.

Even though it’s bit of a rarity there are good tea houses which have come up with some unique concepts. https://www.visitbritain.com/gb/en/top-10-tea-rooms-afternoon-tea

Below are key considerations for a better tea experience,

1.Create a Calming / Elegant Environment: Unlike coffee drinkers, tea lovers prefer a calm quite place to enjoy their tea and they are willing to spend some time around their favorite cuppa.

2.Telling Stories: In general tea drinkers love to hear stories about the tea they consume such as origin, special health benefits etc.

3.Tea Sourcing: It’s ideal, if the tea house own can source directly from the origin. But there are practical difficulties like customs clearance, lack of contacts, effort. So it’s also good to select a reputed tea merchant who supplies good quality tea.

4.Think About the Teaware: Operators should be looking at maximizing their presentation to encourage social media sharing with their teaware and accessories.

5.Water Source: For instance 60% of the UK has hard water which really damages both tea and equipment. Its impact is immediately visible when you make a cup of tea; a white tea will look yellow and green and black teas will develop a scum on the surface.

It’s best to check water in your area and you can do that simply with a BRITA Professional water drop test kit. Once you know what type of water you have, you can then work with the on-hand experts at BRITA Professional to find the right water filtration solution for your site.

Loose tea offline retail concept is becoming an outdated concept unless the retailer is paying a careful attention on tea quality, his unique concept and the selection. Teavana closure and Davids Tea’s poor financial performance (http://www.teawithnipun.com/news/davidstea-inc-releases-second-quarter-fiscal-2018-financial-results/) are some evidences for that. By the mean time, tea service sector is emerging. That’s why Teavana brewed tea is still served at Starbucks outlets. Therefore in the modern era, the best thing for tea entrepreneurs is to serve ready to drink / freshly brewed tea with an unforgettable experience. So let’s stop expecting baristas to make a perfect cup of tea.

View more tea articles + latest tea news: http://www.teawithnipun.com/

References

Figures:https://issuu.com/britaprofessional/docs/brita_beyond_the_brew_ezine_final?e=32770645/66026144

Picture: https://absolutehealth.com/coffee-or-tea-benefits/