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US Marketers Looking To Tea

Posted: Jun 1st, '13, 08:00
by beforewisdom
Nutshell: In the US the market for everything coffee related has been saturated so markerters are looking toward tea. Many new options in tea ( albeit some not so great ones ) are appearing in the United States and the popularity of tea is going up:

http://adage.com/article/news/coffee-ov ... ea/241674/

I know I am dreaming, but it will be an awesome day when a corner tea shop is a common thing and I can drop into anyone to get a cup of sencha, made without a tea bag and made properly.

Re: US Marketers Looking To Tea

Posted: Jun 1st, '13, 22:52
by MEversbergII
More likely, the options will be how many grams of sugar do you want on your double-tall-triple-infused butchered whatever.

Mass marketing in general, and the U.S. specifically, seems to have little regard for authenticity.

M.

Re: US Marketers Looking To Tea

Posted: Jun 4th, '13, 23:17
by caulfield
True, I live in a smaller city, so I don't even try at the local coffee shops, but even as I travel across the US, I am amazed at how hard it is to get a really good cup of tea. Every once in while I'll be surprised and find a coffee shop that takes tea seriously, but that is not the norm.

Re: US Marketers Looking To Tea

Posted: Jun 4th, '13, 23:34
by debunix
The LA Times has noticed this trend too:

In the beverage industry, it's definitely tea's time.

Unfortunately, I suspect a lot of this is coming as flavored, sweetened stuff in cans and bottles rather than the real deal.

Re: US Marketers Looking To Tea

Posted: Jun 5th, '13, 09:19
by MEversbergII
Last night, I was getting taco's from a taco truck in my area and I commented to my better half that I should start a tea truck.

I don't think it would work, because those trucks are expensive. How much tea could one man sell in St. Mary's? Tacos have appeal to all demographics.

M.

Re: US Marketers Looking To Tea

Posted: Jun 7th, '13, 19:36
by Milo
America might have a tea market, but it remains to be seen whether that market will mature into a culture. Given my recent visit to a tea room that served sencha at 190°F in twenty-ounce to-go cups, I don't expect this to happen anytime soon.

Still, when you consider where coffee was twenty years ago, it's kind of exciting to think that someday baristas will know as much about brewing temperamental senchas as they would about tamping an espresso.

Re: US Marketers Looking To Tea

Posted: Jun 8th, '13, 00:01
by Mooniac
Well... There is only one way to start something - start it.
It's true that, most likely, the growing tea market in the U.S. will be overwhelmed with cheap, flavored, artificial (instant), and over-marketed tea. But this might put tea (not tea bags), as a beverage, into people's heads and, slowly, some of them will start to grow and explore it as a culture.

There are people who are snobby about soda. There is a market of micro-crafted soda in this country. So there is no reason why people won't start to explore the quality world of tea if they demand quality from other, much less "cultured" beverages.

Re: US Marketers Looking To Tea

Posted: Jun 8th, '13, 05:50
by ole
Well, I came across this yesterday,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i0aNSaEkUQ so maybe there is hope for a tea culture. :roll:

Re: US Marketers Looking To Tea

Posted: Jun 8th, '13, 10:28
by edkrueger
Wow, that is creepy.

Also, a lot of work for a luke warm half cup.

Re: US Marketers Looking To Tea

Posted: Jun 8th, '13, 11:12
by hopeofdawn
Wow. That's um ... wow. I'm kind of embarrassed to be an American now ... :oops:

Re: US Marketers Looking To Tea

Posted: Jun 8th, '13, 12:51
by Devoted135
You guys, we're doing it all wrong! I had no idea that using ceramic or porcelain teawares was hindering my ability to appreciate the tea!

*headdesk*

Re: US Marketers Looking To Tea

Posted: Jun 8th, '13, 13:31
by Drax
I couldn't make it past the first 30 seconds... :(

Re: US Marketers Looking To Tea

Posted: Jun 8th, '13, 16:02
by John Delaney
You folks are being too hard on Chas. He is a good guy and is not the problem. He is actually trying to do something about it (building a tea culture) which you should be applauding even if you would go about it differently.

Re: US Marketers Looking To Tea

Posted: Jun 8th, '13, 16:05
by John Delaney
beforewisdom wrote:Nutshell: In the US the market for everything coffee related has been saturated so markerters are looking toward tea. Many new options in tea ( albeit some not so great ones ) are appearing in the United States and the popularity of tea is going up:

http://adage.com/article/news/coffee-ov ... ea/241674/

I know I am dreaming, but it will be an awesome day when a corner tea shop is a common thing and I can drop into anyone to get a cup of sencha, made without a tea bag and made properly.
Thanks for sharing this article. This confirms what I have been hearing as well as far as current trends with tea.

Re: US Marketers Looking To Tea

Posted: Jun 8th, '13, 16:09
by John Delaney
Mooniac wrote:Well... There is only one way to start something - start it.
It's true that, most likely, the growing tea market in the U.S. will be overwhelmed with cheap, flavored, artificial (instant), and over-marketed tea. But this might put tea (not tea bags), as a beverage, into people's heads and, slowly, some of them will start to grow and explore it as a culture.

There are people who are snobby about soda. There is a market of micro-crafted soda in this country. So there is no reason why people won't start to explore the quality world of tea if they demand quality from other, much less "cultured" beverages.
I like your perspective. A rising tide lifts all boats. Plus, who is to say that America can't discover or create some better trends for tea. For example, would we have organic tea now if it wasn't for American consumers?