Introducing…Our First Ever Sparkling Tea

Over the last few years, like many of us, I’ve noticed myself wanting to drink much less alcohol. I might have been driving home. I might have just wanted to be on form the next day.

Each time I didn’t drink, I noticed something else. Whether it was a big event or a more casual get-together, I’d have better conversations. I’d connect with the people I met more deeply.

We’ve moved on from the days when non-drinkers were just handed a conspicuous glass of orange juice at a champagne reception and left to field all sorts of questions about why they’re abstaining.

Even though we’re getting past that, there’s only so much sugary fruit juice or sparkling water I can drink on a night out. I wanted an alternative that didn’t just make me feel included but delivered that sense of occasion too. I also wanted it to be interesting enough to drink over the course of an event, and healthy too.

That’s a lot to ask, but turns out I wasn’t the only one wondering…

It’s widely reported that at least 1/3 of adults are drinking less alcohol in recent years* and since as early as 2015, we’ve been being asked by the chefs and sommeliers to create alcohol-free alternatives to traditional wine pairing menus or cocktails – or healthy, nonalcoholic flavoursome tea drinks for that champagne moment.

I’d had an idea that single garden tea could work for these moments – it’s got amazing, pure flavours with wow-factor and it’s good for you – but I also knew that it would be about drinking a cool, sparkling drink out of a glass – not a hot tea - on these occasions.

It’s taken a few years of experimentation to get from hot tea to this delicately sparkling cold infused tea in a bottle. You can find out how Tom and the team did it – with a little help from a sommelier and a Michelin-starred chef.

I’m delighted to confirm their incredible effort has been worth it.

I love what we have come up with because it's light and refreshing and really is the taste of pure single garden tea. It’s sparkling, which gives it a sense of celebration, and it’s adult (not full of sugar), which means I can drink it throughout an evening without feeling a sense of sickly overwhelm. Its subtlety means discovering depths of flavour that I didn’t notice at the start so it keeps me interested and I go home feeling uplifted and ready for a good sleep and a good feeling in the morning.

I hope you like it too.

 

*Lumina Intelligence Pub Market Report 2019