WAKE UP AND SMELL THE TEA?
Emerging as an international and regional trend, black, green, matcha and many other types of tea are finding their way into hospitality establishments across the MENA region. Here’s why…
One of the biggest trends is in the growth of afternoon tea. There is a massive amount of interest in major five-star hotels, both in the UK and overseas, where sales are growing exponentially. Being served tea in lovely surroundings, in the correct way, is what many people now enjoy. “I have recently returned from a five-star hotel in Chicago, where they wished to improve their serving. It is now difficult to get a booking,” stressed Malcolm Ferris Lay, an international tea consultant.
Younger people are now celebrating birthdays, graduations etc. with afternoon tea rather than going out and drinking in clubs. What is interesting is that the ‘old favorites’, like English Breakfast, Earl Grey and Darjeeling, remain very much in the mix. The fancier Japanese and Chinese teas are not consumed nearly as regularly, although they appear on most menus. It is very much what people find safe and are familiar with, although you should always offer to change the tea at no extra cost.
Training is key. “I spend a considerable amount of time training staff in the service and the understanding of afternoon tea. Once you get the staff taking a real interest, you see a difference in customer behavior.”
One of the other growth areas is in ‘British brands’, purchased in Asia in general and particularly in China. “I think this has very much to do with the UK being generally considered as the home of tea, although as we all know, historically we grew very little indeed,” he said. In the US, there is a growth in loose tea particularly on the West Coast. On the East Coast, and to some extent down South, a lot of British brands are purchased, albeit in the form of teabags. When it comes to pricing, price wars are surging in the UK with the major brands all offering discounts on everyday teas. “In my view this is not good for the tea trade, as forcing prices down does not assist the producer in any way with rising costs,” added Ferris Lay. He continued, “The specialty and infusion sector is seeing steady growth, however as a nation, we still manage to drink 165 million cups of tea a day.”