A cup of tea - with a twist

In the fast-paced urban environment where there's a marked change in millennials' preferences, the perception of tea is fast shifting from being a commodity into a lifestyle product, say experts.

"They travel, they see, they taste and above all, they are conscious about their health. They like to experiment and understand.

They have found the sunshine in a cup to be their go to beverage. It serves their purpose of feeling rejuvenated and are ready to seize the day," Anamika Singh from Anandini Himalaya Tea told IANS on the side-lines of the Superfood for Super women session at The Imperial Culinary Club.According to Siddharth Jain, Founder, Brewhouse Ice Teas, not just millennials but people of all age groups are looking for healthier alternative beverages.

"Iced tea is an alternative to unhealthy, sugar-laden, flavoured beverages. People are realizing that tea is healthy for its antioxidant properties, is not very high on caffeine and is a natural way to relax and unwind, which is becoming a common need in the fast-paced urban environment," Jain told IANS.

Parimal Shah, President, MK Jokai Agri Plantations Pvt Ltd, a manufacturer of Assam Orthodox Tea, says the charm of tea cuts across all classes and regions across India."With consumer preferences becoming increasingly sophisticated, the perception of tea is slowly but steadily changing from a commodity into a lifestyle product, especially in tier-I metro cities and people are becoming more and more demanding with the way they consume tea, they buy tea and pretty much the way they perceive tea.

Those organisations who have managed to use technology to market tea and who have gone out of the way to formulate creative and innovative blends have gained immense goodwill and recognition," Shah told IANS. Stressing on the importance of innovation in tea, he said: "It has indeed become quite crucial and people, especially youngsters are ready and in fact looking forward to experimenting with their taste buds instead of merely going ahead with consuming traditional tea."