hile I’m primarily a coffee drinker, both my wife and mother-in-law tend to drink a wide variety of teas, and I’ve been watching the growing popularity of tea with great interest. Tea (both hot and cold) has been one of the fastest-growing beverages in foodservice, and consumers spent more than $9 billion on tea in the foodservice channel in 2006. Over the past three years, consumer spending rose nearly 8 percent on hot tea and over 6 percent on iced tea, both of which have exceeded overall industry growth. With growing emphasis on health and wellness, tea is on-trend and expected to continue its robust growth going forward.

As we review beverage menus from 10 or even 5 years ago, it seems choices were once limited to green or black tea, either instant or fresh brewed. Times have changed. Tea lovers have many more options now, and the drink is found not only on traditional beverage menus but is working its way onto the alcoholic side. Consumers are increasingly seeking out organic and/or fair trade teas as well as gourmet products. One example, the Darjeeling Muscatel tea from the Makaibari estate in Kurseong, India, is $555 a pound and about as elite as tea can get. Following are some of the more unique menuing trends for teas we’ve found over the past several months across the country:

Counter, a New York-based French Mediterranean-inspired vegetarian concept, offers several loose-leaf teas, including Rooibos Herbal Chai (Rooibos leaves transform from a vivid green to mahogany red while drying in the African sun), Wood Dragon Oolong (made from twigs, the strong roasted flavor is the result of extra firing after the tea is blended), Tieguanyin Oolong (once reserved exclusively for the Emperor), and Chamomile Floral Infusion (a premium Egyptian organic herbal tea).

At Spring restaurant in Chicago, guests sip Savannah Cooler Tea Cocktail, prepared with loose black tea infused with vodka, mixed with Briottet Crème de Pêche de Vigne, lemon juice, and simple syrup, served over ice and finished with soda water.

Bong Su Restaurant & Lounge in San Francisco serves the Earl Grey Boxcar, which is Earl Grey tea infused with Bacardi Superior light rum and blended with Punt e Mes, pineapple juice, apricot brandy, lemon and lime juices, and Angostura bitters.

Trois in Atlanta has created the Trois Cocktail, featuring a mixture of gin-infused green tea and mint, combined with simple syrup, lemon juice, and egg white, then shaken with ice until frothy and sprayed with a mist of rosewater.

The Arnold Palmer is being added on many menus across the land. A simple mixture of lemonade and iced tea is a thirst-quenching addition that is very popular.

Just as dairy-loving Americans took to coffee-based cappuccinos and lattes, they are getting interested in chai beverages—milky, spiced teas. The Human Bean, an innovative coffee chain, serves both Chai Lattes and Chai Chargers, which add a double espresso shot to a chai tea.

Tea has clearly become a versatile part of the operator’s menu, and we’ve seen a tremendous amount of experimentation with tea. From a hotel food and beverage perspective, tea can offer an opportunity to provide the customer with a unique beverage and something that can drive incremental sales.

David Henkes is a VP at Technomic, a Chicago-based consultancy focused on away-from-home eating and drinking. For more information on beverage trends in foodservice or on other issues, please contact David at 312-506-3927 or at dhenkes@technomic.com.