Traditional Black Iced Tea has been a staple in foodservice for years, but recent trends have changed the entire iced tea scene. More retailers today offer two or more iced tea options, such as Tropical Passion Fruit Iced Tea and Traditional Black Iced Tea, but some are taking things a step further and offering their customers a variety of iced teas including flavored, green, herbal, and sweet iced teas.

Fruit Flavors

Flavored Iced Teas are gaining popularity in our customer base, particularly fruit flavors like mango, peach, and berry. Fruit flavors are a perfect complement to a black or green tea base, adding a refreshing tropical twist to iced teas. Some of the fruit flavors that have been introduced over the last year include Mango Green, Ginger Peach, and Decaf Island Coconut to appeal to a variety of customer palates. Gaviña has noticed that many customers like to enjoy iced teas with naturally sweet flavors that brew a smooth, tasty cup that doesn’t need any added sweetener.

Iced Tea Bases

As far as iced tea bases, green tea and hibiscus bases have become progressively more popular in the market. Organic teas have also started to gain some momentum as they are a perfect option for customers who are extra conscious about the origin of the foods and drinks they consume. One of Gaviña’s most popular iced teas, Organic Hibiscus, is a naturally caffeine free blend of organic hibiscus flowers and organic lemon myrtle that combines into a sweet tart citrus flavor that many customers love.

Sweet

Sweet teas have also grown over the last several years due to the American preference for extra sweet drinks. For a twist on a traditional sweet tea recipe, create a signature sweet tea by adding blackberry, raspberry, or other fruit-flavored syrup to traditional black tea. For our more health-conscious customers, use stevia to create sweet tea in order to keep the glycemic content of the tea and the calories low while still offering the delicious sweet flavor that customers enjoy.

Half & Half

A favorite of Gaviña’s Iced Tea recipes is Half & Half, made with half iced tea and half lemonade. Ordinarily, this recipe is made with Traditional Black Iced Tea, but after experimenting, it was found that some combinations like Organic Hibiscus and Lemonade are even better than the original.

The Need for Tea

Overall, Iced Tea is a favorite menu item and it’s pleasing to see it trending up. As more flavor trends emerge, tea makers like Gaviña will have the opportunity to be more playful with its iced tea recipes. Gaviña recommends serving three types of iced teas in order to keep up with the trends: a traditional black iced tea, a flavored iced tea, and a caffeine free or decaffeinated option.

The cost of iced tea is considerably low. What is spent on tea and cups is easily made up in a short period of time on sales and the rest is profit margin. As a bakery cafe, putting an assortment of ice teas on your menu guarantees an easy added stream of revenue.