NOT your
grandma's teaware
Forget fussy tea services. Today's teaware is sexy, modern—even guy-centric.
BY BRENDA G. RUSSELL F
or years, the tearoom conjured a Victorian image: women liſting petite bone china
cups, pinkie fingers raised. But today the way of tea is led by a hipper sipper. Pop star Lady Gaga draws paparazzi not with the meat dress of her MTV awards appearance, but with an enameled, gilt-edged cup and saucer. "It's exciting to watch tea thrive and evolve
beyond traditional tea models," says Kim Jage, executive vice president of World Tea Expo. The June 2011 event in Las Vegas was host to panels on the emergence of tea-specific retailers; sexy, modern teaware; celebrity tea products; men, millennials and tea; and innovative tea packaging. "As tea is becoming ever more popular with a younger
demographic, hip teaware is a natural extension," Jage says. "We're seeing tea accoutrements and giſts that are modern, BPA- free, user-friendly and highly appealing to today's tea drinkers." Styles of teaware are tailored to these varied tastes. "For
some, it is about formal service; for others it is all about the ceremony of preparation," says Thomas Perez, president of Bodum USA Inc.
26 | November 2011 • www.specialty-coffee.com "For us it is the latter," Perez says. "You need
to start with quality tea, a kettle to brew water to the ideal temperature for the tea type, a tea press to control the brewing process, and a double-wall glass to insulate the heat of the tea
while showcasing the beautiful color of brew." The Victorian tea service is missing from the shelves of TeaSource stores in and around St. Paul, Minn. "Few customers today are interested in traditional
tea service," says president Bill Waddington. "We don't sell traditional tea service sets at all, especially doilies. We leave that to the traditional tea`rooms. "What does sell well for us are items that make and serve
loose-leaf tea easily, efficiently, and with some panache," Waddington says. "Ease, efficiency, and aesthetics are the three factors, in that order, that sell tea accessories for us. Price usually ends up being a secondary consideration."
SAME PERFORMANCE All price ranges promise superior brews. "There is no real difference as far as performance," Perez says. "Like any other
