By Lindsey Goodwin

Market U-turns, crop subsidies and bans by school boards and the FDA … Why is sweetening tea such a sticky issue? In this part of the series, WTN examines trends in sweeteners and ways to sweeten a tea business.

The Flavor Factor 

Let’s face it: America has gone foodie. In the past, customers added sweeteners to tea with no thought to the impact on flavor. Today, they are demanding a more sophisticated sweet tea.

Tea blenders say striking a balance between sweetness and tea taste is key. Rona Tison, ITO EN’s senior vice president of corporate relations, said the goal is to “keep the sugar level down” while “bringing out a profile that enhances the tea flavor.” Most sources advocated considering the unique flavors of both sweeteners and teas when pairing.

The Sweet Life 

Sweeteners are, in part, a lifestyle choice, and consumers’ growing preference for healthier options has big implications for tea. Americans are switching beverages for health reasons, and to accommodate them, beverage manufacturers are changing levels and types of sweeteners.

Devan Shah, owner of International Tea Importers, said that masala chai “made a U-turn” in sweetness because of public health concerns. Tison said many RTD consumers have moved away from the extremely sweet teas that were popular in the past.

It’s not just about calories, added Michelle Weisblatt, Sweet Leaf Tea’s vice president of marketing. She said consumers are concerned about the sweeteners themselves, because of the link between obesity and high fructose corn syrup. This has been apparent in manufacturers’ reactions; for instance, Snapple.com replaced HFCS with cane sugar, crystalline fructose, pear juice and honey in its newest lines.

Tison also noted the sweetener switch is not limited to Baby Boomers; when school boards banned sodas, the youth market turned to healthier beverages, too.

Life After HFCS 

With health concerns and corn prices on the rise, it’s easy to see why sugar is replacing HFCS. Sources said this was a necessary improvement, but some demanded more. Jim Picariello, Wise Acre’s owner, said, “I love sugar, but it’s not good for you. It’s a sad state of affairs when you get a bottle of tea and are thrilled to see that it’s sweetened with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.”

The debate over what to sweeten with next rages, but popular picks are honey, agave and stevia.

Honey has exploded onto the tea scene, and the selection goes beyond just clover honey; some businesses serve honey flights with their teas. Picariello said Wise Acre’s frozen tea Frosteas are honey-sweetened because “honey has a rounded taste that highlights whatever it is sweetening” and is healthier than sugar. However, he added, honey has limited potential because “there’s no 95-percent profit margin with honey, like there is with subsidized high fructose corn syrup.”

A low glycemic rating is getting the blue agave cactus a lot of attention. Bailey Cunning, Vida Tea’s Marketing Coordinator, said nutrient-rich agave nectar pairs well with green tea, and Vida Tea’s Desert Pear flavor won the top prize for Best Sweetened Green Tea in this year’s World Tea Championship. Several sources pointed out agave’s high price point, but Cunning said, “It’s worth it.”

Zero-calorie stevia is the most polarizing of the natural sweeteners. Jim May, SweetLeaf Sweetener’s founder, introduced stevia to the U.S. in 1982 and said it “blends extraordinarily well with teas,” but consumers complain of a bitter aftertaste, and Picariello asked, “Why would anyone ever put stevia in tea?”

May admitted stevia often has “a distinct aftertaste,” but insisted that SweetLeaf’s patented water-extraction method – the first to be permitted by the FDA for use in beverages after a 17-year ban – produces stevia that is “delicious, with no bitter aftertaste.”

He added that stevia leaves can be blended with tea leaves, and the liquid extract can be added to brewed tea.

Sweet Ideas 

Nothing sells like creativity. Below, sources give some uncommon ways to sweeten the teas on your menu:

• Add a spoonful of jam, like in Russia, or sugared pistachio slivers, like in Iran. –Jane Pettigrew, tea historian and writer

• Blend with exotic juices and purees, such as guava, mango, berries and plum, or fruit-, herb- or flower-flavored simple syrups. –Benoit Cornet, Sanctuary T’s master mixologist

• Garnish with sorbet or ice cream, or spike with liqueurs or sweet wines. –Cornet

• Impart a sweet fragrance by blending leaves with dried pomegranate, caramel, chocolate bits, oranges or berries. –Miriam Novalle, T Salon’s founder