New Lightly Carbonated Hard Iced Tea

MillerCoors last week introduced Easy Tea, a less sweet, lightly carbonated hard iced tea with 5% alcohol that is targeted to Gen-X tea drinkers. Melissa Wagamon, marketing manager for Easy Tea Co., writes that the “simple, yet crisp and citrusy taste of Easy Tea makes it the perfect drink for kicking back and relaxing with a few close friends.” The tea is available in 24 oz. cans at liquor and convenience stores in 12 eastern seaboard and southeastern states. It is the third in a series of Henry’s Hard Soda that includes ginger ale and orange soda, as well as a soon-to-be-released cherry cola. Easy Tea is “refined, brisk” offering “the familiar refreshment of the classic beverage, but with a nice kick” due to a slightly higher ABV (alcohol by volume) compared to the 4.2% ABV sodas. Iced teas are by far the most popular tea sold, accounting for 85% of all tea poured in America. In much of the country, tea is mixed at a ratio of one pound of sugar to one gallon of tea, a level of sweetness comparable to soft drinks. Gen-Xers (born 1965–1976) are wary of so-called sweet tea because of health concerns. “We’re excited to bring people a hard iced tea with just the right amount of sweetness,” writes Wagamon. The initial product rollout includes Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. MillerCoors LLC is a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Co. Source: MillerCoors