Demand for decaffeinated tea is on the rise

Decaffeinated tea is growing in popularity, but as with regular tea, there are better quality versions that will keep your customers coming back

There are several things on the average beverage menu that are often dismissed when they could profitably benefit from a bit of salesmanship – and decaffeinated tea is now seen as an item well worth actively promoting.

Decaf tea is arousing so much interest that some of the suppliers are now getting positively enthusiastic about its prospects in the hospitality sector. One of the most intriguing arguments is over the timing of decaf. At Tetley, head of tea Sebastian Michaelis says decaf must now be marketed as an all-day menu item: "It can be a common misconception that decaf is an afternoon or evening beverage," he says. "Research has shown that 50% of decaf is consumed in the morning, which is why it's important to promote it throughout the day."

Consumers who drink more than one tea a day often swap from caffeinated to decaf, says Carly Murphy, assistant brand manager at Yorkshire Tea: "Many consumers are now taking more notice of their caffeine intake. Yorkshire Tea's decaf offering has received a Great Taste award for its flavour, and we believe it's the UK's number one decaf tea brand, with almost 29% of the market. "We find that two in five people have a cut-off point for caffeine, with most stopping consumption of caffeinated drinks between 3pm-7pm. The rise of decaf points to people starting their day with their usual tea and swapping to a non-caffeinated later in the afternoon and before bed. This shows that consumers are considering their beverage choices more closely, and that accommodation providers should offer the right late-in-the-day drink to guests who want a proper brew without the caffeine."

And brew it well, she adds: "For consumers who look to non-caffeinated beverages, one of the main concerns is taste and whether it can match the flavour of their caffeinated brew. When it comes to tea, customers notice if their brew isn't as top-notch as one they could make at home."

Tea party

This is an age-old complaint – the brewing and presentation of tea in the hospitality sector is still generally considered poor, and even Brita, the water-filtration specialist, says it has found that 46% of customers believe out-of-home tea is no better than they can make for themselves. "Tea professionals have a battle on their hands here!" remarks sales director Steve Buckmaster.

At Clipper, marketing director Adele Ward agrees that a decaf has to be good: "There is nothing quite like unwinding with a cup of decaf after a long day. While some other tea makers use chemical solvents to strip caffeine from their teas, we use the natural Co2 decaffeination method, which ditches all chemical nasties," she says.

This is a very big subject, adds Andy Byron, marketing and training manager at Teapigs: "Premium black tea is a competitive market now, with consumers expecting more from the ‘everyday' cuppa, and in this market, it's the decaf scene that has been lacking a wee bit," he says.

"This could either be because the base tea being decaffeinated hasn't been good enough in the first place, or that consumers are put off by the chemical intervention that sacrifices the quality of the product. In contrast, the carbon dioxide method gently decaffeinates the tea, leaving a more natural-tasting brew.

"The premium decaf black tea market is still currently pretty limited, so our new decaf launch is an exciting trade-up for those who serve the family consumer groups who are willing to spend a little bit more on better caffeine-free teas. We always say that our English Breakfast can be drunk all day, every day, and the same can now be said for our decaf – this is not just something you'd only have first thing with your cereal."

Caterers must promote this option properly, say Teapigs. If you have a good decaf, say so.

"It's understandable that some out-of-home operators will upgrade by adding to their herbal or speciality tea offering, and will then think they can save money by sticking with a lower-quality, cheaper blend for their black teas. But we've had amazing feedback from operators who have upgraded to ours – not only does it taste much better than a bog-standard builder's tea, but they've found customers really are willing to pay more for a premium product. You should definitely talk about the provenance of your decaf and what makes your offering special."

Flavour matters

The quality decaf fight is one worth taking on, agrees Phil Kirby, founder of Brew Tea: "The concept of ‘when' to serve decaf is misguided. It's more about ‘who' the drink is for," he says. "There are many people who either choose not to drink caffeine or are advised not to drink caffeine for medical reasons. Our objective has been to deliver an amazing cup of tea for these people, and it's one of our very top sellers… not just because of the caffeine, but because of how it tastes.

"We were pretty much the first of the newer wave of tea companies, the ones who focus on proper leaves, to launch a decaf, and doing it properly took a spot of sourcing. Decaffeination tends to be associated with very cheap tea, and we wanted something to be on a par with our English Breakfast standard, so we use the Co2 method, and rather than buy a stock ‘off the shelf' decaffeinated leaf, we source the leaf ourselves and have it sent for Co2 decaffeination."

The key, says Kirby, is to accept what consumers really want from a tea – and then to provide it to a high standard.

"Tea is miles behind coffee, mostly due to the fact that none of the mainstream tea brands are well positioned to help a caterer deliver a valuable cup of tea in the out-of-home setting. Out-of-home people want something better than they usually prepare at home, and this means caterers have no choice other than to raise their game.

"The tea industry is also littered with distractions, such as herbal and fruit tea and the obsession with ‘functional' tea. None of these are remotely interesting to the majority of people who buy a cup of tea in an out-of-home setting. Out-of-home is all about serving absolutely amazing cups of tea – properly brew a classic black tea with or without milk, complement it with an Earl Grey and a decaf, and you'll be on to a winner. Get it right and all of a sudden the tea price point takes a significant jump, the cash margin follows and the tea drinkers are more satisfied."

Brew has just completed an unusual project which will help operators ‘present' tea in an interesting way. Kirby says: "Every blend we sell is our own, and you'll always see the origins listed on our ingredients label – this is rarely found in the tea industry. Next we will launch Tea Batch Tracker, a web-based tool that will give the chance to explain exactly which estates the tea they are serving came from.

"The truth is that folks love a really good tea and are willing to pay more for it – this is something that the foodservice industry should really take to heart."

Naturally caffeine-free

Several brands say that a caffeine-free alternative can be found in their fruit and herbal ranges. Typically, tea company Bird & Blend says it prefers not to supply a decaf black because it doesn't like the process, but that it offers a wide range of naturally caffeine-free fruits, herbals and rooibos.

Ideally, a spokesperson says, it would work through a promotion with operators: "We aim to identify where our products can support their specific business objectives – we work to develop a good understanding of our clients' aims before putting together a bespoke plan of a custom seasonal menu, tea tasting and training, etc... this helps alleviate some of the housekeeping headache for them."

The Eteaket brand of Edinburgh has created a Too Cool For Caffeine range of herbals and infusions, and notes that its rooibos is now considered an all-day tea.

Founder Erica Moore has recently created a Tea in Mind range, using five Chinese elements to "empower customers to pause and rebalance" for mental wellbeing. This really works in an out-of-home setting, she says: "Tea in Mind certainly works in a busy hospitality venue – menus are descriptive, the tea names are a good starting point to spark conversation, and our guests enjoy the experience."

More conventionally, Eteaket is promoting a festive afternoon tea, for which it has paired its teas with Christmas beers from the local Cold House brewery, with chocolate stout and Christmas pudding ales and lagers.