Top 10 Trends In Tea Through 2017

It has been an eventful year, to say the least! With more than a million new tea drinkers around the world joining the tea community, we are looking back at what stirred our cups through the year!

As we look forward to another exciting year in 2018 in a few days, here’s a look back at the biggest news in the world of tea that made us want to write back home about. From a heated global debate around the correct way of making tea to several trends borrowed from South Korea, the tea fraternity has been buzzing through the months.

Let’s get to the tea around tea, in no particular order!

1. Microwave Tea

In April this year, the tea fraternity woke up to the most difficult statement to have come upon us. The best way to make tea is in the microwave.

A research carried out by Dr Quan Vuong, from the University of Newcastle on the New South Wales Central Coast of Australia suggested that the best way to take tea and retain all of its goodness was if one followed the three step rule to make tea.

Put hot water in the cup with your tea leaves.

Let the tea steep in normal water for 30 seconds.

Microwave for 1 minute.

According to the research, the process helps to activate almost 80% of the caffeine, theanine and the polyphenols in tea and make the brew more potent.

2. Boba Tea

Remember this? The boardroom error in Taiwan that brought about this interesting trend?

Bubble Tea or Boba Tea has many other names including Pearly Tea and also Tapioca Tea. The tea is supposed to have been the result of an accident — at least that’s one of the interesting stories behind the origin of this tea.

If you haven’t tried our ‘guilt-free’ version of this tea as yet, then make sure you visit our secret recipe today!

3. Grandpa Style Tea

“Grandpa style means the brewing of tea in a large cup, with no filters or teaballs or bags or anything else in it, with water constantly refilled without much regard for infusion time or temperature. The only three things necessary for grandpa style brewing are tea leaves, water, and cup, preferably a large one. I named this grandpa style, because this is how my grandfather drinks his tea, and is one of the first memory I have of people drinking tea,” says Marshal N, the tea writer credited with sharing the tea trend with the world.

If you haven’t caught up on this one then let us give you a heads up. It’s ideal for those long, lazy hours of introspection by the fireplace.

4. Kombucha

As more people rallied to the side of fermented foods, kombucha found global attention this year. The fizzy, probiotic has seen a number of personal touches as it was redisocvered with great joy and its fame has spread far and wide.

We used the premium tea leaves of the season to brew batches upon batches of kombucha.

5. Cold Brew Teas

A personal favourite, cold brew teas have changed the conversation around tea to a significant amount, making tea a more viable healthy and natural drink to a larger audience.

An unforgettable moment for Team Vahdam was being tagged to an image of a bottle of sun-brewed tea set out during the total solar eclipse this year.

6. Return To Whole Leaf Tea

This was a homecoming truly worth the wait! A greater appreciation has swept through the global tea fraternity with several tea drinkers ensuring they pay close attention to where their tea is coming from and how it is procured.

Not only has the attention towards whole leaf teas ensured better taste in the tea cup, it has helped propel a better time for those working at the lowest rung of the tea trade. Tea growers have benefited directly from this growing trend.

7. Flavored Teas

While this is hardly a new trend, the variations of flavors being added to tea is surely the key to the latest global trend. With odd blends finding their way out, the more traditional blends from around the world are returning to the limelight for their natural goodness and ability to provide more than just a hearty cup of tea.

The use of added herbs and even flowers has found much appreciation in the tea world and we have our own recommendations of traditional Indian herbs should you wish to perk up your every day tea.

8. Cheese Tea

In October this year, Instagram was suddenly taken over by images of milky moustaches over grinning faces. It wasn’t a new face filter but a new trend of cheese tea which left behind the tell-tale sign and grinning faces. It is hard to pin-point exactly what has catapulted the success of cheese tea in America and now in the UK but hey, no one’s complaining right?

Turns out creating that lofty floating cream atop the tea is not as easy to make as it seems. Read our struggle with this trend here! And yes, it does taste every bit as delicious as we have been reading about it.

9. Iced Teas With A Twist

Summer saw its own significant tea trends, in mason jars! While the internet was flooded with new forms of iced teas, and the use of cold brewed teas to enhance flavors of iced teas. The use of another trend, whole leaf teas, turned the tables yet again and resulted in refreshing new flavors that were not just homemade but also much better tasting than off-the-shelf packs.

We crafted 7 new iced tea flavors with the help of Youtubers and Instagrammers. You might want to bookmark it for next summer!

10. Tea Recipes To Snack On

Although this is not entirely a new trend, tea has been used in traditional food recipes for years, the talk around reviving whole leaf teas in the cup triggered this related trend of new uses to whole leaf teas. As chefs became bolder with the success of each preparation, tea lovers rejoiced at having such a fresh take on tea and in a lot of cases, on traditional cuisine.

It is hard to complain when served a portion of succulent lobster in white tea sauce. Don’t believe it, try a few here.

So it turns out that 2017 has been a wondrous year with much to learn from and above all, with good reason to look ahead at a bright future and even more surprising and a few audacious tea trends that are to come.

Keep your teacups close!