Indulge in too many sugarplums? We all do it this time of year and then face January with regret. What can we offer the customer wanting to lighten up and re-point their dietary intake? What flavors are popular with the post-holiday side of winter?

Green teas are a great place to start. Loaded with antioxidants, light bodied and delicious, green tea is a natural addition to a healthy lifestyle. For non-flavored varieties, a good Dragonwell is a nice winter tea because of its natural toasted chestnut nuances. Yum! A good one will have a slightly umami mouth feel with some fruit-like sweetness in the finish.

Also a nice brothy Japanese sencha can bring a warm soup kind of comfort on cold, wind blown days. If the one you offer has a little bit of sweet grass or even apricot, it could offer a glimpse of spring.

If your customers are primarily flavored tea drinkers, citrus is a very popular choice. Our Citron Green is a steamed green base with a combination of citrus flavors, resulting in a bright, uplifting, balanced cup tea.

Other great cold weather choices are fruit tisanes. Two popular choices are our Blood Orange and Pina Colada. Citrus flavors become popular in winter as evidenced by the ubiquitous Clementine thus making the former a home run hitter every year. The latter is like summer in a cup, perhaps reminiscent of some tropical vacation, either in your dreams or fondly remembered. These blends are comprised of dried fruit, hibiscus and rosehips for a tangy and bright sensory experience. They are also delicious when fighting off a cold!

For something a little bolder, there is always a love of chai blends in the winter. Ready to warm you up after sledding or skating, our Masala Chai is perfect with zesty spices and black tea. For a caffeine free version, our Rooibos Vanilla Chai is spicy, creamy and soul warming.

Many of you expressed an interest in offering our Candy Cane and Chestnut teas all year. These teas are available in wholesale throughout the year and have proven to be bestsellers.

Teas are naturally healthy so just offering popular seasonal choices makes the options easy. Coaching your customers to consider weaning off the sugar a bit or heavy cream can be the challenge. But once they open up to the idea of teas au naturel, the rest is easy – drink more!