Happy National Hot Tea Month: Celebrate with Millennials and Gen-Z's - their preferences are bringing changes to tea time!

Creative menus attract younger tea drinkers. . . 

Deep-fried Oreos, milk in first, but not too long!

January is Hot Tea Month and, as a celebration within a celebration, it also includes "Hot Tea Day" on the 12th. Barb's Tea Service always honors this special time on the calendar and every few years, takes stock in stats and trends. Of the five tea facts that we monitor, supplied by the Tea Association of the US, most have remained the same, but in 2024, there is some exciting news about Millennials and Gen-Z'ers. There's been a slight uptick in tea consumption with the former and a burgeoning new tea market in the latter.

We've reported on the five stats below in 2020 and 2022. Nothing changed between those years,  but between 2022 and last year's numbers, there's been both marginal and notable updates. We've highlighted those changes from the 2024 Tea Association's Tea Fact's below in red.

• US is the third largest tea importer, after Russia and Pakistan
• On any given day, half our country's population drinks tea
• Regionally, the South and Northeast have the greatest number of tea drinkers
• Approximately 75-85% 80% of tea consumed is iced tea
• Eighty-seven plus percent of Millennials drink tea - however, Gen Z's are making a strong move to tea (n outcome from the pandemic).

While "plus" isn't a terribly significant change, it does show Millennials "holding" with a push in the right direction. The more surprising trend, however, is the "strong move" made by Gen Z. 

Millennials, Gen Z's take on tea with Boomers

Millennials prefer green and black tea, loose over bags

We took a few excerpts from a World Tea News report which listed trending tea habits of Millennials and Gen Z: 

Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) prefer black and green teas for health benefits and choose loose-leaf over teabags for better quality. They view tea drinking as a daily ritual and are willing to spend more on premium tea.

Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) are more experimental, preferring fruit-infused tea, matcha, bubble tea and cold brews. Emphasis is on convenience and less ritual, making read-to-drink teas a popular go-to. 

Tea companies and tea rooms have noticed. An article in last October's Food and Drink, says tea rooms are adapting to Gen Z's lifestyle, offering a twist on traditional afternoon teas. No need to dress up or question "milk in first or milk in last". 

One Texas tea room that is taking on this new approach is the Proper Rose Garden. Owner, Michael Jiang, says he wants his tearoom, just outside Austin, to "be the spot people think of when they want to have fun. . .we don't have any dress codes. We're focused on welcoming everyone". Along with the casual vibe, the tea fare embraces Gen Z's passion for creative offerings including green tea crepe cakes and deep fried Oreos. 

Oreos waiting to be deep fried - a new staple for Gen Z tea time?

(Perhaps, we'd adapt tea etiquette to "Oreos in milk first", but for how long to dunk it?  Proper form, backed by science, says three seconds is the answer, but we'll add, it could be longer for Oreos that are fried. For more on this topic:  Mental Floss - The Optimal Time to Dunk an Oreo, According to Science)

We like to celebrate tea time with all generations!

We are thrilled that Millennials and Gen-Z's are embracing tea in whatever form. We also like to celebrate Hot Tea Month and any tea time with ALL generations. And, in support of that, our list of how to celebrate remains unchanged.

1. Visit a favorite tearoom 
2. Text an old friend and set up a tea date
3. Set a table at home with your own heirloom/vintage teapots, teacups and assorted accoutrements
4. Make a fresh pot of loose-leaf tea and start a new book.
5. Try a new tearoom

Happy National Tea Month from BTS!