Tea Trend Brews Up Fresh Flavors

Tea is brewing up fresh excitement in Singapore's beverage scene.

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Once overshadowed by coffee, it is now embraced for its health benefits and as a lifestyle drink.

Riding on themes of health, wellness and mindfulness, a new wave of tea purveyors is enticing customers with fruit-laden brews, fragrant leaves and modern presentation.

The market has seen an influx of entrants over the past year. These range from Chinese brands such as ChaPanda and Luli, both making their Singapore debut, to home-grown concepts like LimCha Teahouse Cafe and Golden Seed, which focus mainly on Chinese tea with a modern spin.

Floral and herbal infusions, as well as tea balls incorporating Chinese and Western teas, are also gaining popularity.

Fresh fruit teas are a major draw. ChaPanda—which has close to 9,000 stores in China and overseas, including in Malaysia, South Korea, Australia and France—opened its first two Singapore outlets in July at youth hub *Scape and Northpoint City.

Ms Joanna Jia, 36, country manager of ChaPanda Singapore, notes that the brand has evolved from bubble tea to focus on tea beverages based on fresh fruit.

The Mango Pomelo Sago ($5.90 for medium, $6.90 for large) is the brand's bestseller, containing about half a mango and plenty of red pomelo in every cup.

Ms Jia says: "Sixty per cent of our customers go for fruit tea. We maintain strict control over product quality, using fresh fruit delivered daily and prepared on site."