Comparing instant, concentrate, powder, and leaf performance 2021.04.27
Brewers of hard tea, craft tea-beers, and kombucha have several options when it comes to choosing a tea format. The best choice for creating a great product comes down to several factors, including:
Many brewers opt for one of these main formats for their tea beverage projects:
DOWNLOAD: TEA FOR BREW - COMPARISON SHEET
Instant teas are true instant granules or powders that are essentially a liquid tea converted into powder form.
Liquid tea concentrates provide a truer tea experience than most instant and powder forms:
Tea powders can be one of the most confusing, catch-all categories that can include fine dust/fannings or milled leaves like matcha:
Leaf teas are preferred among many craft brewers for several reasons.
Speak with your tea provider to help you choose the best format based on desired outcomes. Whatever format you choose for your tea project, be sure to work with your production team regarding how each format will impact the processes of fermenting, filtration, flavoring, bottling/canning, and sales/marketing. For example, using leaf tea may allow your product to carry the claim: "made with real brewed tea," a potentially valuable feature your sales and marketing team can take advantage of.