Iced tea is one of those American institutions that you imagine has been enjoyed by those living in the balmy southern states for hundreds of years, yet it only become popular in the 1860s. Although iced tea is gaining popularity outside the United States and is being enjoyed by an increasing number of countries around the world, the USA still accounts for 85% of all iced tea sales.
Many companies have tried to break into the UK with their own interpretation of iced tea, including the larger coffee chains, but it remains largely a seasonal drink that is mainly enjoyed as the temperatures start to rise and consumers are looking for a refreshing cold drink.
There are other new companies looking to enter the iced tea market, including R-chi, which was founded in 2021 by British entrepreneur, Archie Boscawen, who grew up on the first English tea estate in Cornwall, which stirred his passion for tea.
Combining his passion for tea and his love for soft drinks gave him the idea to combine the two to create a unique sparkling iced tea. R-chi was created to be an authentic iced tea drink to be enjoyed anytime, anywhere.
R-chi sparkling iced tea is made with premium quality ingredients sourced from the UK and abroad; the tea is grown in the UK and the products are low sugar and low in calories.
There are currently two flavours: Earl Grey and Manuka.
Their Earl Grey recipe is inspired by all things British, with tea from Cornwall and blackcurrant juice from Herefordshire. It makes for a refreshing drink when enjoyed from a chilled can, or it can be used as a mixer and works well with vodka.
Manuka sparkling iced tea is infused with ginger juice, lemon and turmeric to give a complex and rejuvenating taste, which delivers a warming ginger hit, but doesn’t overpower the other flavours.
As well as being enjoyed fresh from the can, it also works well when mixed with whisky, rum and gin. The manuka tea comes from the leptospernum scoparium tree, which is also known as the New Zealand tea tree and fortunately for Archie, it also grows in Cornwall.
We look forward to sampling these new iced tea flavours, which we hope will be well received by the on trade and consumers, alike. There is a growing demand for low and no alcohol drinks and R-chi might just have all the ingredients to quench that particular thirst.
For more information visit their website