21 Mar 2018
Tags: Tea, gin, Rum, Spirit, Alcohol, new product, Alcoholic Drinks, launch, alcoholic tea
NOVELTEA BREWS UP A TIPSY TWIST ON G&T
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, 21ST MARCH 2018: A twist in the way one traditionally enjoys a good cuppa is being reinterpreted by NOVELTEA, as they become the first brand in the world to develop a boozy blend of cold-brewed tea infused with a matching spirit of either gin or rum – The Tale of Earl Grey (gin) and The Tale of Tangier (rum).
The people of Britain are partial to a good cup of tea. We drink around 165 million cups a day and with gin palaces popping up in every major city, we are also becoming known as a nation of gin lovers. Although these two beverages are firm favourites across the country, rarely is there a fusion of the two.
As a brand, NOVELTEA makes ready-to-drink teas infused with a matching spirit that comes in distinctive flavours: The Tale of Earl Grey – an infusion of black tea with British gin and botanicals and their second flavour; The Tale of Tangier – is an infusion of Moroccan green mint tea with spearmint, dried lemongrass, dried apple, blackberry leaves and Caribbean white rum.
Developed by its founders and keen mixologists Lukas Passia and Vincent Efferoth, the distinctive flavours of NOVELTEA are matched with a complementary spirit that brings the tea to life. The taste and flavours are inspired by tales from the tea's origin, fetched from around the world and have been developed to bring your own tale to life when enjoying the tipple. A relatively new concept within the wine and spirits market, NOVELTEA also offers a tantalising new flavour profile to add to cocktails.
During the month of March, John Lewis have chosen to feature The Tale of Earl Grey as their gin brand of the month.
On being featured by John Lewis, NOVELTEA's Co-Founder Vincent Efferoth says “For John Lewis to recognise the relevance of our brand to their customers is testament to consumers becoming more open and adventurous with their gin preferences. We are delighted to earn this significant listing with the John Lewis Partnership where The Tale of Earl Grey will feature as their gin brand of the month. This marks a big milestone for our brand.”
Rachel Costello, buyer for gift food and alcohol at John Lewis says: “NOVELTEA presents a versatile and unusual option for customers looking to enjoy a different tasting experience. There are many ways to serve NOVELTEA and we are looking forward to offering this brand to our customers during March.”
NOVELTEA is an emerging brand to watch, having secured £220,000 in 6 days on the crowdfunding platform Crowdcube, NOVELTEA surpassed their original target of £120,000 in the first 26 hours. In less than 12 months, NOVELTEA, the brand has experienced rapid growth following a series of international listings in Greater China and Europe.
The German entrepreneurs behind NOVELTEA, Passia and Efferoth, are based in Newcastle Upon Tyne and have adopted the city as their home to become 'Geordies by choice'. Upon arriving in the UK, Passia and Efferoth experienced for the first time, the British fascination for afternoon tea. When delving into the popularity of alcoholic accompaniments, they were surprised that no alcoholic tea was offered alongside champagne and prosecco and set out to create the alcoholic afternoon tea NOVELTEA.
NOVELTEA is made using an 8-hour cold-brewing process that draws out the distinctive flavours of tea, which are then combined with a matching spirit. This process creates a smooth tasting alcoholic tea with natural sweetness.
NOVELTEA: The Tale of Earl Grey and The Tale of Tangier
NOVELTEA (11% abv.) is served chilled over rocks at an RRP of £9.95 for 25cl and an RRP of £24.95 for 70cl.
NOVELTEA will be hosting exclusive tasting sessions in the following John Lewis stores:
- KINGSTON UPON THAMES – Wednesday 21st March 2018 12pm – 4pm
- BLUEWATER - Thursday 22nd March 2018 12pm – 4pm
- SHEFFIELD – Thursday 22nd March 2018 12pm – 4pm
- HIGH WYCOMBE – Friday 23rd March 2018 12pm – 4pm
- NEWCASTLE - Friday 23rd March 2018 12pm – 4pm
- LEEDS - Friday 23rd March 2018 12pm – 4pm
- YORK - Saturday 24th March 2018 11am – 3pm
- CHESTER - Saturday 24th March 2018 11am – 3pm
- BRENT CROSS - Saturday 24th March 2018 11am – 3pm
- EDINBURGH – Friday 30th March 2018 12pm – 4pm
- NEWCASTLE - Friday 30th March 2018 12pm – 4pm
- NEWCASTLE - Saturday 31st March 2018 12pm – 4pm
- EDINBURGH - Saturday 31st March 2018 11am – 3pm
ENDS
Media Contact: Radu Firanescu
Instagram @NovelteaDrinks
Website www.noveltea-drinks.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
- The Tale of Earl Grey – A rich taste of Earl Grey tea infused with juniper and British gin
RRP: £9.95 for 25cl and £24.95 for 70cl (11% abv.) (Stocked by John Lewis – gin brand of the month)
- The Tale of Tangier – An exotic infusion of Moroccan green mint tea with spearmint, dried lemongrass, dried apple, blackberry leaves and Caribbean rum
RRP: £9.95 for 25cl and £24.95 for 70cl
- Both Tales are cold-brewed in the UK and are vegan, gluten-free and free from any artificial colours
- Less than 12 months after launching NOVELTEA in April 2017, the brand is experiencing rapid growth following a series of international listings in Greater China and Europe.
- In July 2017, NOVELTEA announced its listing with Harrods, UK
- In August 2017, NOVELTEA set up a crowdfunding campaign with a target of £120,000. Within 26 hours they surpassed this target to reach £220,000 in six days, selling a 20% stake in their business through the community funding platform Crowdcube
- In November 2017, the NOVELTEA founders were sent on a trade mission to Shanghai with the Department for International Trade, to gain insight on how the biggest tea culture in the world and its economy would perceive NOVELTEA
- In November 2017, NOVELTEA were awarded the 'Start-Up of the Year Award 2017' at Aagrah's Annual Hospitality Awards
