Australian tea company Origin Tea has made its first foray into the ready-to-drink market with sparkling iced tea cans that contain real tea.

Currently available in 250ml cans in Woolworths in Sneaky Peach or Tropical Kiss flavours, with Magic Mango and Lemon Zest coming soon, the low-sugar product offers fizz with benefits including a third of the calories and sugar found in common carbonated drinks (53 cal/13g sugar per 250ml can vs up to 160 cal/40g sugar in other soft drinks) and the added health benefits of Ceylon tea. 

Unlike the tea flavours and extracts used in many iced teas on the market, Origin Tea’s product includes real tea made from a specially brewed syrup containing at least 20 per cent handpicked loose leaf single origin tea from Sri Lanka.                

Just as cold drip coffee exploded in recent years, Origin Tea Co-Founder Chris Seaton said he hoped a cold-brewed tea would be a hit down under.        

“As a tea business in a coffee-obsessed country, we’re always looking for new ways to make tea more fun and elevate it to coffee’s cult status, and a refreshing cold-brewed can goes straight to the heart of what Australians love. When we first started in the tea industry a decade ago, I didn’t think we would ever be producing craft drinks but there has been an amazing groundswell movement in Australia, led by craft brewers and distillers, and the drinks landscape has completely changed. Now there is so much more appreciation for quality beverages produced by Australian businesses, and growing interest in single origin tea, which has so many unique flavours, just like single origin coffee, but with some added health benefits,” Chris said.

“It took time to get the process and recipe just right to create a beverage that tasted good and contained real tea. Our tea masters in Sri Lanka spent six months perfecting the process of brewing Ceylon leaves to create a syrup that was ‘teay’ enough to be a genuine tea drink and not just a tea-flavoured product, with just the right amount of sweetness from natural cane sugar and a refreshing fizz to create the perfect sparkling iced tea. It’s such a tasty and refreshing drink we hope to see it enjoyed at barbecues, outdoor gatherings or any old time, and are thrilled to offer a quality low-sugar, non-alcoholic alternative for the increasing number of health-conscious and sober curious Australians.”

In a sign that iced tea is the latest sector to boom within the craft drinks category, Origin Tea’s sparkling iced tea cans are the first to be stocked in Woolworths.

Origin Tea’s sparkling iced tea cans are now available in Woolworths or can be ordered online at origintea.com