Cardi B ; Youtube
Tea has been hashtagged over 29 million times on Instagram alone, indicating that social media might have made Sunday Tea sessions cool again. *sips tea*.
According to the South African Rooibos Council, more than 23 million users spend about 3 hours on social media every day.
The Innova Market Insights consumer study also found that one in ten consumers in the US, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Netherlands and Australia base their beverage and food purchases on social media influences, which is most likely the root of trend explosion of Rooibos tea as well as the ever-growing variety of flavour fusions and tea-inspired beverages.
“Before the social media boom, coffee was king, but these days tea is catching up to the popular brew. Aside from Facebook and Twitter, tea has been hash-tagged in over 29 million Instagram posts alone, arguably turning one of history’s oldest drinks into what may be the beverage industry’s sexiest new offering,” says Adele du Toit, spokesperson for the SA Rooibos Council.
“Many consumers are looking to cut back on coffee and are tending towards caffeine-free drinks with natural plant-based ingredients. This opens the door for botanical and herbal teas, such as Rooibos offering health-boosting benefits.”
Consumers are now exploring the variety of flavour combinations and other tea beverages that include tea-infused waters, soft drinks, energy drinks and even tea- flavoured alcohol options such as Rooibos flavoured Gin.
“So too, the increasing interest in ethnic cuisines is drawing food bloggers to unique flavours such as Matcha and Rooibos teas. Every time celebrity chefs, such as Gordon Ramsey or BBC’s Siba Mtongana posts a Rooibos recipe, it reaches millions of social media followers who share it with their followers,” adds Adele.
If you’re questioning tea’s ability to be brand new sexy, search #tea on Instagram. Also, when you decide to try out the tea-flavoured alcohol options such as Rooibos flavoured Gin, sip slow sis.
