New tea cafes open in Manly as experts predict more will follow
For years the northern beaches has been obsessed with coffee, but now there’s a new drink in town.
- Aged care home to have rooftop bar, mini golf
- Manly launches bid to steal Bondi’s lucrative art festival
Could the reign of the coffee shop on the northern beaches be over?
In the last few weeks two new tea cafes have opened in Manly, with another at Warringah Mall, with trend experts predicting more to follow.
It begs the question: Is tea the new coffee?
Anastasia Lloyd-Wallis, head of insights at Retail Doctor, said people should expect more tea outfits to pop up on the beaches as consumers catch on to the burgeoning Asian tea market.
“The Asian brands are bringing the fun back into tea,” Ms Lloyd-Wallis said. “It’s exciting and different.”
She said tea was also seen as a healthy option, which was important to people especially those living on the beaches, which is a health conscious area.
“There are many health benefits from tea,” she said.
“Consumers are increasingly interested in health and wellbeing.
“They are willing to pay more for healthier options.”
Jason Fu, 28, one of the three owners of Time for Tea Break in Manly, which is located on
The Corso, near the wharf, opened its doors a couple of weeks ago hoping to capitalise on the tourists that come off the ferry, as well as locals.
The cafe offers a variety of colourful, interesting iced teas such as the jasmine-based fruit drink packed full of pieces of whole fruit, including watermelon, orange, apple and strawberries. Another popular choice is cake tea, a black tea-based drink, with cream and tapioca balls, both priced around $8.
“My partner created the recipes but we are listening to what the customer wants,” Mr Fu, originally from China, said.
“We want to meet the demand of local customers and we can adjust the sweetness.”
He said they were also encouraging people to keep the tea containers, offering $1 off each time you return and re-use, recognising people’s demand for environmentally-friendly businesses.
Across the road another new venture has popped up called Chuu. It offers customers the chance to blend their own teas with spices, as well as salads and juices.
Business owner JJ Booranasinlapakit, 39, and his wife Katie Wannasilp, 38, came up with an idea of allowing customers to blend their own organic hot tea with a variety of spices including rose petals, nutmeg, cloves, vanilla pods and turmeric.
JJ said he and his wife are from Thailand where tea is a staple beverage.
“My wife is obsessed with tea and so we thought this was a fun idea for our customers,” he said.
JJ, who has lived in Australia for 10 years, said he had worked in fine dining, in a pub and was now keen to try a more casual setting where they could connect with customers and build relationships with locals.
Ms Lloyd-Willis said there was a growing interest in customers knowing where their food and drinks originated from and whether what they were consuming was ethical and sustainable.
She said that trend would continue to increase and businesses would have to catch on to it if they wanted to survive.
Ms Lloyd-Wallis said social media was helping to drive this as people want to be seen as sustainable and ethical and were using platforms such as Instagram to showcase this.
“It’s putting pressure on others to do the same,” she said.
JJ said all their teas were organic and he knew how and where they were sourced.
“We love Manly and this is my dream to work here,” he said.
“We are keen to connect with the community.”
U18s Brewer Shield: New faces shine in Team of the Week
A five-wicket haul topped numerous dazzling efforts with the ball, while several guns carried their team with the bat. Round 12 Brewer Shield Team of the Week.
$8.25m home hides secret ‘James Bond’ rooms
The secret of this $8.25m home and its James Bond-style passage, that holds not one but two hidden rooms, is that you have to know where to look.