Canned tea

Canned tea is a relatively recent method of marketing tea which has been sold traditionally as leaf tea and also, for the last 100 years, in tea bag form. It utilises the canning process to produce a ready made drink. Perceived advantages are ease of use (minimal or no preparation time) and the possibility of additives (such as flavours or sugar); the disadvantages are the cost of shipment (and therefore the price of the product) and a lack of freshness.

Tea is a beverage made by steeping processed leaves, buds, or twigs of the plant Camellia sinensis in hot water for a few minutes. The processing can include oxidation (called "fermentation" in the tea industry), heating, drying and the addition of herbs, flowers, spices and fruits. There are four main types of tea: black, oolong, green, and white. Tea is a natural source of caffeine, theophylline, theanine, and antioxidants; but it has almost no fat, carbohydrates, or protein

Tea has been consumed in China for around 5,000 years.

Canning is a method of preserving food by heating it to a temperature that destroys contaminating microorganisms, and then sealing it in air-tight jars, cans, or pouches. Patented in the UK in 1810, this method of preservation was not used extensively for soft drinks until the pull tab version was patented in the USA in 1963

In 1981, the first canned tea product, unsweetened oolong, was introduced in Japan by Ito En. The introduction very quickly led to more than one hundred variations, offered both in cans and in bottles. The oolong variety was well suited as the canned tea proved stable even at temperatures up to 50° - 60 °C in vending machines. The tea also appealed to consumers inclined to use vending machines for convenient access "on the street." Further, there are perceived health benefits to canned tea, as opposed to other canned soft drinks, due to tea's portrayal as an aid to maintaining a slim body build.

The introduction of oolong was quickly followed by the development of canned teas based on other tea varieties, including green and black teas. Additional flavor options also included the addition of sweeteners, sugar, milk and lemon, along with other fruit flavors. By 1991, the canned tea market was grossing US$325 millon annually, after having doubled in each of the ten years since its introduction.

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Wikipedia