If I were opening a coffee shop tomorrow, I wouldn't put twenty teas on the menu.
I'd probably have six.
Maybe eight once matcha, chai and hojicha were included.
There is a temptation with tea to offer enormous choice.
Bolder Breakfast.
Earl of Grey.
Assam.
Darjeeling.
Ceylon Orange Pekoe.
Sencha Green.
Japanese Cherry Green.
Mojito Mint.
Chamomile & Lavender.
Red Berry Burst.
Rhubarb Rooibos.
Jade Oolong.
White Peony.
Before you know it you've got fifteen tins behind the counter and your team has forgotten which is which.
Most customers don't need that.
What they need is enough choice to find something they genuinely want.
I would build the core tea menu around different drinking occasions.
Start with a really good breakfast tea.
This is your familiar option and will probably be your strongest seller.
Then Earl Grey.
It's one of those teas with extremely loyal customers.
Then a green tea, ideally something clean and approachable like Sencha.
Then two caffeine-free choices.
I like having one warming herbal tea, perhaps Lemon & Ginger Rescue along side something fruitier or a good Rooibos.
Then give customers something slightly different.
That could be an Oolong, White Peony or another tea that gives your team something interesting to talk about.
Now add the drinks that increasingly sit alongside tea rather than underneath it:
Matcha
Chai
Hojicha
Suddenly you've got a genuinely modern non-coffee menu.
The key is making sure your team knows what they're selling.
If somebody asks: “What's the difference between Sencha and Earl Grey?”
the answer shouldn't be: “One's green.”
Give staff a little knowledge and they become far more confident recommending tea.
This is one of the reasons we put so much emphasis on training with our café customers.
Tea really isn't complicated.
It has just been made to feel complicated for far too long.
A good menu should be interesting enough for somebody who genuinely loves tea but approachable enough for somebody who normally just orders an Americano.
Get that balance right and tea starts becoming a proper part of the business rather than the thing customers order when they don't want coffee.