Americans still love their coffee, but tea's popularity is brewing

By Melanthia Mitchell Associated Press Writer
Posted May 17, 2003
SEATTLE - Millions of Americans still reach for that first cup of coffee to get them going in the morning, but tea is making inroads into the java market.

National tea sales have climbed from just over $1 billion to about $5.1 billion over the last decade, according to the Tea Council of the USA, a trade group. And it's not just traditional black and orange pekoe tea behind that growth - more people are buying green and specialty teas.

Tea's rising popularity has encouraged entrepreneurs to open tea shops around the country, even in rural communities such as Newton, N.J.; Carefree, Ariz.; and Anoka, Minn., where people sit for a while and enjoy a pot or a cup. And even in coffee-loving Seattle.

"Tea is for fun," said Susan Zuege, co-owner of the Perennial Tea Room, located in Post Alley, near this city's famous Pike Place Market and the original Starbucks coffee shop. "You should enjoy it. If you don't, you might as well do coffee."

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