Preparing tea might seem like a simple thing at first. After all, tea is just leaves and hot water, right? What you may have forgotten to consider is the fact that there is a plethora of tea blends, and each one has unique preparation needs to bring out the right flavors.
Whether you’re running a café, restaurant, or tea shop, the equipment you use makes a big difference when it comes to the flavor and experience you offer your customers.
So, what do you need to brew the best cups of tea every time? The right equipment.
The experts at Tradecraft have compiled a list of the best machines for your coffee and tea space with all the tools you need to serve high-quality specialty beverages to your guests.
From hot tea varieties, milk steamers for tea lattes, and even draft systems for serving chilled tea on tap, there’s a variety of specialized tools to ensure your business brews the best tea experience.
Tea Basics
The temperature at which tea is brewed is an important part of the process and can ultimately affect the tea’s overall taste. If brewed at too high or low temperatures, certain teas may lose their flavor. When someone brews tea at the wrong temperature, there may be over-extraction or under-extraction of tannins from the tea leaves, making it taste astringent and bitter or weak and flavorless.
How you prepare and serve your tea will depend on the kind of tea you offer your guests. Loose leaf, hot, and iced teas are all great drinks that require different preparation methods. Tradecraft supplies your space with commercial tea equipment that allows you to steep and serve hot tea, dispense mass amounts of iced tea, and brew tea by the cup.
Hot Tea
One of the most basic pieces of equipment necessary for hot tea preparation is a water boiler. Ideally, these boilers will have the capacity to provide multiple water temperatures.
Most automatic coffee makers have built-in hot water dispensers, and using them to serve tea is always an option. However, if you’re working in a space where tea is in just as high of a demand as your coffee, you’ll likely want a separate hot water dispenser to serve customers faster and more efficiently.
Key Equipment for Hot Tea:
- Multi-Temperature Hot Water Towers: These machines allow you to set several temperatures and dispense each as needed. They can be plumbed into your space’s water line, which is ideal for high-volume businesses.
- Automatic Tea Brewers: These devices are designed to brew tea at a set temperature for a set time, so your tea is never over or under-brewed.
- Electric Kettles: For smaller operations, our electric kettles are a manual option that allows direct control over tea preparation. These are great for fast, efficient brewing, especially when serving multiple types of tea.
Loose-Leaf Tea
While typically served hot, loose-leaf tea requires a bit more care and precision than bagged tea. Loose-leaf requires more exact control over steeping times and water temperature to bring out the delicate flavors in specialty tea.
For a higher-quality brew than what bagged tea offers, you’ll need more specialized equipment that will produce the right brew without losing any time or quality.
Key Equipment for Loose-Leaf Tea:
- Tea Infusers and Filters: For individual cups of loose-leaf tea, you can use a large metal infuser that holds loose leaves while water flows through and easily extracts the tea. For larger amounts, mesh bags or filters are ideal for use in kettles or brewing pots.
- Tea Brewing Pots: Another option when serving small amounts of loose-leaf tea is loose-leaf teapots. These teapots have built-in strainers that allow customers to pour tea without leaves or grounds spilling into their cups.
Iced Tea
Iced tea is more than just hot tea placed in the fridge to cool. Much like cold brew coffee, some teas are best brewed at a low temperature.
Iced tea is usually prepared and batched in larger quantities than hot tea, so you’ll need equipment that can provide high volumes.
Key Equipment for Iced Tea:
- Iced Tea Brewers: These specialized brewers are made to brew tea for chilling and are programmed to brew at a slightly lower temperature to preserve the taste of the tea.
- Iced Tea Dispensers: Once the tea is brewed, iced tea dispensers allow you to store and serve it. These dispensers are typically equipped with temperature controls to keep your tea chilled at the ideal serving temperature.
Tea Lattes
Where there are lattes, there are milk steamers. Steaming milk to the right texture and temperature is the key to the perfect tea latte. If you have tea lattes on your menu, you’ll need the right milk steamers to create these drinks.
Key Equipment for Tea Lattes:
- Milk Frothers and Steamers: These manual and handheld devices steam milk and froth it to produce the smooth, velvety foam found in tea lattes.
- Espresso Machines with Steam Wands: If you’re in a space that serves espresso and tea drinks, your machines can become multi-purpose. These machines have a wider range of temperatures that allow for different textures that best complement the tea.
- Automated Milk Frothing Systems: These systems can froth milk in seconds, saving time for especially busy establishments. These systems offer a streamlined, consistent process and reduce the chances of error.
Draft Tea
Draft systems provide a quick and efficient way to serve iced and cold tea by the glass. These systems allow you to store your tea drinks in large kegs and dispense them through a tap. All your baristas need to do is fill a glass with ice and pull a lever or push a button.
Key Equipment for Draft Tea:
- Draft Dispensers: A specialized faucet or draft system dispenses the iced tea from its keg and is controlled by a lever or button. These systems can also be fitted with carbonation for sparkling iced tea or flavored tea options.
- Dual Tap System: Our dual tap systems allow you to store two drinks at once and keep multiple draft options on your menu. These devices also allow you to serve drinks nitro or still.
Ready-to-Drink
Thankfully, there’s also a less complex option for providing amazing tea. Many of our partners now offer ready-to-drink teas, teas that are bottled or canned. All your baristas need to do is pull a drink out of a cooler and pass it along to a customer.
Trust In Tradecraft
With so many pieces of equipment to choose from, how will you know where to start? Thankfully, Tradecraft partners with you to remove all the guesswork.
We work with your team and identify your space’s specific needs. From there, we present you with the options best fit for your tea program.
Whether you’re serving hot tea, loose-leaf tea, iced tea, or tea lattes, the right equipment streamlines your operations to offer the best drinks, impress your guests, and keep them coming back for more.
