Tea vs coffee...I need your help!

[egalicontrarian]

Then what's the point of using a French press....

I was just thinking that this is something you could request at places that simply don't have actual tea pots, infusers, etc. available and foolishly use French Press pots. I would never voluntarily use a French Press.

[ericparkr]

I prefer coffee instead of tea. Cappuccino is my favorite coffee. I prefer ginger tea if i have no option other than coffee.

[ChrisTaylor]

A possible irrelevancy but a sign, maybe, that at least down here, this sort of thing might just have legs. Vue de Monde, one of the best (and more expensive) restaurants in Melbourne (and perhaps Australia as a whole--I'd rate it up there with the best Sydney has to offer) employs a 'tea sommelier'. During our visit he appeared towards the end of the meal to match a chocolate dessert (perhaps the most pedestrian course of the menu) with a tea. He presented me with a tea menu when I expressed interest in the notion of a tea sommelier. The selection was broad. But also expensive. I mean, yeah, I get that good quality tea isn't cheap and this was a different context--a high end restaurant as opposed to a specialist bar/cafe--but still, the price they were charging per ~150mL cup was undeniably steep. I'd be nervous about severely limiting my market by having a menu that was prohibitively expensive, particularly given you're presumably aiming to bring novice or casual tea appreciators into the fold. A newcomer isn't going to pay $15 for a cup of tea.

[henry.hernandez45]

I think tea is considered more of a "health" drink so if you're really interested in making "tea" a success in your "coffee" shop then try different "health" teas in a variety of fruit flavors. Chamomile, lavender, jasmine, green tea … you might want to experiment with the Asian variety of tea (called "chai") that includes milk and sugar and a few spices like ginger and cardamom. Like Happy Hour, you can have a High Tea Hour - serve some tea on the house!

And if you’re looking for commercial tea/coffee brewers I know just the place. I have a big family and we’ve just bought a commercial coffee machine that we all love! We usually get together on weekends to enjoy a meal and a good cup of coffee is the highlight. We've found some good coffee shop supplies on DailyCuppaCoffee. Check it out http://www.dailycuppacoffee.com/. All the best!

[AAQuesada]

Don't ignore iced tea preparations as well and even work with a bartender/consultant to develop some creative mixed drinks (no alcohol) featuring your teas. Cold tea prep and even tea cocktails give you something that you can serve quickly and batch in advance; in addition to being a 'signature' of your shop

[donaldosborne78]

I prefer tea then coffee. If you want start bar, prepare to do some nice iced tea.

[social@naturestealeaf.com]

I think offering tea as well as coffee is a great idea. You want to have the usual suspects like a variety of good black, green and oolong teas. And of course chamomile, peppermint and jasmine. But I would also recommend having some options that people could get excited about trying like Pu-erh, Moroccan Mint, Hibiscus, Yerba Mate and Rooibos. Not to mention coming up with some specialty drinks, both iced and hot versions.