By PDX People

PORTLAND, Ore. – Over the years, Portland has become well-known for a wide variety of beverages including coffee and beer while tea has always been #3 on the list of preferred beverages for locals but that’s quickly changing thanks to the wide variety of health benefits that tea has to offer.

Why Drink Tea?

Although it’s not coffee, or beer, drinking tea every day does offer you a wide variety of benefits including:

• Antioxidants
• Less caffeine than coffee
• Can help to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke
• May help with weight loss
• Green Tea and Black tea can help with strengthening bones
• Tea does not erode tooth enamel like soda
• Certain teas may help to boost your immune system and digestive system.

Portland Is Quietly Becoming A Tea Capital Of The World

There’s no doubt that when people travel to Portland some of the things that they want to consume include our coffee, wine, and local beer but tea is quickly becoming a beverage of choice that many visitors to the area want to experience.

Now, many coffee shops make their own chai blends rather than sell it out of a box. High schoolers have had the choice of high-quality tea at their local java house or Starbucks their whole lives.

In a town of nearly 1,000 coffee shops, tea purveyors are carving out space for their specialties and finding success. These are the new ambassadors of tea, who use social media rather than natural food stores as a launching pad. They are aiming for foodies as much as people who just want a hot cup.

Nicholas Lozito sells single-origin puer — usually a green tea that has been rolled into bricks to age — from a farmer he met in China. He favors drinking it in marathon sessions over deep conversation, because that is how he first connected to the tea.

But selling puer on spiritual high merits alone won’t sustain his business. So, Lozito is figuring out how to package his Misty Peak Tea at a price point and with a message that would appeal to unlikely drinkers.