As one of the most consumed beverages around the world, tea offers an array of health benefits including reducing cancer and heart disease risk, to improving dental health and boosting weight loss.

Teavana, a brand of Starbucks Corp., introduced a new flavor in its ready-to-drink (RTD) Sparkling Craft Iced Tea line: Blood Orange Mango White Tea.

Numi Organic Tea launched a new line of ready-to-drink (RTD) teas – Numi Tea Latte Concentrates – in two varieties: Matcha Green Tea Latte and Turmeric Chai Golden Tea Latte. 

GT's Living Foods, Los Angeles, launched ALIVE, a line of adaptogenic teas inspired by Ayurvedic medicine. An infusion of three adaptogenic mushrooms, reishi, chaga and Turkey tail, is combined with select varieties of teas and a touch of raw apple cider vinegar. The result is a light, refreshing beverage that helps support the body's ability to fight stress and balance natural energy, the company says.

Ginseng Up Corp. launched its line of sparkling ready-to-drink (RTD) teas: Mosaic Sparkling Teas.

One sub-segment of RTD teas that seems to be appealing to the masses is kombucha — a tea that has been fermented with bacteria and yeast, and is rich with probiotics, antioxidants, amino acids and enzymes.

As consumers continue to adjust to the new year, their thirst for healthier versions of favorite beverages also continues. In the Readers’ Choice: New Product poll for January, Beverage Industry readers’ selected Frankly Organic Vodka as their favorite new product release.

MindFull Inc. introduced Vibe, a ready-to-drink (RTD) organic electrolyte tea. 

Over the last decade as consumers have continued to move away from carbonated soft drinks, they often migrate to a healthier alternative like tea. A lot of this growth early on was a rising tide that helped all brands.

Myself and millennials, in particular, are flocking to kombucha teas for their Asian-inspired health-and-wellness attributes and functionality.