Beverage-makers and consumers alike are “singing the praises” of the healthful attributes of tea ingredients and revealing that there’s now more premium choices and categories utilizing these ingredients than ever before.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Los Angeles, has partnered with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the TV series “Friends.” To commemorate the milestone, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf collaborated with Warner Bros. to create special-edition Central Perk Coffee and Central Perk Tea products, named after the show's legendary coffee shop. The Friends-inspired coffee products now are available for purchase online and will be available in retail stores starting July 31 through the end of summer.

Wild Leaf Craft Hard Tea, a brand of The Boston Beer Co., introduced its self-titled line of ready-to-drink (RTD) hard teas.

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.

Bud Light, a brand of St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch, announced that it expanded its citrus portfolio with new Bud Light Lemon Tea. The new brew is a light lager brewed with real lemon peels and aged over real black tea leaves to give the beer a distinct flavor profile, the company says.

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

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

To honor tea lovers across the nation throughout National Hot Tea Month, the New York-based Tea Council of the USA kicked off its third annual IndividualiTEA Photo Sharing Sweepstakes, offering one winner a chance to win $500 and a year's supply of tea. Consumers can enter by brewing a cup of tea and share their photo, video or description on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #IndividualiTEA and tag @TeaCouncil.

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.

Ready-to-drink teas are driving growth in the tea category, particularly as consumers seek on-the-go convenience and healthier options.