Tea is the beverage of choice for millions of people around the world, but in the U.S., it’s also one of the most expensive beverages, with the average price of a cup of tea climbing to nearly $1,000 a cup, according to research from market research firm Euromonitor.
It’s one of those rare beverages that is so expensive, the American Tea Association has taken steps to protect consumers from the steep costs.
The association’s new “No Price, No Price” policy means tea shops can no longer charge for tea.
Euromonitor’s research shows that of the top 30 global tea brands, only three make more than $1 million a year in sales.
The rest, such as Starbucks, offer a lower-priced version of their products for sale at full retail prices.
The policy is part of the tea industry’s push to compete in a rapidly changing market and in part to combat what Euromonitors calls “the premium beverage problem.”
The issue is that consumers who drink high-end beverages for a high price have a tendency to drink fewer high-quality beverages, which can lead to a decrease in beverage consumption, said Paul Ritter, senior vice president of consumer insights for Euromoncer.
“In the case of the average American, we’ve found that when they buy a lot of premium products, they tend to consume a lot less than they otherwise would,” he said.
A Tea Party backlash Tea Party activists are using the new policy as a way to take back the government from tea companies.
Tea Party activists in the last few years have pushed for an end to high prices and high prices on other products, like food, clothing and gasoline.
The Tea Party movement has had some success with that strategy.
Since 2012, tea party members in some states have pushed to stop prices on many products, including many products sold by big companies.
Those include beer, wine and soda.
But tea party activists are now targeting Starbucks and other big corporations for similar actions.
In February, tea partiers in Virginia used the tea party’s new policy to target the coffee company, which is owned by Starbucks’ parent company, Mondelez International.
After the Virginia tea party launched an online petition calling for a boycott of the coffee chain, Mondelēz responded by pulling its coffee brand from the Virginia marketplace.
The tea party also used the new law to get Starbucks to change its price policy, said Ritter.
For Starbucks, it’s a way for the tea partier movement to get its message out, said Erin Saucier, a spokeswoman for the coffee giant.
“The Tea party movement has worked tirelessly to educate the American public about the value of local products, and we are pleased that our customers are following suit,” Sauciers said in a statement.
But the new coffee rules are being criticized as unfair.
Starbucks argues that its policy is based on consumer demand and does not apply to tea.
