Introduction:Heytea has opened its first global “Handcrafted Store” in Nantou Ancient City, Shenzhen, launching over 50 innovative products across three major categories: hand-shaken ice, handcrafted tea, and pour over tea. This marks its first large-scale exploration of the loose leaf tea market. From handmade techniques to premium single items, this article dissects the new product strategy, pricing logic, and industry impact, helping readers gain deeper insight into the transformation direction of new-style tea beverage brands.
In recent years, Heytea has built a reputation for innovation in the tea beverage market, and its first global “Handcrafted Store” in Shenzhen’s Nantou Ancient City once again showcases its ambition to challenge conventions. Located at a cultural landmark, the store not only features a unique design but also unveils more than 50 new products in one go, spanning three novel product lines: hand-shaken ice, handcrafted tea, and pour over tea. Each floor focuses on a different theme, completely breaking away from the traditional fast-drink model.
The three floors of the Handcrafted Store each correspond to different production techniques: the first floor specializes in hand-shaken ice, the second floor focuses on handcrafted tea, and the third floor is dedicated to pour over tea. Each floor not only has a clear product theme but also emphasizes on-site manual production and presentation. From ingredient preparation to final brewing, most steps are completed by hand, highlighting the core value of “handcrafted.”
The hand-shaken ice series consists of seven products, many of which draw inspiration from Heytea’s classic bestsellers but are presented using traditional hand-shaken ice techniques. For example, the “Hand-Shaken Juicy Grapes Ice” is an upgraded version of the previously popular Juicy Grapes drink, featuring hand-peeled grape skins, paired with in-season Kyoho grapes, freshly shaved cheese, and shaken ice base, then processed into fine granita using traditional methods. The store also displays the manual handling processes of brown sugar, mochi, cheese, and fresh fruit, adding to the visual appeal.
The handcrafted tea series creatively upgrades existing best-selling beverages by using premium fruits such as Musang King durian, mangosteen, Thai golden pomelo, and guava, combined with special toppings and multiple preparation steps to create over twenty novel combinations. Fruit preparation details include hand-peeling, hand-cutting, hand-mashing, and hand-shaking to extract juice, which is then blended with tea bases to present richer layers and flavors.
As for the pour over tea series, it is one of the key highlights of this innovation, focusing on China’s six major tea types—green tea, black tea, oolong tea, dark tea, yellow tea, and white tea—offering both hand-brewed pure teas and hand-crafted creative teas. The hand-brewed pure teas follow traditional brewing methods. According to the brand, this series includes 13 tea varieties such as Lapsang Souchong, Anji White Tea, Mengding Huangya, and Yingde Black Tea No. 9, carefully selected over several months from thirty to forty tea options, emphasizing regional characteristics and flavor purity.
The hand-crafted creative teas are creatively blended based on the flavor profiles of each tea, with some even paired with fruits, allowing consumers to experience the fusion of traditional tea bases with modern flavors. This series not only expands the definition of tea beverages but also introduces loose leaf tea to younger consumer groups in a fresh new form.
In terms of pricing, most of these new products fall within the 26 to 50 yuan range, with the most expensive single item, the “Large Musang King Durian,” priced as high as 138 yuan, reflecting Heytea’s intention to position itself in the premium market. In addition, the hand-shaken ice series uses specially designed ice cups, with lids featuring an opening mechanism, and some cup bodies are specially treated for the ice layer to enhance drinking convenience and the overall experience.
From an overall strategy perspective, Heytea not only recreates classics but also comprehensively upgrades fruit selection, craftsmanship details, and packaging design, demonstrating the brand’s emphasis on quality and consumer experience. Notably, as a representative of new-style tea beverages, Heytea’s deep dive into the loose leaf tea market reflects how, amid the expansion of the tea beverage sector, the proportion of pure tea and regional flavor characteristics are gradually becoming new focal points of competition.
In recent years, the tea beverage market has continued to grow, and the proportion of loose leaf tea among new tea beverage brands has steadily increased. Many brands have begun to emphasize tea origins and brewing techniques, with some even launching stores dedicated to loose leaf tea, such as Shenzhen’s tea stone, which offers over 108 tea selections. Heytea’s inclusion of pour over tea as a main product line is not only a product expansion but may also mark a new starting point for the integration of new-style tea beverages and traditional tea culture.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
