Oprah and Starbucks come together to launch ‘Oprah Chai Tea’

Coffee giant Starbucks and American media proprietor and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey have come together to create Starbucks’s newest drink: Teavana Oprah Chai Tea. While the Teavana brand isn’t new and was announced in 2012, the new Oprah blend is.

What is ‘Oprah Chai Tea?’
Oprah certainly isn’t new to tea – the star actually explained that tea is one of her important daily morning rituals. Winfrey may not have attended a culinary school online in an effort to create her own morning beverage, but the chai blend of tea has always been a favorite of hers because of its spicy and savory flavor. The Oprah Chai Tea was developed specially by Winfrey and contains a combination of ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Starbucks and Teavana store customers can get in line for this new drink starting April 29 all across the United States and Canada. The proceeds from the sales of this new tea will go toward philanthropic ventures such as the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. Other financial support will go to Pathways to College, National CARES Mentoring Movement and the U.S. Dream Academy.

Promoting tea sales
Oprah and Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, met when she interviewed him in 2013 on the OWN’s (Oprah Winfrey Network) Super Soul Sunday segment. Schultz chose Winfrey as the face of this new tea blend because he aims to elevate the tea-drinking experience, much like the way Starbucks did for java. While tea has been offered at Starbucks since 1971, it hasn’t been as popular as coffee. Starbucks also launched a new store concept known as Teavana Fine Tea and Tea Bars in 2013 in New York, Seattle, Chicago and Los Angeles. Starbucks aims to make Teavana one of the most recognized, well-known and respected brands of tea in the industry.