Ante transcends being just another tea brand. It aims to capture the essence of the streets into a bottle. A lofty dream to execute for young and vivacious Ante CEO and Founder, Lorenzo “Enzo” Vega. He narrates how the seed of an idea was born about a year and a half ago when he was in Tokyo. Enzo saw a tea stall where people were lining up for tea. He reimagined how it could be improved and made that happen shortly after. Ante stands tall and proud in its Greenbelt 5 pop-up.
After brainstorming for half a year to launch the three super flavors of Ante, Enzo expresses that simplicity was key. “Unlike several commercial establishments, I would rather offer three great things that many subpar items in a menu.”
Thus, the three selections from Ante are distinct straight to the point choices with no artificial junk stirred in. They are all a rejuvenating cold brew tea steeped in loose tea leaves for 15 hours and infused with freshly cut fruits and herbs. When you think of tea, you usually attach tea to an image, and it’s often that of fine dining, sophistication and high class. Ante shakes things up by changing that perspective and offering tea as a cool drink anyone can enjoy — no matter who you are, no matter where you’re from. Each bottle costs Php 150, and you may reuse and recycle these sturdy PET bottles.
BLACKER BERRY
If you’re craving for something with dominant fruity notes, get the Blacker Berry. It’s black tea with slices of fresh lemon, strawberry, and mint leaves. Each flavor comes with an option for a shot of booze to experience it #upyourante style. For Blacker Berry, your black tea is spiked up with whisky. The two make quite a strong combination.
SUNDAY CANDY
The sweetest of the three is the Sunday Candy, which is red tea highlighted by the freshness of real strawberry, lemon, and mint. Should you feel a little naughty, you can opt to grab your Sunday Candy with a delightful splash of rum to punctuate the yum.
ULTRALIGHT GREEN
For a day that calls for something light and mild tasting, try the Ultralight Green, which has green tea together with the fabulous zest of citrus fruits orange and lemon slices along with a sliver of apple and mint leaves. In case you need to unleash the devil in you, you can get crazy with a shot of gin.
“Recognizing that the market is saturated with tea brands that use inauthentic ingredients and are overloaded with sugar, we deliberately went back to basics to create a product that is 100% honest and respectful of the tea-making process,” says Enzo. “By cold brewing all-natural tea leaves, real fruits minus the additives, we have created refreshing tea drinks that everyone can appreciate and guiltlessly enjoy every day.” Note that all flavors are sweetened with local honey.
As tea pioneers and purveyors, it was essential for Ante to scour every corner of the world to source only the finest tea leaves and tea blends. After experimenting with various tea blends, and consulting with tea experts, Ante had perfected their brewing process and arrived at their signature cold brewed teas. Way before even being poured into Ante bottles, select tea leaves are first steeped in cold, filtered water, and chilled to extract the flavors then, and they strain the tea leaves. The cold-brewed tea is best consumed within 12 to 24 hours.
Ante keeps it real. The bottles are transparent. What you see is what you get. As a tea drinker, it is pretty potent. Depending on how sensitive you are to tea, best be prepared to get pumped up as the caffeine can send a jolt equivalent to that of a coffee buzz. Every sip is a worthwhile trip. Ante kicks things up a notch and challenges you to do so.
The opening of the Greenbelt 5 pop-up follows a series of weekend activations, where Ante first served its signature cold brewed teas. Ante has recently put up pop-up booths in Bonifacio High Street and select bars in Poblacion, sparking curiosity amongst weekenders.
For more updates, keep up with Ante follow their Instagram @upyourante or visit upyourante.com.
