High Tea

Nestlé and the Coca-Cola Company put a spin on the tradition of afternoon tea at the Windsor Arms Hotel yesterday for the launch of Nestea Vitao, a new vitamin-enhanced iced tea. "The concept here today is called turning high tea on its head. The idea is to juxtapose high tea and the tradition associated with that with a new wave and a new movement in Canada toward enhanced iced tea," said Helen Gushue of Beverage Partners Worldwide (a joint venture between Nestlé and the Coca-Cola Company), noting that organizers chose the Windsor Arms because the hotel is known for its tea service.Four models dressed in period garb sat drinking tea and eating scones at a table inside the hotel lobby. "When our guests arrive, these people will be here, so we'll show them what high tea is," Gushue said. A stage draped in black fabric sat inside the Courtyard Café, the hotel's main restaurant. Organizers pulled back the drapes to reveal a white stage with three boxes covered in white fabric. When volunteers lifted the fabric, green, red, and orange spotlights shone down on each of the bottles, with each colour reflecting a new flavour: Fuji Apple Green Tea, Acai Blueberry Red Tea, and Mandarin Orange White Tea.

The beverage companies also invited celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak and actress Estella Warren to speak about the nutritional value of the product. "I can't wait to sneak this stuff across the border," Pasternak said, noting that Vitao is not yet available in the U.S.