For many Americans, tea still means a glass of iced tea with lunch or a hot cup at home. Beverage chains are giving it another role: a freshly made drink that customers can tailor with fruit flavors, milk, toppings, and different levels of sweetness.
That shift creates an opening for Mixue. The tea and soft-serve chain introduced six seasonal items across its U.S. stores this summer, including the American debut of Green Lemon Tea and Green Lemonade. The launch gives customers more ways to try the brand while Mixue learns which flavors can draw repeat visits.
Iced Tea Creates an Opening for New Flavors
Iced tea already has a substantial place in the U.S. beverage market. Research firm Innova Market Insights reports that U.S. iced tea sales are three times the size of hot tea sales. It also identifies consumers under 45 as a key group driving iced tea purchases.
The appeal extends beyond a familiar glass of black tea. Fruit combinations and customizable drinks let customers choose tea for an afternoon break, a treat with friends, or a refreshing alternative to their usual order. For chains, that flexibility creates room to introduce seasonal flavors without asking customers to adopt an entirely unfamiliar beverage.
Mixue’s Green Lemon Tea fits that approach. The company paired it with Green Lemonade, which is not a tea drink but offers a related fruit flavor for customers who want another option. Its summer menu also included Banana MIXUE Shake and Creamy Banana. Mixue says customers have shared photos and reviews of the banana drinks on social media, although the company has not disclosed sales figures for the seasonal lineup.
Mixue Builds on Its U.S. Debut
Mixue opened its first U.S. store in Los Angeles in December 2025. Its initial menu included pure tea, fruit tea, milk tea, freshly brewed coffee, and soft-serve ice cream, with choices for sugar levels and toppings. That range gives the company several ways to introduce itself: a customer might first come in for ice cream or lemonade, then return to try a fruit tea.
Price is another part of the strategy. Mixue says its scale and integrated supply chain help it keep drinks accessible while introducing new products. The company handles functions that include sourcing, production, and logistics, and operates through a franchise model. How that approach performs in the U.S. will depend on more than a low price. Customers must also find drinks they want to buy regularly, and the chain must deliver a consistent experience as it opens stores.
The Next Test Is Repeat Visits
Mixue says the summer launch has brought favorable feedback and greater attention to the brand. It also plans additional U.S. openings and continued menu development. Those are signs of its ambitions, but the company has not released figures showing how the seasonal drinks affected traffic or repeat purchases.
The broader tea trend gives Mixue a timely opportunity. Americans already know iced tea; freshly made fruit and milk teas offer a different way to enjoy it. Mixue’s mission now is to find which drinks earn a lasting place in customers’ routines after the excitement of a new opening or seasonal launch fades.
