On the second of August, a tea company and a museum found common ground in the oldest of human rituals — the act of gathering beauty into a single, consumable moment. CHAGEE Indonesia and Tate have joined to release a limited-edition Apple English Breakfast Tea, blending five teas from across Asia with cold-extracted Red Fuji apple juice, while dressing the experience in the visual language of three still-life masterpieces. The collaboration is less a marketing exercise than a meditation on how culture migrates — through trade routes, through taste, through the careful preservation of things m
CHAGEE Launches Art-Inspired Apple English Breakfast Tea in Tate Partnership
Culture travels through food and drink—tea may be history's greatest example
Mark
Why does a tea company need to partner with a museum? Couldn't they just make a tea and sell it?
Mimi
They could, but this approach does something different. It takes a product and gives it cultural weight—it says this tea is connected to something larger than commerce. The paintings aren't decoration; they're the actual inspiration for how the product is conceived and presented.
Mark
But are people really going to buy tea because of a Cézanne painting?
Mimi
Some will, absolutely. But more importantly, it gives Tate a way to reach people who might never walk into a gallery. Someone buys a cup at a café, sees the painting on it, and suddenly they're curious about the artist. The merchandise becomes a conversation starter.
Mark
The tea itself sounds complicated—five different teas, cold-extracted apples. Is that necessary, or is it marketing?
Mimi
Both, probably. The complexity is real. Each tea contributes something distinct, and the cold extraction preserves flavors that heat would destroy. But yes, the story around that complexity is also part of what makes it sellable. People want to know what they're drinking.
Mark
What's the actual business model here? Does Tate make money?
Mimi
Tate gets licensing fees and ongoing support for conservation work. CHAGEE gets cultural credibility and access to iconic imagery. It's symbiotic—neither party could create this alone.
Mark
The pop-up experience seems like the real event. Is the tea secondary?
Mimi
Not secondary, but contextualized. The pop-up lets people experience the paintings, taste the tea, and understand the connection between them. It's not just selling a product; it's creating a moment where art and everyday life actually touch.
Mark
Will this model work long-term, or is it a one-off novelty?
Mimi
That depends on whether people see the tea as genuinely good or just as a collectible. If it tastes excellent and the partnership feels authentic rather than opportunistic, it could establish a template for how cultural institutions and consumer brands collaborate.
O Pulso
- Five teas from four distinct origins — India, Fujian, Yunnan, and Taiwan — were individually roasted and slowly merged under controlled conditions so that no single voice drowns out the others.
- Red Fuji apples from Shandong were cold-extracted whole, skin and flesh together, then vacuum-dried into the tea leaves at low temperature, preserving a flavor integrity that conventional juice addition would have compromised.
- Three paintings from Tate's permanent collection — by Fantin-Latour, Cézanne, and Gertler — were translated into packaging and merchandise, turning a cup of tea into a portable encounter with art history.
- The partnership carries financial weight beyond aesthetics: CHAGEE's year-long commitment includes direct funding for Tate's paper and photography conservation work, anchoring commerce to cultural stewardship.
- Pop-up activations across Jakarta from August 6–12 invited the public into the concept of 'Drinkable Masterpieces,' making the collaboration experiential rather than merely transactional.
On the second of August, a tea company and a museum found common ground in the oldest of human rituals — the act of gathering beauty into a single, consumable moment. CHAGEE Indonesia and Tate have joined to release a limited-edition Apple English Breakfast Tea, blending five teas from across Asia with cold-extracted Red Fuji apple juice, while dressing the experience in the visual language of three still-life masterpieces. The collaboration is less a marketing exercise than a meditation on how culture migrates — through trade routes, through taste, through the careful preservation of things made by human hands. That it also funds the conservation of Tate's paper and photography collection suggests both partners understand that beauty, left untended, does not keep.
On August 2nd, CHAGEE Indonesia released a tea that asks a quiet question: what happens when a single cup tries to hold five centuries of human making? The Apple English Breakfast Tea was developed in partnership with Tate, the British cultural institution, and the result is both a carefully engineered beverage and a small argument for the idea that culture travels most naturally through the things we consume.
The tea's foundation is a blend of five distinct varieties — Assam's malty depth, Lapsang Souchong's pine-smoked character, the smooth richness of Yunnan Golden Pekoe, the floral delicacy of Taiwan's Four Seasons Spring, and the orchid finish of Highland Qilan. Each is roasted separately before being slowly combined under controlled temperature and humidity, allowing the aromas to find one another without force. The apple element comes from Red Fuji fruit grown in Shandong: cold-extracted whole, skin and flesh together, with nothing added, then infused into the leaves at low temperature and vacuum-dried to lock the flavor in place.
The visual identity of the collaboration draws from three still-life paintings in Tate's permanent collection. Fantin-Latour's 1861 "A Plate of Apples" offers meticulous naturalistic precision; Cézanne's "Still Life with Water Jug" from the early 1890s fractures perspective into contemplation; and Gertler's 1925 "The Basket of Fruit" brings expressive observation from early twentieth-century Britain. Together they demonstrate how the same subject — ordinary fruit on an ordinary surface — can be read entirely differently across eras and sensibilities. These works appear on cups, insulated bags, and collectible merchandise, extending the museum's reach into daily life.
Adinda Yozari, General Manager of CHAGEE Indonesia, described the project as a celebration of how culture has always moved through food and drink. The partnership goes further than aesthetics: CHAGEE committed to a year-long relationship that includes funding Tate's paper and photography conservation work, grounding the collaboration in a shared belief that what is worth making is worth preserving.
To mark the launch, CHAGEE hosted pop-up experiences across Jakarta between August 6 and 12 — an interactive installation at PIK Avenue built around the idea of "Drinkable Masterpieces," and a photo booth activation at Lippo Mall Puri running concurrently. The tea is available at all CHAGEE Indonesia locations and through the brand's app.
On August 2nd, a Jakarta-based tea company called CHAGEE released something that sits at the intersection of three old human practices: drinking tea, eating apples, and looking at paintings. The product is called Apple English Breakfast Tea, and it exists because CHAGEE decided to partner with Tate, the British museum and cultural institution, to create both a limited-edition beverage and a line of merchandise inspired by three still-life paintings from Tate's permanent collection.
The tea itself is the result of deliberate blending across continents. Five different teas form the base: Assam from India provides the robust, malty foundation; Lapsang Souchong from Fujian's Wuyishan mountains contributes its distinctive pine-smoked character; Yunnan Golden Pekoe adds smooth richness; Four Seasons Spring from Taiwan brings delicate floral balance; and Highland Qilan, also from Fujian, finishes with an elegant orchid fragrance. Each tea is roasted and processed individually before being slowly combined under controlled temperature and humidity, allowing the aromas to blend naturally without one overwhelming the others. The apple component comes from Red Fuji apples grown in Shandong, China. Rather than simply adding apple juice, CHAGEE uses a whole-fruit cold extraction process that includes both skin and flesh, with no added water, sugar, or preservatives. This juice is then infused into the tea leaves at low temperature and vacuum-dried to preserve flavor, allowing the apple notes to integrate seamlessly into the final blend.
Adinda Yozari, General Manager of CHAGEE Indonesia, framed the project as an extension of how culture travels through food and drink. "Culture has always traveled through food and beverages, and tea may be one of history's greatest examples," she said. "Through Apple English Breakfast Tea, we wanted to celebrate that journey in a single cup, creating something that resonates with people across different countries and cultures." The partnership with Tate gave the company access to three specific artworks that became the visual foundation for the merchandise collection. Henri Fantin-Latour's "A Plate of Apples" from 1861 demonstrates meticulous naturalistic precision in rendering everyday objects. Paul Cézanne's "Still Life with Water Jug," painted around 1892–93, shows the artist experimenting with multiple viewpoints within a single composition—a contemplative study of form and perception. Mark Gertler's "The Basket of Fruit" from 1925 combines careful observation with expressive style characteristic of early twentieth-century British art. Together, these works illustrate how a single subject can be interpreted in radically different ways across different eras and artistic sensibilities.
The three paintings appear throughout the limited-edition packaging, which includes beverage cups, insulated takeaway bags, and collectible merchandise items designed to bring art into everyday life. Rosey Blackmore, Director of Licensing and Merchandising at Tate, described the partnership as a way to extend engagement with Tate's collection beyond the museum's galleries. "This partnership has enabled CHAGEE to create a product range that brings together art, design, and everyday rituals," she said, "inspired by these three iconic still-life paintings from Tate's collection."
The collaboration extends beyond merchandise. CHAGEE committed to a year-long partnership that includes financial support for Tate's paper and photography conservation work, funding the preservation and physical care of artworks within Tate's national collection. This reflects a shared belief between the two organizations that culture should remain vibrant, accessible, and preserved for future generations.
To mark the launch, CHAGEE Indonesia hosted an interactive pop-up experience at PIK Avenue from August 6–12, 2026, centered on the concept of "Drinkable Masterpieces." The experience combined art, tea, and storytelling to invite visitors to engage with the three paintings in a new context while learning about the inspiration behind the blend. A second activation, a photo booth called "Masterpiece Moments," ran simultaneously at Lippo Mall Puri during the same week. The tea became available at all CHAGEE Indonesia stores and through the CHAGEE app starting August 2nd, with the company encouraging customers to follow @chagee.id and use the hashtag #SipANewClassic.
Citações Notáveis
Culture has always traveled through food and beverages, and tea may be one of history's greatest examples. Through Apple English Breakfast Tea, we wanted to celebrate that journey in a single cup.— Adinda Yozari, General Manager of CHAGEE Indonesia
This partnership has enabled CHAGEE to create a product range that brings together art, design, and everyday rituals, inspired by these three iconic still-life paintings from Tate's collection.— Rosey Blackmore, Director of Licensing and Merchandising at Tate
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