Alterra launches a new brand of tea, called Letterbox, in its cafes today. The collection includes 10 different teas and is available hot or iced by the glass as well as in individual tins.

Flavors range from a white tea called "Angelic" to a chamomile blend called "Bloom" to the one I sampled, an organic rooibos called "Fable." All 10 flavors are available hot, and a few are available in iced form.

I found my iced Fable to be very mild at first, followed by a flavorful, lingering aftertaste. The tea is unsweetened so you might want to add a little sugar. Overall, it's refreshing and definitely a nice alternative to the coffee offerings.

For hot tea, the cost is $2.50. The prices range for iced tea from $1.65 for a small to $2.45 for a large. Sport tea and chai are also on the tea menu.

"We have been working on developing this brand for the last year plus. We wanted to create a tea brand that was an independent expression of the product, in companion to our coffee brand, as well as capture our creative approach to the tea category," says Alterra's Scott Schwebel. "We are very excited to add a new brand to our family."