How CHAGEE is making tea worth reading

CHAGEE is moving beyond beverages into publishing and cultural storytelling with the launch of a limited-edition magazine, Roots of tea, unveiled in celebration of International Tea Day.

The publication, available from 21 May, positions tea not just as a drink but as a cultural artefact shaped by trade routes, tradition and modern lifestyle shifts. Rather than a product catalogue or brand brochure, the magazine is framed as a curated editorial experience that traces tea’s journey from the Ancient Tea Horse Road to contemporary tea rituals across different markets.

Consumers can redeem a physical copy of the magazine via the CHAGEE app using 1,000 Tea Leaves points, while a digital version is also available on the app. Physical copies are also being distributed at selected experiential touchpoints, including CHAGEE orchardgateway, VivoCity, Pagoda House, and the Asian Civilisations Museum, where the brand is anchoring part of its wider International Tea Day activation. The magazine retails for SG$18 and RM50. 

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The magazine sits at the centre of a broader multi-layered campaign that includes merchandise bundles, interactive quizzes, and experiential workshops designed to deepen consumer engagement with tea culture.

Beyond the publication, CHAGEE has introduced limited-edition merchandise bundles such as the 'Tea icons keychain bundle' and the 'Tea roots mini tumbler bundle', available from 21 May. The bundles pair drinks with collectible items, reinforcing the brand’s push into lifestyle-led consumption and fan-driven merchandising. Prices start from SG$11.80, depending on the bundle.

The campaign also included a daily quiz running from 15 to 21 May, where users can unlock vouchers by answering tea-related cultural and heritage questions via the CHAGEE app.

At the experiential level, CHAGEE hosted immersive workshops led by its CHA masters at its Asian Civilisations Museum pop-up store. The sessions included guided tea appreciation, tasting experiences and hands-on blending workshops where participants created their own personalised tea sachets to take home, alongside exclusive merchandise. Redemption for the workshop was set at 5,000 tea leaves points, with limited slots available across multiple time slots from 21 to 23 May.

Taken together, the campaign signals CHAGEE’s continued push to position itself as a cultural tea brand rather than purely a beverage operator, using editorial content, physical experiences and gamified digital touchpoints to extend engagement beyond the cup.

In a LinkedIn post, Simeng Li said Roots of tea was co-created with BranD magazine and described the publication as “a deep and tranquil visual journey” rather than a traditional tea encyclopedia.

She added that the project explores tea’s evolution from its agricultural origins to its role in modern culture, using visual storytelling to reflect its layered identity across history, trade and daily life. Li also framed tea as more than a beverage, calling it “the crystallisation of agricultural wisdom” and a bridge between tradition and modernity, reinforcing the publication’s intent to reposition tea as a cultural lifestyle experience rather than a commodity.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out for more. 

CHAGEE’s magazine launch and experiential activations form part of a broader shift towards participatory brand building, where consumers are invited to move between content, culture and creation. From editorial storytelling through Roots of tea to hands-on workshops and product co-creation, the brand is increasingly treating tea culture as something to be read, experienced and shaped with its community rather than simply consumed.

This approach is also reflected in its “First harvest matcha series” rollout in Malaysia, where consumers were invited to influence product development through social media feedback and in-store QR code voting, ultimately shaping the relaunch of “Matcha 2.0” with a more intense flavour profile tailored to local preferences.

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