Budding Products: ITO EN, Starbucks

Bagged and RTD Tea News ITO EN Launches matcha LOVE Tea Bags and Oi Ocha Cold Brew
Photo: Business Wire
At the 2017 World Tea Expo in Las Vegas, June 12 – 14, , Japanese tea giant ITO EN introduced new flavors of its matcha LOVE tea bags andits new Oi Ocha Cold Brew ready-to-drink tea and matcha blend. The matcha LOVE bagged teas are a combination of green tea, matcha and fruit. The new blends are Lemon Verbena + Peppermint and Apple + Ginger. “We are excited about our new tea innovations – both in teabags and ready-to-drink. The refreshing new combinations of our new matcha LOVE Tea Bags complement the naturally sweet umami taste of matcha and green tea, giving tea lovers a fresh and delicious option to shake up their morning ritual or afternoon pick-me up,” said Rona Tison, executive vice president of corporate relations for ITO EN (North America) INC., in a company press release. The Oi Ocha Cold Brew tea is unsweetened and consists of whole-leaf green tea leaves and matcha.  “With the success of our recent launches of our Cold Brew lines for TEAS’ TEA Organic and matcha LOVE, we are proud to expand our offerings to our classic Oi Ocha using a Japanese cold brew method of Mizudashi. Our loyal fans can now experience the lighter, smoother taste of cold brew with our traditional Oi Ocha,” added Tison. Starbucks China Offers Ready-to-Drink Milk Tea Starbucks introduced two new bottled milk teas in China: Starbucks black tea bottled frappuccino and Starbucks matcha bottled Frappuccino. Tea-based beverages are widely consumed in China, and the popular coffee chain wanted to create a product that Chinese customers would like. “With the increasing popularity of tea beverages in our stores in China, the debut of these two new bottled frappuccino beverages will build on our deep respect for the Chinese tea culture, further elevate the unparalleled Starbucks experience beyond our stores, while exceeding the evolving taste preferences of our customers,” said David Hanson, Asia vice president, Starbucks channel development, according to Marketing Interactive. The Starbucks matcha bottled frappucino is made with matcha powder, which has undergone a process of fine grinding and steaming, and milk. The Starbucks bottled black tea is a blend of Indian Assam tea, Sri Lankan Ceylon tea and Chinese Dianhong tea from the Yunnan Province. Starbucks Japan Debuts a Green Tea Frappucino Matcha has become popular in desserts. Starbucks Japan marries matcha and chocolate in their new Chocolate Cake Top Frappuccino with Matcha Shot, introduced on June 14 reports Japan Today. The beverage has a base of almond cream, which is topped with a chocolate mini cake that has a drizzle of matcha sauce on it, covering this combination is a dollop of whipped cream sprinkled with matcha powder.