BREMEN, Germany
Consumers are seeking adventure, according to Sensient Flavors and Fragrances Group.
The market leading formulator annually publishes its view of flavor trends. Cascara Tea made this year’s list. This beverage, a steeped blend of cinnamon and dried coffee cherries, is popular in Bolivia. Several U.S. and one Canadian company recently introduced new lines.
Also making the list were desert wildflowers “though polarizing, floral flavors are on the rise for 2015, and the mild flavor of the desert wildflower makes it a popular pick.”
“Consumers are seeking adventure in their food and see their choices as an expression of themselves,” writes Teresa Olah, Sensient’s marketing director. “They are enjoying the ability to sample other cultures through food.”
Beverage Daily recently reported on Sensient’s efforts to identify “mood balancing” ingredients that balance the emotional state of consumers “in a gentle and natural way.”
“Using common knowledge and adding a modern twist like hops in a non-alcoholic beverage or adding a colorful berry flavor to chamomile offers an interesting way to tap into the health and wellness trend,” Sensient General Manager Hans-Juergen Sachs told the publication.
“Our goal is to inspire our customers in their efforts to deliver products consumers want,” said Olah. She said the best of these products offer multi-sensorial experiences to drive brand excitement and increase sales.
The consumer insights were developed utilizing Sensient’s “Trends to Taste” program, a proprietary predictive process that filters trends from the broad, consumer, macro level down to finished concepts that best demonstrate each flavor profile.
“The 2015 Trends to Taste program centers around one consistent theme: ethnic exploration through flavors,” she said. Examples include varietal cherry and peach flavors.
*Note that cascara tea is not the same as tea made from the leaves of rhamnus purshiana (Cascara tree) which produces a mild laxative. The tree is native to California and British Columbia.
Learn more about tea in capsules at World Tea Expo, at Dan’s presentation Single Serve: Tea in an Instant from 8 a.m. – 9:30 a.m., Thursday, May 7.