Gourmet Tea Rising in Popularity
Tea has been one of the most popular beverages around the world for centuries, with various regions developing their own flavorful concoctions. At present, gourmet tea is seeing a rise in popularity as consumers drink this beverage in increasing numbers, in both hot and cold varieties. One of the biggest benefits with gourmet tea is that it contains a vast number of healthy antioxidants, as well as vitamins. Additionally, tea is able to provide buyers with natural energy. And of course, one of the biggest reasons that gourmet tea has taken off in popularity in recent years is the fact that it is incredibly delicious.
That is the case more than ever as manufacturers look for new and unique ways to flavor their teas. From loose leaf tea and tea bags to bottled tea and even concentrated and instant teas, there are a large number of flavor ingredients that can go into the creation of these beverages. One of the most notable things about gourmet tea is the fact that, as it is largely consumed by individuals for health purposes, the large majority of teas on the market are best made with all natural ingredients.
Among the most popular flavor ingredients for tea are the citrus flavors, such as Advanced Biotech’s Natural Citronellal, which provides delicious lemon flavor. However, lemon is not the only type of citrus flavor to appear in teas, as everything from orange to grapefruit can be found. Lemon is also popular in flavored tea drinks because of the popular combination of iced tea and lemonade.
Berry flavors are also incredibly popular in the creation of tea products. Flavor ingredients such as Advanced Biotech’s Natural Fermentone are capable of providing great berry flavor to a tea drink, and depending on the way it is mixed the flavor ingredients used in teas can replicate everything from raspberry and blackberry to blueberry.
Often, the specific type of berry flavor that is chosen depends on the type of tea that is being flavored. For example, green teas generally use lighter flavor notes such as sweet orange, while the heavier black teas often rely on heavier and richer flavor ingredients, such as lemon.
In the creation of gourmet teas, the types of flavor ingredients that are used can become even more complex. Often, mixes are traditional in nature. An example of this would be the combination of jasmine and traditional teas such as oolong, or green tea and ginger flavor ingredients. New versions of gourmet teas may recreate other popular flavors from the foods industry. For example, cinnamon and Natural Vanillin have both increased in popularity as a flavor ingredient in tea.
When a flavorist is looking to create a new tea flavor, they can either choose to go the traditional route and recreate favorite tea flavor combinations, or they can choose to do something new and different. At present, the market is perfect for a number of different varieties of teas. One thing is for certain – as flavorists create bold new tea flavors, enthusiasts will be flocking to pick them up and give them a try.