For Indians, Chai is not merely a beverage. It’s a cup brimming with emotions. Starting the day with a hot cup of tea is a ritual in every household. Chai brings families together as they gather every evening, to relish a steaming cup of this beverage, prepared to their liking.
While conventional tea stalls remain evergreen, tea cafes are revolutionising chai by introducing brand new versions for tea lovers to savour. As Gen-Z and millennials welcome this culture of cafes and offbeat flavours, let’s see how a country that consumes 8,37,000 tonnes of tea every year is embracing an explosion of trends that are transforming the way we consume tea.
UNCOMMON FLAVOURS
It’s time we moved beyond ginger and cardamom – Indians are experimenting with their tastes and as a result, a plethora of new tea flavours are becoming popular in India. Flavours like Gulkand, Licorice, Marigold, Mint and Lemongrass are appealing to Indian tea lovers and becoming as popular as the conventional essences.
VEGGIE INFUSION
If you’re a green tea lover, then chances are that you’ll like infused tea as well. Tea infused with the aroma, taste, and healthy benefits of vegetables has become prevalent in modern times. Tomato basil tea, beetroot tea, and a variety of other vegetable-infused tea flavours are becoming exceedingly popular amongst tea enthusiasts.
POWER TEA
Matcha, a superfood in itself, has a distinctive taste that’s rich in umami. When this is combined with the detoxifying quality of activated charcoal, you get the perfect cleansing tea. This power tea is rich in antioxidants and highly beneficial for the body. Teas like Moringa tea has entered the market and is appealing to the consumers because of its health and wellness qualities. This tea is said to improve immunity, regulate metabolism and weight management and is available in a variety of flavours like Honey Lemon, Jasmine, Kahwa and Moroccan Mint.
COLD BREWS
The growing awareness of the ill effects of carbonated drinks has led people to find alternative cold beverages. This has led to the popularity of cold-brew teas in a variety of exotic flavours like raspberry and plum. In addition to this, unique flavours like cucumber, coconut and rose are also being found in iced-teas.
DESSERT TEAS
Falling in the category of gourmet beverages, naturally sweet dessert teas have emerged as one of the most popular tea trends in India. Alternatively known as tisanes – they are prepared in a number of variants like Apple, Cinnamon, Peppermint Chocolate, Caramel Nougat, Cookie Creme, Peach Brule and Cranberry. These dessert teas are gaining popularity among weight watchers as they satisfy sugar cravings without increasing sugar intake.
INSTA-TRENDY TEAS
For capturing the ‘picture-perfect’ cup of tea, a number of insta-trendy teas have come up in the market. Unique varieties of tea like Pearl Tea or Bubble Tea and Nitro Tea, have become available in a variety of flavours like lychee, honeydew, passion-fruit, plum and strawberry. These beverages have become popular, owing to their quirky aesthetics.
We are is working towards meeting the expectations of the consumers for a better tea-drinking experience. But, how exactly are we bringing a fresher, more authentic taste in tea? IFF TRU2FRESH™, a granular delivery technology with high flavour load and superior volatile retention, provides efficiency, flavour authenticity, and stability in a variety of applications. But this isn’t was not enough. We understand that taste is just a part of the entire experience of drinking tea. This is why we developed technology to enhance the aroma and mouthfeel of the beverage. The IFF TRU2nature™ gentle encapsulation delivery technology works to capture & retain the flavour volatiles while enhancing mouthfeel and providing a fresh authentic experience.
How do we meet the varied preferences of tea-lovers?
We create a tailormade tea experience with our Re-Imagine Natural® programme by providing natural, organic, and label-friendly taste designs—crafted to address the increased desire for trust, transparency, and a healthier world. With the help of our cutting-edge tools, we are working towards improving the overall experience of drinking tea. We aim at providing the Indian tea-lovers with unique, unconventional flavours and bring innovation in the way we look at this beverage.