Guest post by Sebastian Shearman, Coffee & Beverage Innovation Specialist at Jamaica Blue.
Coffee is changing on a lot of fronts. In 2020 we will see a rise of the conscious coffee consumer with lovers of the drink wanting to know more about where the bean was sourced from, the country of origin and how it got from the country of origin to home soil. With more wanting (or needing) a coffee hit at any time of the day, there are more options on shelves with nitro coffee, cascara tonics and non-traditional ingredients becoming popular.
ESPRESSO COFFEE OPTIONS
With the rise of the coffee conscious comes the variety in choice from retail cafe players. Though having various coffee options is nothing new (did somebody say Starbucks?), the expectation of quality from the customer and the execution at the coffee machine is growing and developing rapidly.
ALTERNATIVE MILKS
Since 2014, there has been a steep and steady upturn in the consumption of alternative milks. In 2019, almond milk took the top spot with 55% of alternative milks being consumed. Oat milk is definitely one to watch out for; it carries a largely neutral flavour profile, but great creamy texture that combines really nicely with medium roasted coffee blends. That, and it pours great latte art!
CASCARA TONICS
Cascara contains interesting flavours of fermented fruits and tobacco. Traditionally, the dried cherry is discarded during coffee processing, resulting in huge amounts of waste. Cascara provides an alternative for what is otherwise discarded into landfills. When brewed like tea, Cascara tastes very sweet and fruity; very different from its espresso counterpart – it delivers a nice caffeine kick as well!
NON-TRADITIONAL INGREDIENTS
Innovative brews are so creatively delicious, everyone is looking to test out a new ingredient in their coffee to ditch their regular latte. Believe it or not, mushroom lattes are growing in popularity – and generating serious buzz in the wellness world. Following the introduction of butter and broccoli coffee, this signifies the industry’s continued focus on introducing non-traditional ingredients to your brews.
