STiR coffee and tea magazine

STiR coffee and tea 57 Discover first-class tea solutions from a single source: from premium mono teas and specialities from renowned tea regions, refined herbal blends and fruit infusions, to extracts, ready-to-drink formats and beyond. Whether it's loose leaf or fully packaged products, we create custom-made concepts for you across the entire value chain. Let us create your perfect tea solution. Visit us at www.haelssen-lyon.com WORLD OF TEA Welcome to the Sprindrift iced teas emphasize the flavor of real tea first, adding fruit juice or other flavors that complement rather than mask the tea. Photo credit: Spindrift According to The NEXT Flavor Report: Feeding Gen Z's Cravings, 67% of Gen Z consumers want to see more botani- cal flavors in their food and beverages. The industry's response is already visible on shelves: Florals, including lavender, cherry blossom, rose, and hibiscus, are gaining commercial momen- tum, alongside herbal profiles like basil and thyme, and the in- creasingly mainstream sting of turmeric and ginger. These flavor choices indicate a more adventurous and tol- erant consumer. A consumer reaching for a hibiscus and basil cold-brew is communicating something categorically different about their health orientation than the consumer who grew up on high-fructose peach tea from a soda fountain. Brands that understand this distinction are building products and position- ing strategies accordingly. Those still treating botanical ingredi- ents as a garnish rather than a core identity element will find the gap between them and category leaders quickly widening. Iced Tea as a Lifestyle The iced tea market is fragmenting in ways that mirror the craft beer and specialty coffee movements before it. Premium spar- kling teas are making a credible play for the non-alcoholic wine occasion, offering the complexity and ritual that can hold up at a Michelin-starred dinner table. Clean-label energy formats are replacing synthetic, taurine-heavy cans with tea-derived caffeine and L-theanine, delivering what brands position as a jitter-free alternative to conventional energy drinks. Botanical infusions are pushing tea into gastronomy territory while leveraging their health halo, speaking to a generation focused on holistic well- ness and unique experiences. The brands that will define the next decade of iced tea are the ones that have internalized this premise deeply enough to let it drive every decision from formulation through retail ex- ecution. Iced tea is no longer bound to simple combinations of Camellia sinensis and sugar. The era of liquid candy is dwin- dling. The correction is underway, and for a category that spent a generation hiding behind sugar, the future opportunities are significant.

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