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Green tea – Emerging trends & growth prospects in India
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Sunday, 01 March, 2020, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Ruhani Sandhu
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The world is growing a lot partial towards green tea – there’s no denying this fact. We have watched the global tea market expand over the last several years and tea lovers are excited to see this growth. Much of this growth is attributed to consumers’ need to enjoy healthier alternatives to soft drinks, sweetened fruit juices, and depending on whom you ask, even coffee.
Palates and attitudes have changed over the last decade and educated consumers are leaning towards more healthful alternatives. The green tea trend is also fueled by the consumer’s awareness and understanding of organic food and drinks. Furthermore, the rising modern diseases, have also created a need amongst the consumers to take a more proactive, rather than reactive approach to their health.
Although both, black tea and green tea come from the same plant, the green tea is distinct because of its particular processing method, delicate flavours, colour and superior health benefits. On the international platform, the production of black tea has increased by just 3% whereas it’s 6.4% for green tea.
According to industry reports, the global output of green tea is foreseen to augment at a faster rate of 7.5% yearly, to reach 3.6 million tonne by 2027. The market for green tea is pegged at around US$6.8 million, that accounts for US$2.2 billion of the total tea industry in India. As the market of green tea is surging it can be anticipated that robust growth can be expected over the forecasted period in India. Also, the medicinal values and health benefits add to its popularity that has encouraged the involvement of various organisations to strengthen the competitive landscape of the green tea market.
The recent World Tea & Coffee Expo in Mumbai gave us a good taste of the transformation that is brewing in India and glimpse into 2020 and the next few years. Here are the latest green tea trends that are going to stay in the market and give you new tea experiences:
1. Adaptogens and more botanicals - The consumers will learn about adaptogens as a tea and a beverage ingredient, as they promise health benefits that are outselling traditional tea leaves. The modern health-conscious consumers are looking for more out of their tea now and this has lead to an increase in the popularity of functional and condition-specific tea blends. They are also a solution for stress relief and low immunity, which are in high demand for many demographics, from busy urban professionals to the elderly, and even performance athletes. Look for adaptogens in tea in 2020, or consider them for your home-brew experiments.
2. Taste matters - It’s simple, the more you taste the more you learn. With so many tea options in the market today, the palate of consumers is becoming more sophisticated and trained to differentiate quality whole leaf teas from low-end dust and fannings. This evolution in consumers’ awareness has also lead to healthy growth in the premium tea sector and shrinkage in low-end mass-market teas. Consumers are now expecting better flavours and quality in their teas, not only for gourmet teas but even functional tea blends. This extraordinary shift in trend will open up a multitude of new opportunities and drive innovation that will change the face of speciality tea in the next decade.
3. More kombucha - The thirst for on-the-go healthy products has given more horse-power to the popularity of kombucha, a revolution we might say. This fermented tea drink is morphing into complementary product lines – a niche product restricted to health enthusiasts is now stocked in high street retailers. Its culture of bacteria offers unique health properties that are limited to few products worldwide, plus, it also caters to the segment that is looking for beverage drinks with plant-based ingredients and healthy alternative to bottled drinks. The future will be its availability in many exciting and innovative flavours.
4. Matcha and other Japanese teas - The most popular Japanese tea, matcha, has made its presence in India. To cater to a wider audience and offer palatable options, brands are going to offer many flavours of matcha. With more Japanese tea companies collaborating with their Indian counterparts now, we will also see other Japanese teas in the market – that include gyokuro, sencha, genmaicha and hojicha. Matcha will also find itself as a culinary ingredient and we will see its use in baking, ice creams, desserts, smoothies and as dust on many food options to add flavour and caffeine kick. The versatility of matcha is the future.
5. Fancier teas in foodservice - The new age teas are finding their way in menus of fine restaurants, cafes and trendy bars. Creativity in mixology, as well as the pairing of premium teas with culinary delights, will bring outstanding tea experiences to new customers who are looking for newness and value for money. Chefs and diners find their preference in plant-based wellness and look for innovative ways to make food and beverages more healthy and palatable. Tea is a great choice that will naturally complement the modern foodie’s dining experience and we should expect more restaurants to elevate their tea programmes.
6. Instant teas - Many brands are relying on this new technology, which brews tea at lower temperature and under pressure over long periods, thus extracting the essence of tea without boiling off the aromatics. The teas are further dehydrated into powder and crystals that dissolve instantly in water, hot or cold. These next-generation instant teas sell in single-use packets and they are currently sold mostly in wending machines in corporates. Not just a hot Western trend, we will see a lot of innovation of instant tea flavours and their target market in India too.
All the above trends point to the fact that tea consumption is not declining, it is changing. The appetite for mass-produced low-quality products is weakening – whilst premium tea is on the rise. Driving the trends is an emphasis on the preservation of health and a view of teas as a wellness instrument by a young demographic. We are witnessing a tea revolution where hospitality, retail, brands and consumers are now viewing tea in a new way. So, here’s to many new ideas and new products in the market and hope that they have a good story and a focus on sustainability.
(The author is founder of Rangsaa tea, independent tea consultant, TEDx and tea note speaker. She can be contacted at ruhani@rangsaa.com)
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