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Consumers satisfied
by blended teas with flavor and function:
2010 trend for tea
consumption is premium loose-leaf tea
Situated in the middle of New York is a Starbucks store with
a statement, “Let’s have a Tea.” The world’s most popular coffee shop is now
encouraging consumers to drink tea over the bitter tasting coffee that they
have put forth as the hot item. The trend in Korea is no different. The
popularity of well being and wellness has truly transformed the food culture.
Tea, which used to be something that you either drink or not drink is becoming
a measure for quality of life.
Most people often think of tea bags that are widely popular
for guests who have refused to consume caffeine. As long as you have hot water,
the tea was ready for enjoyment. Now, serving tea to guests has become slightly
complicated (?). This is due to a teapot being introduced in the market to
replace a simple tea bag.
With the increasing consumption of loose-leaf tea, Tea Sommelier rises on
the scene
Jung-hoon Kim, the Brand Manager of Amore Pacific’s Sullok,
stated, “Ever since well-being trend was introduced in 2000, people’s interest
in health rapidly rose and subsequently the demand for tea as well. Consumers
started to take note of the place of origin and verify whether there are
organic ingredients in a food product. In the tea market, consumers turned to
100% green tea instead of previously popular brown rice
green tea, and they have even diversified their tastes to purchase premium
loose-leaf teas that are blended with flower or fruit extracts.
Although Korean non-alcoholic beverage market used to be
defined by coffee, red tea, or green tea, there has been a big shift.
Especially nowadays when people are seeking a wide variety of teas to choose
from as well as expanding the culture of enjoying a “personal” beverage,
blended teas are definitely in high demand.
Young-Joon Park, the CEO of American loose-leaf tea Tavalon,
said, “the teas that we produce by a professional tea sommelier are blended
with a focus on function and fragrance, thus creating blended teas that promote
sound sleep, slimming, and anti-aging to promote a life style for health-driven
people.”
As blended teas that satisfy various taste buds were
abundantly introduced in the market, the generation span of consumers who enjoy
tea has also expanded. In fact, Osullok, a teahouse operated by Sullok, in
Myungdong has 1,000 visitors on weekdays and 1,200 visitors on weekends in
average.
A futuristic consuming trend e.g. Tea Cocktail
The eyes zoom into ‘tea cocktail’ among various beverages
served at a VIP party at a prestigious club in Gangnam, Seoul. A form of
martini, this beverage is recognized as a well-being beverage because it
contains healthy tea extracts.
Young-joon Park stated that tea is transforming into a
beverage that suits every lifestyle. The introduction of tea cocktail that was
newly introduced in Korea has received surprisingly positive feedback, and we
have further introduced a tea product for bathing at luxurious spas. There are
endless possibilities of utilizing tea to our lifestyles. Park has further
explained that though Europe still possesses a traditional consumption pattern
for tea, America is approaching tea with a lifestyle perspective as the country
has a strong tendency towards practicality. It is too early to discuss the
approach of Korea, but Park has revealed a strong confidence in the business of
blended tea and other tea products.
A shift in the trend of tea culture has also shifted the
consumers who enjoy tea. Tea is becoming a channel of a communication between
acquaintances and may even replace wine on dinner tables.
“We focus on promoting a lifestyle through our tea bar.” –Young Joon Park,
CEO of Tavalon Korea
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