NPD spotlight: New product launches in RTD tea and coffee
Nitro Earl Grey Tea Oak Milk Latte
Rise Brewing Co., a nitro cold brew coffee company, is expanding its portfolio with London Fog: a canned Nitro Earl Grey Tea Oat Milk Latte.
The product is the company’s first entry into the tea category.
“Combining the comforting flavor of Earl Grey tea with the deliciously smooth taste of a nitrogen-infused latte, London Fog is the ideal combination for coffee and tea lovers alike,” says the brand.
“Early on we knew that while nitro cold brew coffee would always be the core focus of our brand, we didn’t want to limit ourselves in terms of the products that we could create – hence the ‘Rise Brewing Co. brand name.
“While the majority of our team is fuelled by nitro cold brew, a number of team members are big tea drinkers, so when it came time to develop a new product it only felt natural to incorporate this tried and true tea blend.”
The product is USDA Organic and launches online and across retailers in the US this summer. It is sold as singles, 4 packs and 12 packs.
Kahlua coffee cocktail
Kahlua is launching an on-the-go coffee cocktail with its new Nitro Cold Brew RTD line this month.
Nitro Cold Brew is a coffee cocktail made with rum, coffee liqueur and 100% Arabica cold brew coffee, steeped for at least 18 hours.
Troy Gorczyca, US brand director at Kahlua, said: “The data shows that the popularity of RTDs is continuing to grow rapidly and as coffee cocktail culture progresses into the RTD category, Kahlua Nitro Cold Brew is the perfect marriage. Tapping into the desire for convenience without compromise – it’s the best of both worlds.
“Complementing Kahlua’s Espresso Martini RTD, this new addition is just 80 calories. Specifically designed with a nitro widget, the perfect coffee cocktail can now be poured in under three seconds.”
Kahlua Nitro Cold Brew is 4.5% ABV and best served chilled. It is available across the US as of this month at Kroger’s, Albersons, Total Wine and more.
Vietnamese Cold Brew Coffee
Omni Bev, ‘the world’s first authentic Vietnamese Cold Brew Coffee’, has launched Vietnamese Coconut Matcha Cold Brew Coffee in the US.
The plant-based cold brew uses a blend of premium Japanese matcha and a splash of coconut. It is dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free, and low in calories.
“Omni Bev was founded with the passion to transcend Vietnamese coffee and share it with the world by elevating quality, and creating healthy, innovative flavors,” said Tammy Huynh, CEO, and founder of Omni Bev. “It all started with a childhood memory of Vietnam. We are reimagining what that means to us, but are committed to preserving generations of coffee tradition, combined with modern brewing science to achieve a high quality Vietnamese cold brew that tastes like home.”
Omni Bev starts at a family farm in Da Lat, Vietnam, where the beans are responsibly grown in high-altitude microclimates producing dense coffee beans with richer, more bold flavor profiles. The imported premium Vietnamese coffee beans are brewed and bottled in California.
CBD-infused sparkling teas
Tempo has added two flavors to its CBD-infused sparkling tea line: green tea with ginger and turmeric; and hibiscus tea with blackberry and lemon.
Tempo’s sparkling green tea offers “a bubbly and uplifting way to kickstart your creative energy”. The naturally-caffeinated beverage is infused with 25mg of hemp-derived CBD and real ginger and turmeric.
Tempo’s sparkling hibiscus tea has been created for those who want to “unwind, reset, and relax”. The blend, also infused with 25mg of hemp-derived CBD, pairs non-caffeinated hibiscus tea with a balanced blend of blackberry and citrus.
“Tempo designs its recipes to go beyond CBD, pairing its cannabinoid extracts with a chef-crafted blend of functional foods and herbs that provide complementary nutritional benefits and support the body’s natural functions,” says the brand.
Tempo’s teas are available online via its website in 6-pack ($29.99) and 12 pack ($49.99) sizes; as well as select retail stories in Illinois, Texas and New England.
Alcohol-infused cold brew coffee
Bomani Cold Buzz – a new alcohol-infused cold brew coffee – has launched in 31 states in the US.
The drink seeks to ‘marry together two of the fastest-growing subcategories in the beverage industry: cold brew coffee and sugar fermented alcohol (the same alcohol found in hard seltzers), brewed with no bubbles for easy drinking.’
Co-founders Sam Madani, Amin Anjedani, and Kai Drewry (aka the ‘BOMANI Brothers’) say that, rather than zeroing in solely on the calorie count, they have approached the nutritional aspects holistically, from eliminating sugar and carbs completely and aligning with various diets (vegan & gluten-free); while preserving the flavor (low acidity), smooth mouthfeel, and 5.7 ABV% (‘significantly higher’ than other brands).
Snapchill technology
Elemental Beverage Co’s RTD, single-origin canned coffees are now available online and at 40 Whole Foods stores in the North Atlantic region (MSRP $5/can).
It uses patented ‘snapchill’ technology that cools hot coffee in seconds, ‘preserving and amplifying flavors and complexity without ice, dilution or compromise”.
The heat exchange technology “combines thermodynamics, engineering and artistry to transform fresh, hot coffee to cold in seconds,” says the company.
Ocean Spray Brew
Ocean Spray, the agricultural cranberry cooperative, launched a cold brew coffee drink at the start of this year.
Ocean Spray Brew marks the expansion of the brand into the coffee category with two flavors: Cranberry Lemonade with Cold Brew Coffee and Cranberry Blueberry with Cold Brew Coffee.
Each drink uses Colombian Coffee with 40mg caffeine from green coffee beans for each 8oz serving – equal to half a cup of coffee. The drinks also contain antioxidant vitamin C and vitamin B and are free from added sugar, preservatives, and artificial flavors and colors.
Ocean Spray Brew can be found in the US in Target, Stop & Shop, Shaw’s, Albertsons, Vons, and Safeway.
Cold brew tea
A new premium socially responsible beverage brand, Promise Beverages, launched in February with a line of craft small batch Cold Brew Tea.
Made with high-quality, organic ingredients, Promise Cold Brew Teas bring together ‘delicious flavors, an innovative brewing process and more sustainable packaging, all with the goal of helping to solve the water crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa where the brand sources its tea leaves.’
Promise Cold Brew Teas are handcrafted in small batches, following a cold, slow brewing process in which the tea is steeped in cold water over time. The end result is a smooth, delicate flavor accentuating the notes from the tea leaves. Promise Cold Brew Teas are non-GMO, contain no artificial ingredients and are sweetened naturally using the best-tasting part of the stevia leaf.
Promise Cold Brew Tea is available in two flavors, Unsweet African Hibiscus, a tart and fruity tea with notes of citrus and pomegranate, and Slightly Sweet Island Mango, a rich black tea paired with notes of sweet mango. Each flavor contains five calories or less.
The teas are packaged in paperboard gallon boxes which are fully recyclable. The one gallon box has a smaller carbon footprint than traditional glass bottles.
Promise has partnered with The Water Project, a charity that provides access to clean, safe and reliable water and sanitation solutions across Sub-Saharan Africa. Promise donates a portion of net sales to help provide water for people in these communities, many of which are located in the same regions that grow and harvest tea leaves used to make the Cold Brew Tea.
Starbucks Cold Brew Concentrates
Starbucks and Nestlé launched new coffees for US retail in February, seeking to offer consumers at home ‘a little more than their average cup of coffee’.
Starbucks Cold Brew Concentrates can be mixed with water and ice to create cold brew at home, coming in Signature Black and Caramel Dolce flavors.
Starbucks and Nestlé created a ‘global coffee alliance’ in 2018, giving Nestlé the perpetual rights to market Starbucks packaged goods and foodservice products worldwide outside of Starbucks coffee shops.
Decaf nitro flash brew
Verve Coffee Roasters, a Santa-Cruz-based specialty coffee company, expanded its RTD Nitro Flash Brew Coffee line in February.
Single Origin (using Ethiopia Sakaro) and Vancouver Decaf (‘one of the few decaf canned coffee beverages on the market’) join The Original flash brew coffee, which was launched in 2018.
“Verve’s Nitro Flash Brew is made using a unique brewing technique and starts with Verve’s finest directly-traded coffee,” says Ryan O’Donovan, co-founder of Verve Coffee.
“After precise extraction through a proprietary hot brewing process in an oxygen-free environment with state-of-the-art craft brewing equipment, it is flash chilled and infused with nitrogen, which removes any remaining oxygen. The result is a clean, vibrant and silky brew that is distinctively different than classic cold brew, which can often taste stale, flavorless or overly bitter.”
Milo's Tea Company
Milo’s Tea Company has launched a 12-pack of Milo’s Famous Sweet Tea single serve bottles.
Milo’s Tea is made with three ingredients: filtered water, pure cane sugar and fresh brewed tea; and is free from colors and preservatives.
“We are excited to debut Milo’s new multipack of sweet tea singles just in time for summer,” said Tricia Wallwork, Milo’s CEO and founder Milo Carlton’s granddaughter. “We developed the multipack to make it easier for our fans to stock up and enjoy our sweet tea on the go.”
The new Milo’s Famous Sweet Tea multipack will be available mid-July for a limited time in more than 200 Sam’s Club stores and will retail for $7.98.
