Flavour trends in uncertain times

The past year has thrown many challenges at the hospitality industry, with limited certainty from one week to the next, and planning near impossible as business owners have been forced to close for the nations safety.

Never-the-less the lovely people at Beyond the Bean still continued with their annual benchmarking report, where they visit high street chains to see how they promote their winter menus over multiple channels throughout the season.  As part of the report they also list the most popular drink flavours.

Due to the unpredictability of last year it's not surprising to find that the main flavour trends are a return to the classics that we all know and love. With the most popular flavours being caramel, gingerbread and hazelnut. People want to retreat to the security of flavours and drinks they grew up with. However, these classics have been taken to the next level this year with everyone going big on the toppings, sauces, biscuits and decorations.

         *source: Beyond the Bean benchmarking report winter 2020

So perhaps now is the time to bring back some classics to your menu, with nostalgic and recognisable flavours, to provide some certainty and comfort to customers in uncertain times.  

When restrictions allow, picking up a takeaway hot drink is a treat and many cafes are advertising drinks with extra toppings to make the experience extra special.

Here's a recipe to try that ticks all the boxes:

Gingerbread Mocha

Ingredients
Gingerbread syrup
Hot Chocolate
Single espresso
Steamed milk

Instructions
Add 2 pumps syrup, 1 scoop of Hot Chocolate and a single espresso to a cup
Stir into a paste
Top with steamed milk and extra toppings as desired