On one hand, coffee and tea brands are in an envious position. Their product is a beloved – and in most cases essential – part of their consumers’ daily lives. Roughly two thirds of Americans drink coffee on a daily basis… and many of those individuals will laughingly remark that they could not live without it. Even in America, where tea is significantly less popular than in much of the world, over half of the population drinks tea regularly. In societies where tea is more central to daily life, like the UK, drinkers consume on average over 4 pounds (nearly 2kg) per year(*)! That type of voracious demand would make any brand envious.
Opportunity is Brewing – Cold Brewing
Wisely, brands have taken advantage of those appetites to expand the reach of coffee and tea by commercializing bottled or canned ready-to-drink cold-brews. While obviously a much different experience than the classic steaming cup o’ joe, these drinks are portable and flexible enough to be enjoyed at any time (or temperature) and have become increasingly popular. According to the research organization, Statista, the sales of cold-brewed coffee alone are forecast to reach nearly $1 billion by 2025.
And just like most consumers have their own favorite blends of beans and a go-to coffee shop and barista, these cold-brew beverages have an opportunity to establish strong brand loyalty. The key to taking advantage of demand and gaining market share boils down to the quality of the product itself. Does the cold-brewed coffee or tea beverage have the distinguishing factors that can make it stand out & win over the drinker? Does it taste better, smell better, and is it priced competitively?
From the perspective of a manufacturer, it’s just as important to ask: is it even possible to actually produce a product that has superior quality while also maximizing the efficiency of production? While producing a high-quality product is important, it’s just as important to control the product’s cost and maximize profitability. The good news? Adding enzymes can bring significant benefits to both the consumer (improved taste, color, smell, quality) and the manufacturer (higher yields, more consistency, faster production processes).
Improving Quality: Getting the best taste, smell & feel from cold-brew tea and coffee
Amano Enzyme features two key enzymes that can be used to unlock the full potential of a cold-brew’s taste and smell. We also have a staff of scientists and technicians and can work with a manufacturer to create custom enzymes for specific purposes.
Amano Enzyme’s Aromase™ H2 can be used to intensify the aroma of a coffee or tea product, as well as promoting the liquid’s clarity and overall taste. Glycosidic precursors naturally occur in both tea and coffee, and Aromase H2 interacts with these precursors and releases their natural scents and antioxidants. Protease enzymes can also be used to improve the flavor of tea leaves, while polyphenol oxidase can be used to darken the color of the tea leaf extract to make the product more visually appealing.
To further support the best possible flavor, the enzyme TANNASE-KTFHR can be used to break down the natural tannins in tea. Tannins come naturally from tea leaves and are largely responsible for the dry and bitter aspects of tea’s flavor, while also contributing to brown color. By breaking down tannins, the enzyme softens the tea’s more bitter flavors and eases the dryness of the tea’s feeling. The result is the production of richer, better-tasting, and more “functional” aromatic tea. In this context, a manufactured cold-brew drink is considered to be functional if its overall qualities such as “mouth feel,” color, flavor, and behaviors (such as if it is mixed or heated/cooled) are as close as possible to a traditional home-brewed beverage.
TANNASE-KTFHR also provides additional benefits to the consumer of enhancing the product’s clarity and color – and delivers a manufacturing benefit as well.
Improving Production: Efficiency & Speed
The ability to produce a better product more efficiently and cost-effectively is where enzymes from Amano Enzyme can play a significant role behind-the-scenes in helping to get more from coffee & tea production. For example, in addition to the aforementioned benefits of flavor, color, clarity and feel, TANNASE-KTFHR also increases the yield of the source. Using TANNASE-KTFHR, more liquid can be produced from the same amount of source tea leaves – increasing efficiency and profitability of the entire operation.
Likewise, Amano Enzyme’s CoffeeMax™ is an enzyme that improves the efficiency of the coffee extraction process. CoffeeMax works by accelerating the speed at which the liquid is able to move through the filtration process and improves the overall yield of the coffee extraction – all while avoiding any sense of a “watered down” flavor. This combination has a tremendous impact – more coffee is able to be produced and bottled from the same quantity of source material, and the production process itself is less time-consuming. Thus, not only does the same materials and brewing process result in vastly increased quantities of finished product, but these increased quantities are also able to get onto the shelves faster.
By maximizing the yield of each batch and increasing throughput at the manufacturing facility, these enzymes are the keys to developing cold brew coffees and teas both at a significantly lower cost-per-unit and at a faster rate of delivery to keep stores stocked — all with only positive effects on a product’s flavor.
Amano Enzyme: Cold-brewed coffee & tea’s secret ingredient
The team at Amano Enzyme approaches every product opportunity with a consultative approach in which we listen to our customer’s needs and requirements, and work collaboratively to identify the enzymes that will provide the most beneficial solution. We focus on sustainable production and employ a stringent quality assurance regimen that ensures product safety at all times. Our facilities and methods are even kosher and halal-certified. You can be confident that our team’s dedication to producing an excellent product equals your own, and that we will be equally committed to the success of your product.
