The base of the Tea in the Moment recipes is a blend of cacao beans blended with natural organic ingredients. Cacao husks have been used to brew cacao tea for thousands of years. When brewed as a loose-leaf style tea, cacao shells have a subtle taste reminiscent of dark chocolate. While Tea in the Moment teas are 99.5% caffeine-free, cacao shells contain Theobromine, a natural “feel-good” stimulant.

Tea in the Moment comes in seven flavors–Rose Cacao, Original Cacao, Coconut Cacao, Mint Cacao, Orange Cacao, Chai Lavender Cacao. Each is sold in an attractive white box containing 50g of loose leaf tea.

Rose Cacao

Rose Cacao starts with a strong rose aroma that slightly overpowers the scent of cacao. We loved the combination of the light floral notes combined with the more earthy flavors of the cacao. The balance of cacao shells to rose petals in this blend is perfectly balanced.

Original Cacao

Original Cacao has the intense aroma and flavors of chocolate and cacao. If you’re not accustomed to those rich flavors, it can take a little getting used to. The sweet and unique tea would appeal to dark chocolate lovers.

Coconut Cacao

Coconut Cacao brings in a powerful hit of coconut. This blend is sweet and rich – probably the sweetest of the flavors we sampled. The rich and creamy coconut balances out the cacao’s bitter notes in another nicely balanced combination of flavors.

Mint Cacao

The scent of Mint Cacao reminded us a lot of After Eight mint chocolate. For anyone who enjoys the combination of mint and chocolate, this blend artfully brings together the zesty, refreshing essence of peppermint with the rich chocolatey flavors of cacao.

Summary: Tea in the Moment loose leaf cacao teas combine the chocolatey taste of cacao with the soothing experience of drinking tea. The result is a dessert-like beverage without sugar. We could see adding Tea in The Moment to many moments throughout the day for an enjoyable treat that delivers a boost without the calories or caffeine crash.

For more information visit Tea in the Moment’s website.

Single-use plastics are a known threat to our environment, generating millions of tons of unnecessary waste every year that makes its way into our waters and breaks up into microplastics. These microplastics disrupt entire ecosystems and cause great harm to turtles, wildlife, sea birds, and the marine life that ingests them.

Fishbone replaces single-use plastics with paper-based can carriers that use significantly less material than full overwrap paperboard cartons. Fishbone carriers are available for standard cans as well as Alumi-Tek bottles in both 4-pack and 6-pack formats and are sealed with a recyclable, compostable water-based barrier coating for moisture resistance. Fishbone can carriers come in a variety of options designed to complement any brand and to communicate the brand’s commitment to sustainability. Custom printing and graphics are also an option for unique branding opportunities on the carrier.

The comprehensive Fishbone system also features semi-automatic and fully automatic equipment engineered specifically to apply the Fishbone carriers to a 6-pack of 12 oz cans and to a 4-pack of either 12 oz or 16 oz cans. The BCF10 tabletop model runs up to 60 cans/minute and is available for a monthly user fee. The BCF40 high-speed model runs up to 240 cans/minute and is available for purchase.

Bringing this system to market has been a collaboration between Fishbone Packaging, the innovators of the Fishbone carrier design, and Atlantic Packaging, the exclusive licensee of Fishbone Packaging. Atlantic will handle all aspects of the customer experience, from product ordering and delivery to equipment sales and support.

In a time when businesses are facing increasing pressure from environmental groups, consumers, and now governments to eliminate single-use plastics, the Fishbone system is readily available for craft brewers and beverage producers who want to make the switch to a sustainable packaging option.

Atlantic Packaging President, Wes Carter, comments: “As an industry, we have to acknowledge that single-use, consumer destined plastic packaging creates environmental pollution that isn’t sustainable for our planet. For these reasons, polyethylene plastic beverage rings have been problematic packaging since their introduction decades ago.

“Atlantic and Fishbone have collaborated to bring the first-ever 100% curbside recyclable paperboard beverage carrier to the marketplace. This sustainable Fishbone solution addresses all environmental concerns and also is highly marketable for our customers. We are proud to introduce this transformative technology to packaging.”

Kevin L’Heureux, Fishbone Packaging Inc. President, and Keith Elliott, Co-Founder, remark: “Fishbone Packaging is thrilled to partner with Atlantic Packaging to bring our innovative, plastic-free packaging products and application technologies to a wider market. We have a long-standing and successful working relationship with Atlantic Packaging and this alliance has been developed to better serve and to grow sustainable, impactful and consumer-friendly packaging with our shared values.”

Source: Atlantic Packaging

The release is the first major launch from the distiller, under the Silent Pool Gin brand, since their stunning iconic teal and copper bottle arrived on the craft gin market in 2014.

Silent Pool Rare Citrus Gin, which contains some of the world’s rarest citrus fruits, is crafted from unusual fruits from around the world, including Asian citrus fruits hirado buntan, natsu dai, Buddha’s hand, and green Seville orange. The fruits are sourced from citrus collectors on Portugal’s Alentejo coast, where more than 300 citrus varieties are grown.

The gin is distilled using Silent Pool Distillers four-tiered method, the resulting gin is zesty and vibrant and is bottled showcasing the botanicals and citrus fruits in, what is now a trademark Silent Pool Gin look.

For the primary packaging and its decoration, leading design and innovation consultancy, Seymourpowell, were instrumental in delivering a bottle design that captures the intricate and intriguing essence of the gin. It is instantly recognisable as a Silent Pool Gin, but also distinctly different from the previous iconic, classic teal bottle.

Opting for a warm and sophisticated terracotta colourway, the bottle emphasises the rich citrus notes that the four fruits bring to the flavour profile. The familiar botanical design has been re-crafted to include the visual representations of each fruit and reflect the top, mid and base citrus notes of the recipe. The bottle, incorporating a glass stopper, is distinctive, iconic and desirable, emphasising Silent Pool Distillers passion for creativity and excellence.

Ian McCulloch, co-founder of Silent Pool Distillers, said: “Croxsons have been a key partner since the project started in 2014 and they remain our first call experts for anything related to glass. They have helped us navigate supply, decoration and evolving the designs we use and we have a good and trusting relationship with them, enabling us to focus on driving the business forward and focussing on the areas we can add the greatest value.

On their relationship with Silent Pool Distillers, Croxsons’ Tim Croxson, added: “It’s great to see our partnership with Ian and the team at Silent Pool Distillers go from strength to strength. With the distillery being local to Croxsons, it’s vitally important to be supporting local businesses and we are proud to be as involved as we are in Silent Pool Distillers journey. With complex designs becoming a Croxsons’ trademark, this latest expression, as with the first, is both beautiful and impactful.”

Source: Croxsons

Pellegrino Essenza

Pellegrino’s green glass bottles can be found at high-end restaurants, hotels, and cafes around the world. In addition, S. Pellegrino has a line of products that start with the same quality, lightly carbonated mineral water but add a twist of Mediterranean flavors. The S. Pellegrino Essenza flavors include Dark Morello Cherry & Pomegranate, Lemon & Lemon Zest, Tangerine & Wild Strawberry, and Blood Orange & Black Raspberry. Each flavor comes in either a 330 ml sleek can or a 500 ml PET bottle.

Blood Orange & Black Raspberry

We had the opportunity to sample S. Pellegrino Essenza Blood Orange & Black Raspberry. The 500 ml PET bottle is wrapped with a subtle, classic S. Pellegrino label with a slight hint of red color added. Unscrewing the silver cap reveals a light and satisfying effervescence. The creamy, slightly salty bubbles of the pure mineral water combine nicely with the very light citrus and berry notes. There is just a hint of flavor that leans slightly more towards citrus than the berry. The subtle sweetness leaves a clean, fresh, and light finish. S. Pellegrino Essenza Blood Orange & Black Raspberry would pair nicely with any rich or complex food flavors, like red meat or creamy pasta.

Summary: S. Pellegrino Blood Orange & Black Raspberry is a refreshing addition to the classic quality of S. Pellegrino mineral waters. The subtle, not-too-sweet flavor combined with the rich carbonated mineral water provides a sophisticated and refreshing drinking experience.

For more information visit S. Pellegrino’s website.

Established in the Scottish capital at the start of the pandemic, Edinburgh Beer is a collaboration project that supports Edinburgh’s craft breweries and raises charitable funds for local good causes. The initiative is based on the supply of beers from eight established Edinburgh craft breweries, which are then sold online in packs of 12 or 24 cans, as well as a 4-can cube pack. Purchasing beer from craft brewers in this way triggers a fair price payment to the breweries, in addition to a £1 for charity for every box purchased.

With designs produced by an Edinburgh-based illustrator, Durham Box used the single pass efficiency of the Nozomi press to provide a dynamic print solution for the beer packs. And for the advent calendar, produced as a box to hold 24 cans, a coated B-flute board was used – the substrate providing good protection with a high quality print finish and 100% recyclability. The complex design for the calendar, which included vibrant colours and black and white areas, was subject to a one-pass layering effect by the Nozomi, giving the visual effect of a spot varnish. For the calendar box construction, internal dividers were used for the cans to sit in, in addition to a speedy tear cutting rule to give a clean and precise opening experience.

Edinburgh Beer’s founder, Ben Wallace, said: “We were seeking a print solution that could do justice to the designs and they [Durham Box] have exceeded our expectations with a superb print finish, coupled with the flexibility of multiple print versions and relative short runs for all the variations of packs and the calendar. Our thanks to local illustrator Susie Wright for creating the stunning design.”

As one of the UK’s leading corrugated packaging manufacturers, Co Durham-based Durham Box has recently undergone a brand refresh, in addition to launching a new website that highlights the company’s significant investment in digital.

Commenting on the work for Edinburgh Beer, Durham Box’s regional sales manager, Paul Barker, said: “It was great fun working with Ben, who has a 100 ideas at once, but a meticulous eye for detail! This is another great project showing the versatility, quality and impact of products produced through the Nozomi press,”

Source: Edinburgh Beer

What is Shelf Life? 

Shelf life is the period during which a beverage is stored and sold without significant loss of quality or functional properties. Shelf life differs from an expiration date, which is the date after which a product should no longer be consumed, either by operation of law or by exceeding the shelf life for perishable goods. A beverage’s shelf life is an essential indicator of the quality or loss of quality in a product. The producer is responsible for determining shelf life.  Certain beverages may have regulations or standards specific to their industry for the usage of “sell-by” dates and “best-by” dates.

What is a Shelf Life Study? 

Reliable “use by” or “best before” times cannot be determined by guesswork or by copying a competing product’s shelf life. Shelf life testing is customized to your product and the information you need to measure and control. A shelf life study is a scientific process for determining the length of time a product will meet specific standards in relation to parameters such as microbiology, taste, appearance, nutrient levels, and aroma.

Some of the ways beverage manufacturers leverage a shelf life study include:

• Improving product quality and shortening time to market
• Ensuring product efficacy throughout its shelf life
• Making sure that combined ingredients within a formula remain stable over time
• Verifying your formula’s compatibility with the packaging you’ve selected
• Making sure your formula does not degrade in a way that compromises the safety and purity of your product
• Exploring ways to lengthen product shelf life
• Defining the storage conditions required for your beverage to maintain quality over time

Testing will vary depending on the product, storage conditions, and any claims on the product. Although each shelf life study is unique, the overall process is the same.

Step 1: Review Formula and Storage Conditions

For your shelf life study to be accurate, your beverage should be made in a way that reflects normal production. These could be samples from a pilot facility, or samples from a full production run. Bench tops samples may not be representative of a true production run (due to scale-up error). Shelf life is impacted by ingredients, type of product and product claims, packaging, temperature exposure and handling, and expected usage after opening.

Step 2: Identify Factors for Safety and Quality

After reviewing the formula and storage conditions, the required organoleptic quality and food safety standards need to be outlined. Any legal claims, such as nutritional content, will also need to be factored into testing for any nutrients that may degrade over time. The testing program for a product will depend on customer and legal requirements and should follow accredited testing methods.

Step 3: Testing

There are several methods of testing that can be used to help determine a product’s shelf life. Two of the most common are the direct and accelerated testing methods.

Direct method: The direct method is a combination of real-time studies that involve storing the product under conditions similar to those it will face on the market while monitoring its properties over regular intervals of time. While this method is extremely accurate, it takes a long time to conduct.

Accelerated method: Accelerated testing modifies conditions such as pressure and temperature to accelerate spoilage reactions in a beverage. These tests help predict the behavior of a beverage under certain conditions. Using accelerated tests, brands can predict how environmental conditions and variations in ingredients will impact the end product’s properties. Although it can produce results three times faster than the direct method, the accelerated process carries some margin of error because the modified conditions may create reactions that would normally not take place on the shelf.

Most shelf life studies include both food quality standards as well as organoleptic quality standards. In addition to microbiological analysis, the product will also undergo sensory testing to ensure properties like taste, smell, and appearance meet requirements over the specified time.

Step 4: Analyze Results and Set Shelf Life

The final shelf life study report verifies that your product is shelf-stable and establishes time parameters from production, distribution, sale, and consumption. A shelf life study should also extend beyond the actual expiry date to ensure that your beverage is safe beyond the expiry date marked. qual

Shelf life testing will need to be re-validated if you make any changes to your formula or production methods.

Shelf Life Study Considerations 

When leveraged correctly, a shelf life study can deliver valuable information to help you make informed business decisions and protect and enhance product quality. Large retailers are increasingly requiring third-party shelf life tests from the manufacturers of the products they carry. There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to shelf life testing. Your approach should reflect your unique product, lifecycle stage, data requirements, budget, and time table. Working with a skilled laboratory team that has experience with similar products will ensure a testing design that meets your objectives while avoiding unnecessary costs.

Are you ready to explore shelf life testing for your beverage? Schedule your free shelf life testing consultation with one of our lab technicians today.

Learn more about our full service testing facility: The Lab-Powered by BevSource.

Original article was published in Beverage Industry Blog.

The Drifter Pack is inspired by the Drifter community, the group of brand fans who have rallied around Spindrift over the last several years. In true Spindrift spirit, the Drifter Pack is designed to be shared. Each pack bought on drinkspindrift.com is “buy one, gift one free” so the sparkling water tasting experience can be enjoyed together, safely from a distance, with friends and family across the country.

“We hear it all the time: ‘I’m obsessed with Lemon and Grapefruit, but I’ve never tried Strawberry or Half and Half.’ So it’s these curious, loyal fans who inspired us to create the Drifter Pack. This is a fun way for fans to try and share all our flavors while helping them discover a few new favorites,” shared Bill Creelman, founder and CEO of Spindrift.

To enhance the fun of trying all 11 different flavors, each Drifter Pack is equipped with a tasting guide to prompt discussion and considerations of aroma, color, tasting notes, mouthfeel and overall flavor. Spindrift hopes fans will share their flavor feedback so they can incorporate these opinions and learn from fans as the brand continues to innovate.

It may be ambitious to drink all 12 cans in a day (of course, it has been done), but once taste testers have sampled them all and found their favorites, Spindrift wants to hear about it. Share a photo with your favorite flavor, and tag @drinkspindrift on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Add the tag #DrifterFam to be entered to win a three-month supply of your favorite Spindrift flavor(s). Starting in August, three lucky winners will be randomly selected each month until December 31, 2020.

Source: Spindrift

Teaming with NuZee, Golden Ratio is poised to disrupt the coffee category with a craft beverage that—true to its name—is golden. By roasting its beans at lower temperatures and for a longer period of time, Golden Ratio created “gold coffee,” which tastes like tea while having the caffeine kick you expect from coffee. This new coffee is also five times less acidic than regular coffee and can easily be brewed hot or cold thanks to the tea bag style format provided by NuZee. Its luxuriously smooth flavor is keto-friendly with zero sugar or additives.

At launch, Golden Ratio is offering two flavored varieties, Vanilla Coconut and Chai Spiced, as well as an original flavor designed with intermittent fasters in mind. Vanilla Coconut is blended with natural vanilla flavors and toasted coconut for a subtle sweetness and smooth finish. Chai is blended with traditional flavors like cardamom, cinnamon, allspice and ginger for a cup of comfort that’s familiar and refreshing. Original has a very subtle, nutty flavor that’s easy on taste buds and digestion, particularly important to those who morning fast or are looking for a gentler coffee that still provides ample caffeine.

“Golden Ratio sought to create the ideal balance between flavor, convenience and sustainability,” said Clark Nowlin, Co-Founder and CEO of Golden Ratio. “NuZee was the perfect partner to help us accomplish this with eco-friendly, single-serve coffee pouches. We are excited to continue working together to help our customers start their day the Golden way.”

According to a recent Nielsen survey, 48% of Americans are looking to change their consumption habits to reduce their impact on the environment. Meanwhile, demand for single serve coffee, which tends to come in unnecessary single-use plastic pods, is booming. NuZee, the largest U.S. co-packer of alternative single serve coffee formats serves brands that cater to environmentally-conscious customers who also prioritize convenience.

“Now more than ever we are committed to supporting independent coffee roasters like Golden Ratio in their quest to bring eco-friendly and flavorful brews to coffee lovers,” said Travis Gorney, NuZee Chief Marketing Officer. “Manufactured at our production facility in Vista, California, we grind the beans to our partners’ specifications and offer scalable options for small and large coffee roasters and brands.”

Source: NuZee, Inc.

It comes as Diageo announces that it has launched a new partnership with Pilot Lite, a venture management company, to launch Pulpex Limited, a new world-leading sustainable packaging technology company. To ensure that the technology can be used in every area of life, Pulpex Limited has established a partner consortium of world leading FMCG companies in non-competing categories including Unilever, and PepsiCo, with further partners expected to be announced later in the year. The consortium partners are each expecting to launch their own branded paper bottles, based on Pulpex Limited’s design and technology, in 2021.

Pulpex Limited has developed a ‘first-of-its-kind’ scalable paper-based bottle designed and developed to be 100% plastic free and expected to be fully recyclable. The bottle is made from sustainably sourced pulp to meet food-safe standards and will be fully recyclable in standard waste streams.  The technology will allow brands to rethink their packaging designs, or move existing designs into paper, whilst not compromising on the existing quality of the product.

Ewan Andrew, Chief Sustainability Officer, Diageo PLC, said: “We’re proud to have created this world first. We are constantly striving to push the boundaries within sustainable packaging and this bottle has the potential to be truly ground-breaking. It feels fitting that we should launch it with Johnnie Walker, a brand that has often led the way in innovation throughout its 200 years existence.”

Pulpex Limited’s technology allows it to produce a variety of plastic-free, single mould bottles that can be used across a range of consumer goods. The packaging has been designed to contain a variety of liquid products and will form part of Diageo’s commitment towards Goal 12 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’.

Richard Slater, Chief R&D Officer, Unilever, said: “We believe in tackling plastic waste through innovation and collaboration. We are going to halve our use of virgin plastic at Unilever, reducing our use of plastic packaging by more than 100,000 tonnes in the next five years. Joining forces to develop and test paper bottles is an incredibly exciting step forward, and we’re delighted to be working together to tackle one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time.”

Simon Lowden, Chief Sustainability Officer, PepsiCo, said: “Innovative solutions and partnerships are critical to driving meaningful progress toward a circular economy. The Pulpex consortium is well positioned to deliver sustainable packaging at scale and across industries, having impact beyond what any organization could achieve alone. We’re proud to be a part of it.”

Sandy Westwater, Director, Pilot Lite said, “We’re thrilled to be working with global brand leaders in this consortium. By working together, we can use the collective power of the brands to help minimise the environmental footprint of packaging by changing manufacturing and consumer behaviours.”

Source: Diageo Plc

Bold and balanced, this 11-year-old whisky was bottled in Fall 2008 and offers tantalizing notes of pecan, maple syrup and dried apple. At 100 proof (50% ABV), this release of George Dickel Bottled in Bond is best enjoyed slowly neat or on the rocks and plays well in many classic cocktails like an Old Fashioned or Perfect Manhattan.

“Bottled in Bond whiskies have always been one of my favorite categories because you know exactly what you’re getting when you pick up a bottle,” said Austin. “Our team continues to make great whisky that’s reflective of the values we feel are most important, and I’m proud to share this year’s vintage of George Dickel Bottled in Bond with everyone. Like last year’s release, this bottling is a bold, complex spirit that shares the classic nutty, fruity and waxy characteristics that are expected from mature George Dickel whiskies.”

George Dickel Bottled in Bond has a mash bill of 84% corn, 8% rye and 8% malted barley. It is chill charcoal mellowed like the rest of the George Dickel Tennessee Whisky portfolio, which helps it get that smooth and creamy mouthfeel for which the brand is best known.

Beginning this month, the new George Dickel Bottled in Bond will be available in select markets across the nation for consumers to purchase at retail or order directly to their homes for a suggested retail price of $39.99.

As with all the whiskies in the George Dickel family, your friends at Cascade Hollow encourage you to sip this new offering the same way it’s made – slowly and responsibly.