Coffee and Tea: Newest Flavors in Salty Snacks

ARLINGTON, Va. – Salty snacks have provided consumers with a seemingly endless selection of flavors, and now the category is investigating the unique tastes of tea and coffee, according to a new report from consumer research organization Mintel.

Various tea varieties, including matcha, black tea and green tea, are lending their flavors to various food categories, such as nuts, popcorn and rice snacks.

The researchers believe salty snacks provide an excellent base for tea flavors. Already, there are a number of nut, rice and popcorn snacks with matcha flavoring on the market. Mintel believes there is room to experiment beyond this trio of snacks, noting that potato chips are neutral enough to carry tea flavors while fruit snacks go well with tea and spices.

Coffee-inspired flavors—mocha, café au lait, cappuccino and espresso—often are seen in sweet categories, such as cookies or flavored milk. But so far, coffee flavors are not used commonly in salty snacks. Frito Lay tested the concept in 2014 when it introduced cappuccino-flavored potato chips after its “Do Us a Flavor” contest. The cappuccino chips were edged out by kettle-cooked wasabi ginger chips, and the product was discontinued.

Two coffee-flavored snacks being produced today for the U.S. market are Hines Cappuccino Pecans, an LTO pecan product with cappuccino-flavored topping, and Lebby Mocha Chickpea Snacks, which features dry-roasted Mediterranean-style chickpeas enhanced with mocha.

In the U.K., consumers can enjoy Joe & Seph’s Espresso Martini Gourmet Popcorn. The kernels are coated with caramel that has been infused with creamy coffee liqueur, vodka and a shot of espresso.

In addition, Mintel analysts believe coffee flavors would go well with meat snacks, paralleling coffee-scented barbecue sauces. Less aggressive coffee tastes, such as mocha, latte or café au lait, can move beyond nuts and chips to grain-based snacks or snack mixes that include nuts and fruit such as dried orange pieces.