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804) recorded in his Book of Tea, in the past, tea was John tells us his three common ways to make tea-flavored ice cream:
cooked with spring onions, gingers, dates, orange peels, č ĎUsing grinded tea powder
dogwood and mint in porridge. The flavors of the tea leaf č ĎConcentrated sauce made from strong tea
č ĎCooking the tea directly in ice cream syrup.
itself could enrich the aroma of the food. Both tea and
ice cream have extensive possibilities, and maybe the
market can tell us if the infusion is possible.

From Menu to Market

In recent years, tea drink stores, cafes and tea leaf
businesses have jumped into the ice cream market, and
the realm has been important for the tea drink, the coffee
and even the traditional catering industry.
“Ice cream is a popular dessert for both young and Photo / Matt & Ella
old. It’s a good fit for those big names to do advertising
and get into the new market. For example, the prestige
alcohol brand Moutai made ice cream to cultivate or look
for a new customer base. All in all, both the industry and
consumers are happy to see more resources dumped into
the ice cream realm,” says John.
When consumers discover tea-flavored ice cream in
such a trusted environment, this high-quality product
experience will spark their interest in the delicacy. They
may pay more attention to related products and gradual-
ly develop a consumption habit.
However, most of such tea-flavored ice creams are
only available in summer, though a few brands do sell
pre-packaged products in their stores. “If Gelato’s char-
acter and flavor are not displayed in an offline scenario,
it would not be possible to create a natural, fresh expe-
rience. An offline scenario is very important to trigger
more consumer interest,” says Nico. As for the absence
of big brands dedicated to tea-flavored ice cream, he
believes it is because “ice cream is still taken as a season-
al product”. “Many coffee and tea brands add tea-flavored
When Italian Gelato, an emblem of natural princi- ice cream to enrich their seasonal menu. They do not
ple, meets tea, a synonym of health, the dual interna- invest in a separate product line.”
tional flavors crash to present a cold savor of the usual- The growing tea-flavored ice cream realm also nur-
ly hot drink. This rightly echoes with “Amplified tured the tea market.
Experiences”, one of the 2022 Top 10 Food and Beverage Just like many tea and coffee brands taking tea-fla-
Trends put forward by Innova Market Insights, an in- vored ice cream as a side line, Ice Kirin Bar also has tea
dustry data supplier. as one of its side lines. John tells us that it is a part of the
Since the pandemic has driven customers to a health- branding, an intention to tell customers that they use
ier lifestyle, it is welcome that tea has crowned ice cream good ingredients while offering a place to buy tea for
with a healthy halo. Symrise once said that customers those who get interested. “After trying our tea-flavored
have been more discreet with products good for health, ice cream, many customers bought related tea leaves or
which triggers tea to show up in multiple foods, rather tea powders. After all, ice cream is more attractive to the
than simply being a drink. young generation than tea. Once they have tried the ice
Can tea go well with ice cream? Actually, tea has cream and found themselves fond of the flavor, they may
been added into food since long ago; it is a tradition in get curious in learning and exploring more about tea, and
China to “eat tea”. For example, as Master Lu Yu (733- naturally fall in love with tea.”

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