Top trends

Alternative brewing methods

Consumers are getting more adventurous with their coffee orders, evidenced by the growing popularity of alternative brewing methods. Coffee Planet’s Jones elaborates: “One of the most notable trends aside from speciality grade coffee, is the increased demand for freshly-roasted coffee as well as cold brew and nitro coffees. This is great for us, as we roast and pack our own coffee in Dubai, which also allows us to quickly adapt to any prominent coffee needs, such as the current strong appetite for unique single origin and microlot coffees. Cold brew is suited to speciality coffee as it emphasises the delicate nuances and aromas of the bean and we expect to see this type of coffee continue to grow in popularity. Another trend worth mentioning is the rise in demand for alternative brewing methods. Exploring brewing gadgets creates new ways to enjoy speciality coffee as it emphasises distinctions in taste from gadget to gadget.

Kerr says Mokha 1450 Coffee Boutique currently offers more than seven brewing methods, ranging from the Cezve/Ibrik or sand burner commonly called the Turkish method — “the original method of preparing coffee that was pioneered here in the Middle East hundreds of years ago” — to the siphon, aeroPress, and chemex, to name a few. “A number of cafés have begun to increase their brewing options and there are a number of very new and interesting brewing gadgets coming on line and a lot of cafés are experimenting with them,” he adds.

Filter coffee

Siddle from Melitta Professional Coffee Solutions says filter coffee is “always a little bit of a fashion statement within coffee houses” and, across Europe, filter coffee is developing, as it allows for speciality drinks to be served whilst not affecting the core products from an operational perspective.

He continues: “The US and Far East markets have always been led by filter/drip coffee. Flavoured and multiple varieties of decaf are served in this format.”

Alkuino from La Marquise agrees that various types of filter coffee preparation is a trend, and says: “You can choose from pour over, immersion, vacuum and, don’t forget, cold drip where coffees are steeping for more than eight hours to create light and fruity flavours.”

Dietary changes

Dietary concerns and the ‘free-from’ movement are becoming increasingly important for suppliers and operators to take into account. “Away from taste, and driven by dietary needs, soya milk and other less lactose-based products are rightly becoming much more mainstream and the market is beginning to adapt flavours to accommodate,” says Siddle.

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