Last week I received an email from Lonely Planet, listing their top travel picks, and it got me thinking about my own travelin’ ways. Like many families, the hubby and I are cutting back this year, and traveling is, sadly, on the back burner.

What I’m really going to miss, though, is being able to sample new foods, or even foods that I’ve tried here at home, in their authentic environment. Call me crazy, but the best cup of tea I ever had was in London, the best gyro was in Athens, and the best salpicon in Mexico City.

Enjoying afternoon tea in London...November 2006.

For years, we’ve been saying that consumers are looking for more authentic ethnic flavors, and this year it couldn’t be truer. With more people making the best of the “staycation,” consumers are looking for ways to create exotic experiences in their own homes. Using food to recreate those experiences is not only cheaper than, say redecorating the living room in a Moroccan motif, but it is also attainable for everyone.

Personally, when I feel like reminiscing about Greece, I grab some Wegmans Greek Marinade and tzatziki from their Mediterranean Bar, grill up some chicken, pour the Ouzo, and make a cucumber salad. Those little supermarket helpers certainly make the experience more authentic to me. Having the ability to control the ingredients, adjust them from memory, but still purchase the products that make them unique – it’s a win-win.

Santorini, Greece.....August 2008

For new product developers, especially those interested in ethnic flavor, it’s a good idea to keep up on the latest travel trends. They can really clue you in to future destinations, and possibly future flavor trends. How do you do that? Well, I can’t give away all of my secrets, but I do have one helpful clue. Check out Lonely Planet’s Top 20 Bestsellers for their top selling travel books by destination. And, keep in mind, Lonely Planet serves the global community, not just the North American traveling crowd.

Then, go home, make a Piña Colada, sit in the back yard, and try to imagine that it’s the Caribbean.

It’s Tea-licious!!!

Walking the floor of the Fancy Foods Show, it was obvious that tea has no intention of giving up its crown as the second most consumed beverage in the world (second only to water).

Zhena’s Gypsy Tea featured their Pink Tea for Women’s Health. This line of Super Berry teas combines green tea and hibiscus with acai, pomegranate, cherry and berry blends to satisfy the palate. My personal favorite, however, was the Cacao Berry – a blend of green tea and red tea with raspberries and dark cacao shells. Not too sweet, but not too bitter – and thoroughly enjoyable. This tea not only meets the needs of shoppers looking for superfoods, but it also contains that hard-to-miss hibiscus.

I “Got Lost” at the Republic of Tea booth tasting their line of Be Well Red Teas. With fun names like Get Clean, Get Gorgeous, Get Maternal, Get Happy and Get Smart, this line is an excellent example of the growing beauty and mood food trend. The teas offer a variety of claims from detox, uplifting mood, focus, weight control, clear skin and more.

Blue tea was also on the radar. What, never heard of blue tea? You probably know this nom de plume as oolong. A few years back, our Beverage Applications lab spotted “blue tea” as a potential trend, and we’ve been watching it ever since. With the extreme popularity of green tea, and the growing excitement for white and red teas, it’s only fitting that blue tea get a little love too. A favorite from the show? Ito En’s Oolong Shot was pretty tasty!

Hey Everyone — back today with another installment from the Winter Fancy Foods Show in San Francisco!

Flower Power

There were a number of hibiscus flavored beverages at this year’s Fancy Foods Show. Its presence was subtle, but obvious, which really got me excited about the future of this tasty little flower. From South America, to Asia, to Africa, tropical cultures throughout the world count hibiscus among their signature regional flavors. Even Honest Tea’s Black Forest Berry (a hibiscus and berry blend) is well-known to be a favorite of President Obama. So it was no surprise to see this flavor quietly surfacing at a number of booths, including Ooba, a line of sparkling hibiscus beverages, including original, lime and orange.

Here They Come to Save the Day!

If you’re no fan of straight goji juice (it can be a little astringent), hold on to your hat. Gojilania now offers RTD goji berry blends featuring fellow superheroes acai, pomegranate, mangosteen and blueberry.

Another find at this year’s show was O.N.E.’s Coffee Berry^TM Juice. What’s a coffee berry? It’s the fruit that houses the coffee bean, and is normally discarded. Naturally high in antioxidants, the taste is quite interesting – fruity with a touch of, what else, coffee!

O.N.E. also produces Cashew Juice. Few realize that on the tree, each cashew is attached to a larger fruit, the cashew apple. While not well known here in the U.S.A., juice made from the cashew apple is widely popular in cashew growing regions, including Brazil and Vietnam. But, if you’re expecting this beverage to taste like nut, you couldn’t be more wrong. The taste is sweet and fruity, and loaded with vitamin C.

Olive oil, step aside, there’s a new cat in town. Arette’s Tea Oil is 100% organic, has a higher smoke point than olive oil, and is high in omega-3s, antioxidants and vitamin E. Tea Oil can be used as a replacement for traditional olive oil, and is light and delicious.