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Market focus
Britain has always been a nation that relies on hot beverages to ease all matter of life stresses and in the current political and financial climate this is a kitchen trend that’s never been more needed! But as industry experts tell PH, professional tools for home use have lifted it far above the realm of simply putting on the kettle.
A little
perk me up Inset: Sage’s STM700 Tea Maker Compact fits effortlessly into any modern kitchen – whatever the space available.
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ou might think that if you’re the type of person who loves a ‘cup of builders’, that the art of creating an expertly brewed tea or coffee at your own kitchen counter wouldn’t be of great culinary interest to you – well guess again. Never has more time or care been being invested in professional-grade tea and coffee making by people from a huge range of backgrounds – be they consumers prepared to pay that little bit more for the
Inset: Barista & Co’s BrewThru design creates a perfect ‘pour over’ coffee via an immersion brew technique.
‘perfect cup’ and premium home-use tools or industry experts who have devoted their professional working life to the trade. The founders of National Tea Day , which takes place each year on 21 April, say that health-conscious drinkers are now ditching traditional brews in favour of ‘wellness teas’ and beverages with health benefits – as well as being prepared to pay top dollar for the right products. But more than this, they also want tea drinking to be an event in itself, with ‘immersive afternoon tea experiences’, along with modernist tea and food pairing menus expected to soar in popularity over the coming year. James Gray, managing director of award-winning company Barista & Co, says he’s found the same thinking to be true when it comes to coffee as well. “We’ve been developing coffee and coffee-related products across our brand since 2013, and bring specialist tools to the mainstream market. Our main aim as a company is to make coffee making and drinking more accessible,” James told PH. PROGRESSIVE
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HOUSEWARES
“I think there are two reasons why coffee is currently such a buzz market. Coffee consumption in coffee shops is still on the increase even in a tough financial climate and quite simply people are prepared to invest money and time into finding out more about good coffee and the associated tools. “I liken it to wine – it’s the attitude of the ‘Jamie Oliver generation’, if you like. We’ve been ahead of the curve when it comes to manual coffee making and that’s a big chunk of the current market.” James continues: “In terms of products, anything that we design has a huge amount of thought go into it and why it’s needed – down to the seemingly most basic measuring spoon.” After scooping the Top Tool or Gadget category at 2018’s Excellence in Housewares Awards, with its Brew It Stick coffee and tea infuser, Barista & Co is looking forward to its OneBrew and BrewThru products making big noise in 2019. OneBrew’s design stemmed from a