In recent years, the food and beverage (F&B) industry, both globally and in Indonesia, has experienced a visual explosion. One of its main stars is the butterfly pea flower. This deep blue beverage has taken over social media, becoming a trendy and highly Instagrammable ingredient. Every cafe and restaurant is racing to present drink creations with this captivating blue color.
However, this visual popularity often masks a more critical question for product developers: What does butterfly pea actually taste like?
For F&B companies looking to innovate, understanding the characteristics of this flavor is key. It’s not just about the color, but about how this flavor can function in a product formulation, especially for the tea category.
Dissecting the Butterfly Pea Flavor Profile
Relying on visuals alone, many assume butterfly pea has a strong berry or floral taste. The reality is very different.
The butterfly pea flavor profile is fundamentally very subtle. Upon tasting, its main character tends to be earthy, with a slight touch of woody or soil-like notes (in a positive sense, like green notes). There is also a very faint floral trace, almost a whisper, that is only noticeable at the finish.
The most prominent characteristic is: its flavor is not dominant.
For a flavorist or R&D team, this is good news. This neutral and non-dominant flavor profile makes butterfly pea a versatile canvas. It will not “fight” with other flavors intended to be the star. Instead, butterfly pea flavor gives room for the main flavor to shine, while still contributing its invaluable visual function.
The Visual Magic: A Key Functional Asset
The primary function of butterfly pea in beverage products indeed lies in its visual appeal. First is its natural deep blue color. Amidst consumer demand for natural colorants, butterfly pea offers a brilliant solution.
Second, and most interesting, is its pH-sensitive nature. This is the “magical” feature that makes it interactive. When butterfly pea flavor is combined with an acidic ingredient (such as lemon, lime, or citric acid), its color changes dramatically from deep blue to bright purple or pink.
This feature is not just a visual gimmick, but an experience (RTE/Ready-to-Experience) that can be marketed to consumers, especially for RTD tea products or syrups for food service.
Flavor Pairing Guide for Tea Applications
Given its neutral profile, butterfly pea flavor is very flexible. Here are several combination guides that have proven successful for the tea product category:
1. Classic Combinations (Color Trigger): Citrus
This is the most popular combination. Flavors like Lemon, Lime, and Kaffir Lime not only provide a freshness that contrasts with the earthy notes of the telang, but also serve as the color-change activator. This creates a tea product that is refreshing in taste and visually interactive.
2. Herbal & Spice Combinations
To create a more complex aromatic dimension, butterfly pea flavor pairs perfectly with herbs or spices.
- Herbal: Lemongrass and Mint flavors provide a cool and relaxing sensation. Lemongrass, in particular, balances the earthy notes of butterfly pea very well.
- Spice: Ginger or Cinnamon flavors provide warmth. This combination is ideal for functional tea products targeting health or warming benefits.
3. Fruit Combinations
The neutral profile of butterfly pea serves as the perfect backdrop for bright, fruity flavors.
- Tropical Fruits: Lychee, Mango, or Pineapple flavors provide an exotic and juicy sweetness. Lychee, in particular, is often a star due to its soft yet fragrant profile.
- Berries: Strawberry or Raspberry flavors add a pleasant sweet-tart touch, creating a bolder flavor profile.
4. Other Floral Combinations
To enhance the subtle floral aroma already present in butterfly pea, consider combining it with other floral flavors. Flavors like Rose, Jasmine, or Elderflower can lift the bouquet, resulting in a very premium and elegant tea product.
Raw Material Challenges vs. Flavor Solutions
Using dried butterfly pea flowers directly in large-scale production has its challenges. Consistency of color, flavor profile, and stability during heating processes (pasteurization) often becomes a problem. Natural raw materials can vary greatly between batches and harvest seasons.
This is where the role of a flavor company becomes crucial.
An experienced flavor manufacturer can overcome these challenges. By using a precisely formulated butterfly pea flavor, F&B producers gain several advantages:
- Consistency: A uniform deep blue color and flavor profile in every production batch.
- Stability: Flavors are designed to withstand production processes, ensuring that color and taste remain consistent.
- Efficiency: Reducing supply chain complexities and the handling of raw materials.
Working with Falmont, as a leading flavor manufacturer in Asia, opens up access for R&D teams to obtain butterfly pea flavors that are not only authentic but also functional. This enables the creation of innovative tea products that are stable, consistent, and captivate the market.