Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 28
Food Brands Push $28 Forest Cocktails as Juniper, Pine and Spruce Tip Flavors Spread
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 28

Food Brands Push $28 Forest Cocktails as Juniper, Pine and Spruce Tip Flavors Spread

1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 28

Summary

  • Juniper, pine and spruce tips are moving into mainstream U.S. food and drink, from Knoxville’s Smoky Mountain Latte to Manhattan’s $28 Forest Old Fashioned.
  • Torani named Forest Pine its flavor of the year, while chains such as Sweetgreen have added “foraged” language as companies test more outdoor-inspired, botanical and earthy tastes.
  • PepsiCo says it is tracking the shift closely, though it has no immediate plan to launch wild-mushroom Lay’s in the U.S. despite those flavors’ popularity in Europe and Asia.
  • The trend marks a turn from recent food crazes built around international flavors, tropical fruits, Gen Z bakery-style treats and sweet-spicy combinations like hot honey.

Insights

Why are Americans suddenly ditching sweet treats for expensive cocktails and lattes that taste like pine needles and tree bark?
Could the booming corporate demand for foraged forest flavors accidentally trigger an ecological crisis in our natural woodlands?