Green Dance—Back-to-school beverage trend (part 2)
As an artistic person, Alex Tran used to major in Graphic Design. Once he happened to watch a few videos of foreign baristas and bartenders’ performances and became interested in the discipline.
“After that, I decided to switch from Graphic Design to Beverage Preparation,” he said. “Immersing myself in the field, I gained more experience and became very interested. Gradually it has turned into a passion.”
To Alex, beverage preparation is an art that requires endless researching, learning and practicing. Each barista needs to always keep himself updated, creative and ever-thinking. Otherwise, he will fall behind and his skills will decline, he said.
“I love talking about food and beverages and my passion for the industry,” he said. “When talking about this topic, I can go on and on without feeling tired.”
Performing the recipes Peach Pudding Ice Blended and Green Dance in the first free Beverage Preparation class by Rich’s in My Tho city, Alex uses some of his “special” ingredients that bring a gracious smell and taste to the final product. One of these ingredients is Mango Pudding.
Glancing at the Peach Pudding Ice Blended and Green Dance glasses, one may not guess its main ingredient is actually mango pudding. But why mango when we already have peaches and green apples in the two mixes?
The current trend is “food in beverage.” An example is bubble tea served with tapioca pearls. Alex and his colleagues from Rich’s have come up with recipes that follow this trend, but instead of pearls, they use fruits.
The use of mango pudding helps make the “food” in the beverage chewy and tough—a fun experience for the users, who are mostly teenagers. At the same time, it also eases down the acridness of apples and prolongs the good taste of the drink.
Different from the tapioca pearls on the market that may not meet the food safety standards, Rich’s mango pudding has received certifications of ISO, HACCP & HALAL, fulfilling all of the requirements of a quality ingredient.
After finishing the ice blended mix, Alex makes a dollop on top of the Peach Pudding Ice Blended glass. He says a mistake rookies often make is piping the whipped cream in a circle movement, accidentally pressing the cream, which is wasteful and makes the dollop look collapsed.
Alex takes the iSi bottle and makes a dollop for his students to observe. He pipes the cream in a spiral movement (instead of a circle movement), which makes the dollop look taller and fuller but is actually a more economical way to do it.
The Peach Pudding Ice Blended glass has moderate sourness and sweetness that taste just right. From the look to the flavor, it brings a tropical feel. The coolness from the blended ice penetrates through the throat, making this drink an even more ideal treat for hot days.
The Green Dance glass wins over everyone’s hearts with its look and taste. It gives the image of a light green island floating gently in an ocean of transparent tea. The good smell of Jasmine tea hits the nasal cavity and travels down the throat. When one breathes out, the good smell also comes along.
If Milk foam tea in part one is a recipe created to keep up with the trend, then Green Dance is a recipe created to initiate a trend. It is an innovation by one of Rich’s baristas and Alex’s students are the first to learn it.
“The most important thing to me is after each class or demo, the customers feel happy,” Alex said. “When customers learn interesting things from me and apply them to their businesses, I feel happy as well.”
