How We Classify Botanical Beverages

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How We Classify Botanical Beverages

Composed by Benjamin Kelly

Everything But Coffee (EBC) is often understood as the 'ancillary' that sits beside coffee on the café menu, or the non-alcoholic options in a restaurant.

We see it a little differently.

To us, EBC is a flavour-first, whole-plant approach to beverage design.

It borrows as much from the chef, winemaker as it does from a coffee roaster. It's about building drinks with flavour, texture and complexity using leaves, flowers, roots, bark, fruits, seeds and stems.

This way of thinking has become more relevant than ever.

Consumers are drinking less alcohol and looking beyond traditional coffee. Together, these shifts are driving a movement towards the space in the middle, where botanical beverages are increasingly created for café signatures, non-alcoholic alternatives and food-led dining.

That is why we developed our own internal Classification Framework. It brings structure to the category and guides how we design new drinks and shape beverage programs for our hospitality partners.

The framework consists of five interconnected layers that apply to every botanical beverage:

Plant: Botanical parts used
Form: Physical form
Recipe: Recipe architecture
Extraction: Extraction method
Service: Point of service

Note: This framework focuses on classification. Other areas of beverage development, such as production, sensory and manufacturing, sit alongside it.

From here, we'll walk through four examples to demonstrate how the framework works in practice:

1. Sencha Tea 2. Masala Chai 3. Matcha Latte 4. Bottled Non Alc - Wine Alternative

Example 1. Sencha Tea

Designed to showcase a single leaf tea exactly as it was grown and crafted at origin.

2. Sticky Spice Chai

Designed to build layers of flavour and texture through whole botanicals, fresh ginger and honey.

Example 3. Matcha Latte

Designed to deliver balance, body and depth in milk through a blend of carefully selected matchas and panela.

Example 4. Non Alc - Wine Alternative

Designed to replicate the body, structure and length of wine without alcohol, using botanicals and techniques borrowed from cookery.

At Somage, this is how we think about botanical beverages.

The framework guides how we classify and design, from origin to factory to service. It's the foundation we use to explore what's possible with whole plant thinking.