like those in salt grinders, take longer to
dissolve on the tongue, creating a more
intense flavour.
Fleur de sel, flake salts and kosher salts
have a lower density as air is worked in
between the crystals. Collected since
ancient times, fleur de sel has a faint scent
of violets, hence the ‘fleur’ (French for
flower). Cheetham’s flake salts are created
from naturally evaporated sea salts
that are recrystallised under controlled
conditions. Also called snowflake salts,
these salts contain less actual salt by
volume. They look impressive, making
them perfect for low-salt applications and
food presentation where the salt provides
not only taste, but aesthetics!
The latest craze is for Himalayan
Mountain Salt. The only mined salt in
the Cheetham family of products, it is
in high demand from consumers for its
pink colour and health benefits arising
from impurities in the crystals. Normally
presented in flake salt or rock salt form, it
is a huge hit with the Australian cooking
public. “There’s a real push for pink salts,”
explains Mr Speed.
SUBLIME PURITY
Like salt, meeting high expectations is
surprisingly complex for another basic
compound: water. Bonnie Mak, Head of
Marketing and Planning at A S Watson
Industries Ltd, expects every drop will
be savoured and it has to be a consistent
experience for each customer. She explains,
“Water may be the simplest substance
we put in our mouths, but ruthless quality
control ensures Watsons distilled water
gives the same taste experience every time.”
Watsons Water’s simple two-product
approach – pure distilled water and
mineralised water – both start with distilled
water. For the blue bottle mineralised
water, the base soft water has minerals
added. A consistent taste is maintained
through extensive lab testing for pH level,
conductivity and other taste influencers. A
tasting panel composed of staff members
from the Quality Assurance and Quality
Control department also takes part in
tasting the final product on a regular basis.
Even after the product leaves the water
‘factory’, strict regulations on temperature
and the Watsons Water storage lifespan
(a standard shelf life of 18 months) is also
part of ensuring customers get the taste
they expect every time.
JUICY TASTE
A S Watson also produces the Mr Juicy
line. As Hong Kong’s first juice brand,
launched in 1974, it has adapted along
with changing tastes in the local market.
Ms Mak is on top of the changes and
explains that you can’t just change the
formula. “Changing consumer tastes for
more ‘real’ products has seen Mr Juicy
shift production to bring more genuine
fruit taste into the product.” This means
Mr Juicy production needed to be ‘closer
to the source’.
Production lines have had to move with
consumer tastes – from Mainland China to
Thailand in this case. The freshness of the
juice needs to be preserved, along with its
nutrient content. Longer travel times have
required investment in advanced aseptic
filling technology to deliver superior taste,
to maintain nutrient levels and to eliminate
the need for preservatives.
Changing tastes and preferences are
also driving the development of vitamin-
enriched, low-sugar products for children
TASTE OF CK HUTCHISON
SPHERE
#41
2016
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