"Can't Give Up Ice Even When It's Cold"... 6 Out of 10 People Order Iced Drinks in Winter

Foreign Media: "Korea Even Consumes Caffeine Quickly"

It was found that so-called 'Eoljuka', people who seek iced beverages even in freezing weather, account for 60% of the entire market.

Coffee specialty store Starbucks announced on the 26th that the proportion of iced beverage sales has steadily increased domestically, making up about 3 out of 4 drinks.

According to Starbucks Korea, from the beginning of this year until this month (as of the 23rd), the proportion of iced beverage sales at Starbucks stores in Korea reached 77% of the total.

Even looking only at winter, the majority is over half. From November to February of the following year, the proportion of iced beverages reached 61%. This means the 'Eoljuka' faction far exceeds half.

Looking at monthly sales this year, even in January, when the cold is at its peak, the proportion of iced beverages exceeded half at 57%, and in February it was even higher at 64%.

During summer from June to August, the proportion of iced beverage sales is overwhelmingly high at 87?89%.

Ten years ago, even when looking at the entire year, the proportion of iced beverages at Starbucks was below half.

Then in 2015, the proportions of cold and hot beverages reversed to 51% and 49%, respectively. Since then, the proportion of iced beverages has steadily increased, rising to 74% last year.

Iced beverages are preferred by younger generations. A barista at a Starbucks store explained, “Customers in their 20s definitely order a lot of iced beverages, while those in their 50s and 60s and older tend to order hot beverages.”

"Eoljuka Love, A Facet of Korea's 'Ppalli Ppalli' Culture"

The love for Eoljuka among Koreans has already attracted foreign media attention. Earlier this year, AFP reported, “Koreans drink ‘iced Americano’ even in the bitter cold of winter,” expressing this phenomenon with the word ‘Eoljuka,’ and explained it as “a new Korean proverb meaning that one would rather freeze to death than give up iced Americano.”

As the popularity of Korean dramas and K-pop rises, it has become known abroad that Koreans enjoy drinking iced Americano.

AFP introduced Koreans’ statement that “drinking cold coffee is to consume caffeine faster,” linking Koreans’ preference for cold beverages to the ‘Ppalli Ppalli’ (hurry hurry) culture.