Per Person 50,000 Won 'Tea Omakase' Sought by 2030s... "It's Cheaper Than Sushi Omakase" [Cheongchun Report]

The 'Healthy Pleasure' Trend for Enjoying Nutritious Food
Growing Interest in 'Tea Omakase' at 40,000-50,000 KRW per Person
Decaf Coffee Gains Popularity Following Tea

Recently, the number of people in their 20s and 30s seeking tea instead of coffee is increasing. They actively enjoy tea by visiting 'tea omakase' venues where they can enjoy various types of tea along with simple snacks, or by participating in 'tea classes' where they can brew tea themselves. This trend appears to be related to the current movement toward seeking healthier food options.

'Healthy Pleasure' Craze Sparks Increased Interest in Tea (茶)

[Image source=Pixabay]

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more people have become interested in health management, leading to the rise of the 'Healthy Pleasure' trend. Healthy Pleasure refers to enjoying the taste of food while happily managing health. Consuming 'zero drinks' with low calories or sugar is also considered part of this trend.

Riding this wave, tea has started to gain attention. Previously, tea was more familiar to middle-aged and older generations than to young people. Tea requires many tools and has a complicated preparation method. Also, since brewing tea takes time, it attracted less interest from young people compared to easily accessible carbonated drinks or coffee. However, as awareness about excessive sugar and caffeine intake has increased, tea has begun to gain popularity.

In fact, searching the hashtag '#teacafe' on Instagram yields over 74,000 posts. Posts related to '#dado' (traditional tea ceremony) number over 127,000. Earlier, Jungkook, a member of BTS, also revealed that he drinks kombucha, which became a hot topic. Kombucha is a type of fermented tea made by fermenting sweetened green or black tea with beneficial bacteria.

Tea Culture Enjoyed by MZ Generation... Tea Omakase and Dado Experiences Popular

[Image source=Pixabay]

As interest in tea grows, the popularity of 'tea omakase' is also rising. Omakase is a Japanese term meaning 'to entrust,' referring to a course meal served as the chef chooses. Tea omakase features a variety of teas and traditional sweets at an average price of 40,000 to 50,000 KRW per person. Compared to meal omakase, which can cost tens of thousands of KRW or more, the relatively affordable price is one of the reasons for tea omakase's popularity.

The traditional tea ceremony experience, dado, which involves brewing and drinking tea according to etiquette, is also gaining attention. In the past, dado experiences were considered mainly for foreign tourists, but among young people, it is now appreciated as a 'healing method.' This is because the process of brewing tea brings mental peace.

In response to this trend, domestic coffee franchises are seeing increased popularity in tea-based beverages rather than coffee. Ediya Coffee announced that from October 18 to 31 last year, sales of tea products surged by 40% compared to the same period the previous year. Sales of traditional teas such as ginger tea and Ssanghwa tea rose by 78%, showing the highest growth rate, while sales of 'blending tea' products, which combine herbs and sweet-and-sour fruit syrups to offer various flavors, increased by 22%.

Wave of Change in Coffee Market... Demand for Decaffeinated Coffee Rises Following Tea

A commuter is drinking warm coffee on the way to work in Sogong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

Meanwhile, South Korea is one of the countries where adults consume a lot of coffee, with an average of over 400 cups per person per year. However, as the Healthy Pleasure trend spreads, demand for tea and decaffeinated coffee is increasing, bringing changes to the once-solid coffee market. Decaffeinated coffee removes more than 90% of the caffeine found in regular coffee. Typically, a cup of decaffeinated coffee contains less than 10 mg of caffeine. Starbucks, the first major coffee chain in Korea to introduce decaffeinated beans, saw its decaffeinated coffee sales increase more than fourfold, from 6 million cups in 2018 to 25 million cups last year.