Per Capita Coffee Consumption in South Korea More Than Twice the Global Average
Drinking Drip Coffee Regularly Significantly Reduces Mortality Risk
Last year, South Korea's coffee import value increased to nearly 2 trillion won.
According to the agricultural food export information website of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation on the 28th, the import amount of coffee (green beans, roasted beans, coffee concentrates, instant coffee) last year was $1.37846 billion (approximately 1.9 trillion won), an 11% increase from the previous year ($1.24217 billion).
The import weight of coffee was 215,838 tons, a 5% increase from the previous year (205,884 tons). The higher rate of increase in value compared to weight is analyzed to be largely due to the rise in coffee bean prices last year.
Due to droughts and heavy rains in Brazil and Vietnam, the world's first and second largest coffee producers, the price of Arabica coffee reached its highest level in about 50 years at the end of last year.
According to Euromonitor, the annual per capita coffee consumption in South Korea was 405 cups in 2023, which is 2.7 times the global average annual per capita coffee consumption of 152 cups.
The Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation analyzed, "In South Korea, coffee is consumed not just as a simple preference food but as a habitual part of daily life, leading to market growth every year."
In fact, research data from around the world showing that coffee is good for health are continuously emerging. Drinking an appropriate amount regularly can slow down muscle loss and extend healthy lifespan.
Drip coffee, in particular, is known to be beneficial for health. In 2020, a research team from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden conducted a study on about 508,000 Norwegian adults aged 20 to 79, finding that regular consumption of drip coffee reduced the risk of death from myocardial infarction by 15%.
The lowest mortality risk was observed when drinking 1 to 4 cups of drip coffee per day, with the risk of death from heart disease reduced by 20% in women and 12% in men. In contrast, regular coffee other than drip coffee showed no such effect. In fact, drinking 9 or more cups of regular coffee per day increased the risk of death from heart disease by 9%.
The hand-drip extraction method using paper filters is known to remove lipid components made of fats. On the other hand, regular coffee has a high natural oil content that raises blood cholesterol levels. In fact, the concentration of lipid-raising substances in drip coffee was found to be about 1/30th that of regular coffee without paper filters.
However, caution is needed as some studies indicate that drinking more than 6 cups may increase the risk of dementia and stroke.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recommends a maximum daily caffeine intake of 400 mg for adults, 300 mg for pregnant women, and 2.5 mg per kg of body weight for children and adolescents. A caffeine intake of 400 mg is roughly equivalent to about 3 cups of Americano sold at a typical cafe.
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