Updated : 2018-08-27 17:55
Coffee consumption increasing at the expense of tea
"Would you like a cup of tea?" Serving a cup of hot tea to visitors has long been a tradition in this country, although Koreans are not tea addicts.
The annual per capita tea consumption in Korea is merely 168 grams, far less than that of Turkey, Ireland and Britain ― the world's top three tea-consuming countries.
Despite Korea's relatively low tea consumption, tea drinking has been part of Koreans' daily lives.
Beverage consumption in the past decade, however, has broken the centuries-old tradition.
Coffee conquered Koreans' taste buds. An increase in coffee consumption has come at the expense of tea, pushing tea farmers out of business.