Starbucks customers in Korea prefer iced drinks even in winter

A barista at Starbucks serves iced drinks. (Starbucks Korea)

Seven out of 10 Starbucks users in South Korea ordered iced drinks this year, the coffee chain said Thursday, with their craving for iced coffee and tea showing little sign of abating despite cold wave alerts more recently.

According to a big data analysis by Starbucks Korea, purchases of iced drinks made up 76 percent of all Starbucks sales this year, a 12 percentage point growth from last year’s 64 percent.

Even during the winter season between November 2021 and February 2022, the portion of iced drinks hovered at over 60 percent, the study found.

Adding to the bestselling iced Americano, its new tea lineup is gaining popularity among younger generations to drive up overall sales of iced drinks, the company said.

Sales of its flagship tea products, such as Iced Yuzu Mint Tea, Iced Grapefruit Honey Black Tea and Aurora Chamomile Relaxer, posted 10 to 60 percent growth on-year in November.

Its popular iced coffee menu item Vanilla Cream Cold Brew also saw a 40 percent jump in sales, being one of the top sellers.

“Among the MZ generation (millennials and Generation Z), there is a growing craving for iced drinks, especially our tea drinks that are both healthy and tasty,” said Lee Jung-hwa, a Starbucks official said. “We will continue to develop iced drinks to cater to customer demand even in winter.”