Dong-A Otsuka said on the 10th that sales of its milk tea Dezawa during the college entrance exam season (September to November) over the past three years were about 20% higher than in other periods.
According to Dong-A Otsuka, Dezawa's average sales during the exam season over the past three years (from 2022 to 2024) were about 20% higher than in other periods. In particular, when comparing the highest and lowest monthly sales, the gap exceeded 40% for three consecutive years.
Dezawa is a portmanteau of TEA and JAVA. It means a black tea extract milk tea made with young tea leaves harvested on Java Island in Indonesia. Launched in 1997 as a 240-ml can product, a 500-ml PET bottle was added in 2017. It uses 30% black tea extract, and contains 55 mg of caffeine per 240 ml, making it a coffee alternative.
A Dong-A Otsuka official said, "In an interview conducted when we installed a Dezawa-only vending machine at Seoul National University on May, students cited 'less burden even on an empty stomach' and 'lower caffeine content than an Americano, making it suitable for all-night study' as the main reasons they drink Dezawa," adding, "We support all test-takers and hope their hard work bears fruit."