Starbucks Korea said on the 12th that sales of tea beverages among customers in their 20s rose about 20% last year from a year earlier. Compared with overall tea beverage sales growth of 8%, the increase among people in their 20s was relatively notable.
Keeping pace with this trend, Starbucks sold about 30 types of tea beverages last year. Among them, the tea beverage most purchased by customers in their 20s was found to be "Grapefruit Honey Black Tea." Grapefruit Honey Black Tea, one of Starbucks' signature drinks marking its 10th anniversary this year, recorded annual sales of about 3 million cups among customers in their 20s. In 2024, Grapefruit Honey Black Tea also became the first tea beverage to surpass cumulative sales of 100 million cups.
Second place went to "Yuja Mint Tea." Third and fourth, buoyed by the popularity of matcha, were "Jeju Matcha Latte" and "Matcha Glazed Tea Latte (season ended)," respectively. Fifth was "Starbucks Classic Milk Tea," which combines richly steeped black tea with smooth milk.
Starbucks projected that demand for teas that can be enjoyed in diverse ways will continue for the time being. Accordingly, it made half of the New Year season beverages launched in January this year tea beverages.
Along with the "Friends Earl Grey Berry Tea Latte," which uses the popular sitcom "Friends" IP from Warner Bros. Television, it newly introduced items such as "Yuja Pear Chamomile Tea."
A Starbucks official said, "We are working to introduce various tea-variation beverages, given that young customers enjoy tea as well as coffee," adding, "From steady sellers like Grapefruit Honey Black Tea to Jeju Matcha Latte, which is gaining popularity with custom recipes, we will strive to ensure customers in their 20s can have a diverse 'tea experience' at Starbucks."