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Coffee so cold it's hot: South Korea's love of iced Americano
The humble coffee -- shots of espresso served over ice, topped up with water -- has become South Korea's unofficial national drink, outselling its hot counterpart even during the depths of winter, Starbucks data shows.
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This picture taken on January 26, 2023 shows office worker Lee Ju-eun holding an iced Americano during an interview with AFP on a street in Seoul. K-pop stars BTS drink it. It appears in K-dramas. Fans are so dedicated to consuming it year-round they've coined a new South Korean proverb: “even if I freeze to death, iced Americano!“
(AFP /Jung Yeon-je)
K
-pop stars BTS drink it. It appears in K-dramas. Fans are so dedicated to consuming it year-round they've coined a new South Korean proverb: "Even if I freeze to death, iced Americano!"
The humble coffee -- shots of espresso served over ice, topped up with water -- has become South Korea's unofficial national drink, outselling its hot counterpart even during the depths of winter, Starbucks data shows.
Office worker Lee Ju-eun, clad in an ankle-length puffer jacket, shivered on the pavement in downtown Seoul as she clutched her iced coffee during a polar Vortex cold snap in January, when temperatures hit minus 17 degrees Celsius (1.4 degrees Fahrenheit).
"I only drink this. Iced Americano is easier to drink and also tastier, so I enjoy drinking it even in winter," she told AFP, gingerly holding the edge of her frozen plastic cup.
"I'm cold but it's okay. I can endure it," she said.
Accountant Lee Dae-hee told AFP he drank iced Americanos exclusively because it was a faster and more efficient caffeine hit, essential in South Korea's hard-driving "ppalli-ppalli" -- hurry-hurry -- work culture.
"I quickly drink iced Americano to wake up and work," Lee said as he tried to shield his large cup of coffee from the driving snow while rushing back to his office after lunch.
