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Korean instant coffee

Published: 2026-07-17 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/07/17, A few days ago, I read a report in South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper that rice, which has been the top seller in South Korean supermarkets, was overtaken by instant coffee this year.

A few days ago, I read a report in South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper that rice, which has been the top seller in South Korean supermarkets, was overtaken by instant coffee this year.

New World easy to buy said on December 6 that it analyzed the sales rankings of 2874 items sold in 126 easy to buy supermarkets across the country from January to November this year, and the results showed that instant coffee rose from third last year to first this year. In contrast, rice, which had previously topped the list of easy-to-buy sales, fell to third place this year because of the spread of dining out culture and increased consumption of alternative foods such as bread and instant noodles. Bagged instant noodles remain in second place as they did last year.

South Korea does not produce a single coffee bean, but it is one of the countries that drink the most coffee in the world, ranking 13th in the world as a coffee consumer. They import 80,000 tons of coffee a year, 90% to 95% of which is used to make instant coffee.

Instant coffee has been closely related to the life of Koreans and can be said to be the national drink of South Korea. They are used to drinking coffee after dinner, and the most common words when meeting each other are either "have a cup of soju together" or "have a cup of coffee together". Instant coffee vending machines can be found everywhere in subways, shops, schools and roadsides, and you can drink a cup of hot coffee for 200 won (1 yuan).

Korean instant coffee is sweeter and has more flavors such as cappuccino, vanilla, hazelnut and other seasoned instant coffee. And another difference is that Koreans usually drink instant coffee with only 80-100 C.C., which is half of the standard of 150-180 CC in other countries. Interesting!

Maxim Korea's most popular instant coffee brand

Instant coffee vending machines can be seen everywhere

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