Starbucks Korea’s tea sales amongst younger consumers up 20% YoY

Grapefruit Honey Black Tea leads demand as tea gains traction.

Starbucks Korea’s sales of its tea beverages amongst customers in their 20s rose by about 20% year on year in 2025.

During the year, the company sold roughly 30 different tea-based drinks.

The most frequently purchased tea beverage amongst consumers in their 20s was Grapefruit Honey Black Tea.

First introduced a decade ago, the drink recorded annual sales of about 3 million cups within this age group.

In 2024, it became the first tea menu item at Starbucks to surpass 100 million cups in cumulative sales.

Yuzu Mint Tea ranked second, followed by Jeju Matcha Latte in third place and Matcha Glazed Tea Latte in fourth. Starbucks Classic Milk Tea came in fifth.

Starbucks expects demand for tea drinks to remain strong amongst younger consumers, who tend to prioritise personal taste preferences.

Reflecting this, tea beverages accounted for half of the New Year seasonal drinks launched in January.

One of them, the Friends Earl Grey Berry Tea Latte, is based on Earl Grey milk tea and blended with a berry sauce made from blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries, and was developed in collaboration with the television series Friends.