Matcha Craze Sweeps Korea — From Cafes to Tteokbokki, Even Seongsimdang Joins In
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
Matcha (finely ground green tea powder) remains a dominant food trend in South Korea through year's end, expanding beyond beverages into bakeries, snacks, and even savory dishes. Driven by health-conscious young consumers who view matcha as high in antioxidants and less harsh than coffee, the ingredient has surged on social media and celebrity posts. Chains and brands rolled out matcha menus: buffet Ashley Queens launched a matcha dessert season boosting dessert-time sales 50%, Daejeon bakery Seongsimdang added a matcha-coated fried soboro (a battered sweet bun) for its 45th anniversary, and major food makers released matcha variants of popular snacks. Unexpected items such as convenience-store matcha highballs and matcha cream tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) show the trend’s reach. Analysts expect the matcha market to keep growing globally as new combinations and products continue to appear.
