Brown sugar beverages are hottest new fad on coffee shop scene in S. Korea
- 5 years ago
Time now for our "Life & Info" segment... where we focus on information useful for your everyday life whether you are in Korea or somewhere else in the world.
We all crave something sweet from time to time and the sugar rush seems to have hit new heights with the craze over "brown sugar" or "black sugar" beverages.
As delicious as they may be, it's raising concerns that we are consuming too much sugar.
We have our Oh Soo-young in the studio to take a look at this trend,... and to uncover some unsweetened truths about these drink that are taking South Korea by storm.
So Sooyoung, we've seen a surge of "brown or black sugar"-themed menus in coffee shops. They're now available in most cafes and have even made their way into convenience stores.
That's right. Over the summer,... brown, or black sugar has been the flavor of the season.
The original brown sugar latte or tea is said to be from a Taiwanese franchise that launched in Korea earlier this year.
Since then, the rest is history.
Forget mocha frappuccinos and even cold brew coffee, from espresso-based drinks to bubble tea and ice cream, brown or black sugar is, well, the new black.
This has spilled over to confectionary as well.
You can see black-sugar flavored popcorn, cake, flavored milk, and all sorts of snacks in convenience stores now.
Yeah, it's everywhere right now. However, it makes you wonder just how much sugar is in those "brown-sugar" drinks.
Well, it really depends on who's making it. So I compiled a list of brown sugar beverages in popular coffee franchises. The average size of the cup is between 400 to 480 milliliters, and iced.
There are about 35 to 60 grams of sugar in each cup. Which is equal to seven to fifteen teaspoons.
It is certainly more than what we should be consuming. The World Health Organisation recommends that our sugar consumption shouldn't go over ten percent of daily calorie intake.
So for the average adult, based on a daily intake of 2,000 calories?
That would be around 50 grams, which amounts to 200 calories,... or 12 teaspoons.
But the WHO actually says we should aim for 5%. Which would be 6 teaspoons a day.
Doesn't that mean most of the sweetened beverages we have put us over the limit?
Yes, you're right. To give you an example, why don't you pick a drink. From a choice of juice, a regular cafe mocha, soda or an energy drink.
Well, that contains grams of sugar, which amounts to teaspoons.
As you can see, here, most of our favorite beverages like soda, a glass of orange juice in the morning and even vitamin water which sounds healthy puts us over the limit.
That is why with this recent black-sugar rush,... health experts are concerned that we're forgetting about the dangers of consuming too much sugar.
According to health authorities,... those who consume more than the recommended sugar intake have a more than 50 percent higher chance of developing conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and fat around your middle.
"When we chew and digest carbohydrat
We all crave something sweet from time to time and the sugar rush seems to have hit new heights with the craze over "brown sugar" or "black sugar" beverages.
As delicious as they may be, it's raising concerns that we are consuming too much sugar.
We have our Oh Soo-young in the studio to take a look at this trend,... and to uncover some unsweetened truths about these drink that are taking South Korea by storm.
So Sooyoung, we've seen a surge of "brown or black sugar"-themed menus in coffee shops. They're now available in most cafes and have even made their way into convenience stores.
That's right. Over the summer,... brown, or black sugar has been the flavor of the season.
The original brown sugar latte or tea is said to be from a Taiwanese franchise that launched in Korea earlier this year.
Since then, the rest is history.
Forget mocha frappuccinos and even cold brew coffee, from espresso-based drinks to bubble tea and ice cream, brown or black sugar is, well, the new black.
This has spilled over to confectionary as well.
You can see black-sugar flavored popcorn, cake, flavored milk, and all sorts of snacks in convenience stores now.
Yeah, it's everywhere right now. However, it makes you wonder just how much sugar is in those "brown-sugar" drinks.
Well, it really depends on who's making it. So I compiled a list of brown sugar beverages in popular coffee franchises. The average size of the cup is between 400 to 480 milliliters, and iced.
There are about 35 to 60 grams of sugar in each cup. Which is equal to seven to fifteen teaspoons.
It is certainly more than what we should be consuming. The World Health Organisation recommends that our sugar consumption shouldn't go over ten percent of daily calorie intake.
So for the average adult, based on a daily intake of 2,000 calories?
That would be around 50 grams, which amounts to 200 calories,... or 12 teaspoons.
But the WHO actually says we should aim for 5%. Which would be 6 teaspoons a day.
Doesn't that mean most of the sweetened beverages we have put us over the limit?
Yes, you're right. To give you an example, why don't you pick a drink. From a choice of juice, a regular cafe mocha, soda or an energy drink.
Well, that contains grams of sugar, which amounts to teaspoons.
As you can see, here, most of our favorite beverages like soda, a glass of orange juice in the morning and even vitamin water which sounds healthy puts us over the limit.
That is why with this recent black-sugar rush,... health experts are concerned that we're forgetting about the dangers of consuming too much sugar.
According to health authorities,... those who consume more than the recommended sugar intake have a more than 50 percent higher chance of developing conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and fat around your middle.
"When we chew and digest carbohydrat