Recently, a quirky drink trend has emerged among tourists visiting South Korea: combining banana-flavored milk with hazelnut coffee. While this may sound unusual to most Koreans, it's quickly gaining popularity, thanks to foreign influencers who dubbed it the "Banana Coffee Latte" and shared it widely online. Now, it's even become a must-try item in convenience stores across the country. Interestingly, banana-flavored milk was the most popular item among foreign customers in Korean convenience stores last year. Today, let's dive into this unexpected drink combination and see what all the hype is about.
A Little About Banana-Flavored Milk
Banana-flavored milk is an iconic Korean drink, instantly recognizable for its small, jar-shaped bottle. Originally launched in the 1970s, it's been a beloved staple in Korea for over 50 years. When the product was first developed, the company behind it carefully considered what type of container to use. As it happened, the product development team visited a ceramics fair and drew inspiration from the traditional Korean pottery they saw. That’s how they decided on the now-familiar jar shape, which was made to appeal to Koreans by resonating with familiar shapes from Korean culture.
Despite the unique shape requiring a more complex production process (since the top and bottom parts of the bottle need to be molded separately and then joined), the bottle design became an essential part of the brand identity. For half a century, banana-flavored milk has remained a classic, and it’s now gaining newfound popularity with foreign visitors as well.
How to Make It
If you're curious to try this combo, here's what you'll need:
- One bottle of banana-flavored milk
- One large cup of hazelnut coffee
- An extra-large cup with ice
Instructions:
Simply pour the hazelnut coffee and banana milk into the ice-filled cup in a 7:3 ratio. You can adjust the proportions to suit your taste, but that's the basic formula!
So... How Does It Taste?
Korean YouTubers have given this unique drink combo a try, and their reactions have been pretty surprising. The consensus? Many found the taste to be, well, a bit odd. It seems that this flavor blend might be an acquired taste for the Korean palate! Some people might be intrigued enough to try it, but many say they’d rather stick to the original banana-flavored milk by itself.
Despite the mixed reviews, it’s fascinating to see how this classic Korean drink has been reimagined by international visitors. Recently, Korean TV shows have been featuring creative recipes using convenience store items, inspiring people to try new food combinations. If you're visiting South Korea, why not give this banana coffee trend a shot? It could be a fun and memorable taste test!
