Japan whisks matcha, China steeps tea leaves — then it's Korea's turn for coffee

A comic lines up how Japan and China make their tea, then gets to how Koreans actually make their coffee.

Source & context
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● Anyone gets itFoodCulture shockHow much Korea-context this story assumes. English translations and context by Klore.
Korean community post, image 1: Japan whisks matcha, China steeps loose tea leaves — Korea just rips open an instant coffee-mix stick, dump…
English translation
Japan whisks matcha, China steeps loose tea leaves — Korea just rips open an instant coffee-mix stick, dumps it in hot water, then stirs with the empty wrapper itself.

일본: 말차를 젓는 고양이, 중국: 찻잎을 우린 차를 마시는 캐릭터, 한국: 커피믹스를 넣고 끓는 물을 붓는 모습, 마지막에 커피믹스 봉지로 커피를 젓는 모습을 보고 경악하는 캐릭터들

💡 Wait, they stir their coffee with the trash?
'Coffee mix' sticks (premixed instant coffee, sugar, and creamer) are a Korean staple, and folding the empty stick to stir instead of grabbing a spoon is a beloved, slightly gross national habit.vs. the US: like ripping open a sugar packet and using the paper itself to stir your drip coffee instead of a spoon.Klore note

What Koreans said

11 top comments on the original thread, translated
  1. 54 upvotes on the original thread
    Anon· on the original thread

    I thought Korea's thing was fruit syrup tea but turns out we've got glorious mix coffee instead.

    한국은 '청' 이라고 생각했는데 훌륭한 믹스커피가 있었구나…

  2. 36 upvotes on the original thread
    Anon· on the original thread

    China doesn't really use teabags much.

    중국은 티백 잘 안쓰더라

  3. 33 upvotes on the original thread
    Anon· on the original thread

    Korea used to drink grain tea, but once coffee showed up everyone switched over. It's not just about water quality.

    한국도 예전에 곡물차 마셨다가, 커피가 나오면서 다 그쪽으로 갔음. 단순히 수질 이슈가 아님.

Read all 11 translated repliesShow fewer replies
  1. 21 upvotes on the original thread
    Anon· on the original thread

    That's not fancy tea ceremony stuff, it's just dried and ground tea leaves — literally the origin of the powder in our regular teabags.

    저런차도가 아니라 찻잎을 저렇게 말려서 빻은게 우리가보통 먹는티벡에 들어가는 그 가루의 원본이 중국에서 먹는거야

  2. 18 upvotes on the original thread
    Anon· on the original thread

    Maxim if you want it hot, iced Americano if you want it cold. That's basically the whole system.

    따뜻하게 마실거면 맥심 차갑게 먹을거면 아아

  3. 12 upvotes on the original thread
    Anon· on the original thread

    Probably because tea culture got wrecked in the Joseon era lol. Even ancestral rites kept the name 'tea ceremony' but swapped in alcohol. Western visitors back then wrote how shocked they were Koreans drank less tea than even they did.

    조선시대때 차 문화 박살나서 그런거 아닌가? ㅋㅋ 차례도 이름만 유지하고 술로 바꾸고, 그 조선 방문한 서양인 글 보면, 조선은 중국이나 일본은 고사하고 자기들보다 차 안먹어서 놀랍다 뭐 그런 기록도 있고 ㅋㅋ

  4. 6 upvotes on the original thread
    Anon· on the original thread

    Bought loose tea leaves in Taiwan and they said just dunk it in water. I bought a strainer for it, but I remember my uncle brewing tea with no strainer at all as a kid.

    찻잎 직접 우리는 식일걸 대만에서 찻잎 샀는데 그냥 물에 담그면 된다고 하드라고 그래서 거름망 사서 했지만 어렸을 때 삼촌이 차 우릴 때 찻잎 거름망도 없이 우리셨던거 같음

  5. 6 upvotes on the original thread
    Anon· on the original thread

    Coffee showed up and just took over the whole market share. (Coffee shops were already huge even during the colonial period.)

    커피 들어오면서 파이가 다 이쪽으로 가버림. (일제시대떄도 커피집 엄청 유행하였음.)

  6. 6 upvotes on the original thread
    Anon· on the original thread

    Traditional culture got wiped during the colonial era, then post-liberation nobody had spare time for it, then postwar tea got banned as a foreign good, and even after that ban lifted, heavy tariffs on tea kept killing it — a chain of bad luck.

    일제 강점기에 고유문화가 한번 쓸려나갔고 해방이후에는 즐길 여유가 없었고 6.25 끝나고 부흥기에는 국산품 보호를 위해 특정외래품판매금지법에 차가 포함되어 국내생산량이 수요를 못 따라가서 발전을 못했고 저 법이 풀린 이후에는 여전히 국산보호를 위해 차에 관세를 쎄게 때려버린게 연타석으로 터져서 그렇다고 보기도 함

  7. 5 upvotes on the original thread
    Anon· on the original thread

    Korea actually has plenty too — lightly roasted dried green tea leaves, dried flowers, stewartia leaves, etc. It's the same kind of thing.

    한국도 많음. 녹차잎 살살 볶아서 말린 거라던지 꽃을 따서 말려 놓은거 노각나무 잎 등등등 저것도 똑같은거

  8. 5 upvotes on the original thread
    Anon· on the original thread

    Nah, tea also needs good water quality to taste right.

    ㄴㄴ, 차도 물이 좋아야함

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