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Lab tests showed caffeine per serving ranged from 45 to 172 mg \u2014 nearly a fourfold difference across products. Some milk teas actually contained more caffeine than a cup of Americano and also registered high levels of sugar and saturated fat.<\/p>\n
On the 28th, the Korea Consumer Agency released results from a study of 12 tea beverages sold at franchise cafes \u2014 six matcha\/green tea lattes and six milk teas \u2014 evaluating quality and safety, labeling practices and pricing.<\/p>\n
Overall, caffeine per serving measured 45\u2013172 mg, which is about 11\u201343% of the 400 mg daily limit recommended for adults. Compared with the 300 mg guideline for pregnant people, one serving represents roughly 15\u201357% of that limit.<\/p>\n
The highest-caffeine drink was Starbucks\u2019 \u201cClassic Milk Tea\u201d at 172 mg per serving. Twosome Place\u2019s \u201cRoyal Milk Tea\u201d followed with 148 mg, and Paik\u2019s Coffee\u2019s \u201cMilk Tea\u201d measured 113 mg. Notably, both Starbucks\u2019 and Twosome Place\u2019s milk teas exceeded the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety\u2019s cited caffeine level of 132 mg for a single Americano.<\/p>\n
The Consumer Agency cautioned that pregnant people who drink two servings of high-caffeine milk tea could approach or exceed the recommended daily caffeine limit, so extra care is advised.<\/p>\n
Sugar levels were also on the high side. One serving of the tested drinks supplied about 26\u201355% of a 100 g daily sugar guideline. Ediya Coffee\u2019s \u201cMatcha Latte\u201d had the most sugar at 55 g, while Starbucks\u2019 \u201cJeju Matcha Latte\u201d had the least at 26 g.<\/p>\n
Some brands let customers adjust sweetness when ordering through mobile apps. Starbucks, Ediya Coffee and Twosome Place offer options to change sweetness or syrup amounts, but Mega MGC Coffee, Paik\u2019s Coffee and Compose Coffee did not \u2014 prompting the Consumer Agency to recommend voluntary improvements from those three brands.<\/p>\n
Compose Coffee responded by adding a sweetness-adjustment option for its milk tea and green tea latte and said it is considering expanding the feature. Mega MGC Coffee said it will actively develop lower-sugar products for future launches, and Paik\u2019s Coffee plans to add a syrup-adjustment option.<\/p>\n
Declared serving sizes varied even within the same brand and product. The tested beverages averaged 276\u2013410 mL (about 9.3\u201313.9 fl oz), and checks of 16 servings per product found actual volume differences ranging from 36 mL (about 1.2 fl oz) to 119 mL (about 4.0 fl oz). While made-to-order drinks naturally vary, the Consumer Agency said better production controls are needed to ensure consistent taste and portion sizes.<\/p>\n
Safety tests raised no concerns. All 12 products met standards: tests found no residues of three pesticides and no metallic foreign matter.<\/p>\n
Prices varied by up to 1.7 times. Per-serving prices ranged from 3,500\uc6d0 (about $2.63) to 6,100\uc6d0 (about $4.58). The least expensive items were Mega MGC Coffee\u2019s \u201cGreen Tea Latte,\u201d Compose Coffee\u2019s \u201cGreen Tea Latte\u201d and Paik\u2019s Coffee\u2019s \u201cMilk Tea,\u201d while Starbucks\u2019 \u201cJeju Matcha Latte\u201d and \u201cClassic Milk Tea\u201d were the priciest at 6,100\uc6d0 (about $4.58).<\/p>\n
Eco-friendly perks also differed by brand. Paik\u2019s Coffee, Starbucks, Ediya Coffee and Twosome Place offer discounts for using a tumbler, while Mega MGC Coffee and Starbucks provide carbon-neutral point rewards.<\/p>\n
The Korea Consumer Agency advised that because matcha\/green tea lattes and milk teas contain caffeine, pregnant people and those sensitive to caffeine should monitor their intake. With some products high in sugar, it\u2019s wise to check nutrition information and use sweetness-adjustment options when available.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Matcha lattes and milk tea are becoming popular dessert drinks in franchise cafes as consumers seek alternatives to coffee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/cdn-union.tenbizt.com\/contents\/crawler-dev\/thumbnail\/2026\/05\/CP-2023-0087\/thumb-258767ba-ff61-4d7b-b9d7-483dcbf933ec.jpg","footnotes":""},"categories":[278098],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-263318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food"],"yoast_head":"\n