Chinese tea beverage brand Bawang Chaji has gained immense popularity overseas and has now made an aggressive push into the South Korean market, opening three directly-operated stores simultaneously in Seoul's Gangnam, Yongsan, and Sinchon districts, igniting a tasting frenzy.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Sinchon store saw long queues on its opening day, with the crowd showing no signs of thinning even past lunchtime. At 2 pm, the waiting time soared to 188 minutes, prompting many customers to give up on their purchase.
The report noted that a craze for Chinese-style tea drinks has taken hold in South Korea. Another Chinese brand, Chabaidao, located just a three-minute walk from the Bawang Chaji Sinchon store, was also drawing customers. Though the queue was relatively smaller, there was still a significant wait for drinks.
"I drank Bawang Chaji once in Shanghai, and came here specially after hearing it had opened a branch in Korea, but with a 188-minute wait, I just had to give up," an office worker said in an interview. Another said, "The interest in Chinese culture has naturally extended to food and drink." Some customers remarked that compared with local Korean brands, Chinese handcrafted tea drinks use freshly brewed tea leaves, so "you can really taste the difference in flavor."
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