Korea's hotel tea service doesn't have to be generic. TeaGrace's sommelier breaks down two franchise hits—Café Jinjeongseong's Earl Grey milk tea and Starbucks' black tea lemonade—so properties can elevate their beverage offerings with signature drinks that actually work.
10. Recreating Franchise & Café Tea Menus
Writer: Tea Sommelier Lim Eun-hye (Brand Manager, TeaGrace)
Editor: ONDA Manager Somora
About the Writer Lim Eun-hye
- Tea Sommelier Institute Gold Course Graduate
- Beverage Menu Consultant (café franchises & independent shops)
- Tea Product Development Consultant
- Milk Tea & Tea Ade Workshop Instructor + Corporate Lecturer
- Online Store Operator, Columnist (blog & MAGAZINE ON)
Photo by Anda Ambrosini on Unsplash
Hello, MAGAZINE ON readers. Tea Sommelier TeaGrace here. We're halfway through 2019 — July already. Time flies. The tea market used to go dormant from sweltering June through September (before Chuseok), but this year feels different. High season, low season — the lines are blurring. Why? Tea ades and iced milk teas.
That's a sign Korea's tea market is maturing. This month, we're spotlighting the summer tea drinks driving that growth — specifically, franchise hits you can recreate. Franchise menus rotate seasonally. New drinks come and go based on customer feedback. So choosing which recipes to feature took some thought. After deliberation, I landed on two black tea variations: Starbucks and Café Jinjeongseong (Café Authentic).
Here's why. First: Café Jinjeongseong's Earl Grey Milk Tea — the drink that sparked Korea's milk tea boom. Second: Starbucks' Black Tea Lemonade — a year-round favorite that doesn't care about seasons.
Let's recreate these franchise black tea variations — the TeaGrace way.
Café Jinjeongseong Earl Grey Milk Tea
Starbucks Black Tea Lemonade
1. Café Jinjeongseong Earl Grey Milk Tea — Recreated
Ingredients
TeaGrace Earl Grey Classic tea bags × 2 (5g), hot water 70mL, sugar 20g, milk 150g, ice
Recipe
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Steep 2 TeaGrace Earl Grey Classic tea bags (5g) in 70mL hot water for 3 minutes.
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Add 20g sugar while steeping. Stir well.
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Add 150g milk. Stir until fully combined.
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Pour over a glass full of ice. Done.
Recipe: Café Jinjeongseong Earl Grey Milk Tea
TeaGrace Earl Grey Classic uses smaller-cut tea leaves than standard loose-leaf. There's a reason. Smaller leaves steep stronger and faster — perfect for double-duty applications like baking, beverages, and milk tea bases (not just pot brewing).
TeaGrace Earl Grey Classic
Online you'll see claims like "smaller leaves = low-quality tea" or "budget tea." Not true. Leaf size is about purpose — not quality. Different cuts serve different functions.
TeaGrace Earl Grey Classic blends Sri Lankan black tea with natural bergamot oil. Bergamot tastes like bright citrus — orange, lemon, lime. Some men find it perfume-y or overwhelming. Most women love the zesty freshness. Either way, it's a mass-appeal tea. And it's caffeinated — great for focus. Black tea has about 1/7th the caffeine of coffee, so the kick takes longer to hit. But it lasts much longer. Keep that in mind.
Small-cut leaves make TeaGrace Earl Grey Classic perfect for both brewing and culinary applications (beverages, baking, milk tea)
2. Starbucks Black Tea Lemonade — Recreated
Ingredients
TeaGrace Gold Breakfast Blend tea bag × 1 (2.5g), lemon syrup 20g, hot water 80mL, plain sparkling water 150mL, ice
Recipe
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Steep 1 TeaGrace Gold Breakfast Blend tea bag (2.5g) in 80mL hot water for 2 minutes.
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Add 20g lemon syrup while steeping. Stir well.
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Add 150mL plain sparkling water. Stir until combined.
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Pour over a glass full of ice. Done.
Try Black Tea Lemonade with TeaGrace Gold Breakfast Blend — a peak-season blend + lemon syrup.
Quick reminder from last issue: Remove the tea bag after 3 minutes. Steep longer and you'll get the most astringent, tongue-shriveling tea of your life. (If you're curious, go ahead and try it. You'll never forget the experience.)
Black tea also fights bad breath. Japan — where female smoking rates rose earlier than in Korea — has long embraced black tea, partly for this reason. Yes, Japan is a tea-producing country with early adoption. But the anti-odor benefit matters, too.
TeaGrace Gold Breakfast Blend combines peak-season teas from Sri Lanka's Ruhuna, Kandy, and Dimbula regions. Perfect for people who find scented teas (like Earl Grey) too intense. Tea is an agricultural product — seasonal harvests taste best. Gold Breakfast Blend selects only peak-season leaves, which is why many tea sommeliers (myself included) love it.
Today we've shared recipes for Starbucks Black Tea Lemonade Fizzio and Café Jinjeongseong Earl Grey Milk Tea — yours to make at home.
Summer heat cranks up stress. When that happens, pause. Coffee or tea — doesn't matter. Just take a break.
That's it for this issue. Thank you.
Series Archive
2018.09 Understanding Tea & Property Differentiation
2018.10 Blended Teas & Why You Should Drink Tea
2019.03 On Break
2019.04 Black Tea Stories (4) – 2
2019.05 Black Tea Stories (4) – 3
2019.07 Black Tea Stories (6)
2019.08~ Green Tea Stories
