(Denisse Rauda/Stripes Korea)
Sometimes trends are fleeting. Last fall when I visited Korea, “ashotchu” was everywhere. All the chain coffee shops had a version of this unique concoction pairing the usual (and very tasty) peach iced tea with shots of espresso.
As a fan of “dirty chai” lattes (chai tea lattes with espresso shots), I thought that perhaps the ashotchu might be an interesting drink I could enjoy. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to try it during that particular visit to Seoul.
This year, it seems like the ashotchu craze has significantly dwindled to the point that I had forgotten about it until I was perusing the menu at an Ediya Coffee branch in Myeongdong.
Thinking about the nature of fads and my limited time here, I decided to take a shot of espresso with my zero-sugar peach tea for a reasonable 3,700 won (about $3). How bad could it be?
Turns out, it could be kind of bad.
There are just some things that shouldn’t go together and that’s okay. I should’ve taken the absence of fanfare from last year’s ashotchu launch as a sign to forget about it, too.
The flavor was strange, and while I can usually finish a peach tea in three or four sips, this took longer. It both tasted like sweet peach and bitter coffee separately, then, at the same time, mixed together. Do you know what I mean? If you don’t, that’s good, keep it that way. I knew after the first sip that I didn’t want to drink anymore, but now there I was, responsible for this cup filled with regret and no trash can in sight.
I tried to make a dent in it to at least make back some of the money spent. Every small sip was a reminder of what a terrible choice I’d made.
Ediya Coffee has many other, actually delicious, options, but please don’t fall victim to an old trend. There’s a reason why it’s not readily available or advertised anymore. Trust me!
Address: Multiple locations across Korea.
Website: https://www.ediya.com/
