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Update | A new Korean wave: instant coffee mixes, as featured in K-dramas Moving, Vincenzo and My Mister, get a shot in the arm from global TV exposure

  • Song Joong-ki’s consigliere character in K-drama Vincenzo falls in love with Korean instant coffee; IU’s character in My Mister needs some after a hard day
  • 3-in-1 coffee mixes remain popular in Korea long after fresh-brewed coffee became trendy, and have found new fans abroad after their exposure in K-drama series

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Dongsuh Food brand Maxim’s signature Mocha Gold coffee mix. Instant coffee sticks and sachets remain popular in South Korea and, thanks to their exposure in K-dramas such as “Vincenzo” and “Moving”, overseas too. Photo: Dongsuh Foods
Kwak Yeon-soo

In the latest hit Disney+ series Moving, instant coffee has a recurring role.

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Episode eight, which focuses on Lee Mi-hyun (Han Hyo-joo), a character with super senses, takes place in 1994, in the male-dominated intelligence agency where she works. In one scene, she makes an instant coffee for her boss, Deputy Director Min.

It was a task that his assistant, Miss Kim, always seemed to fumble – until Lee, with her astute hearing, finds out about Min’s sweet tooth; she advises Miss Kim to add three tablespoons of sugar to two tablespoons of coffee powder and two tablespoons of creamer to satisfy his taste buds.

The practice of reaching into separate jars of coffee powder, creamer and sugar to make a cup of joe was common until the three-in-one coffee mix – the ingredients conveniently pre-mixed in a sachet – became ubiquitous in the late 90s.

Coffee mixes have featured in several Korean dramas. My Mister (2018) shows singer-actress Lee Ji-eun (better known as IU) having a cup of instant coffee – made using two whole sticks – after a hard day.

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In Vincenzo (2021), Song Joong-ki – who plays the eponymous Italy-raised consigliere – falls in love with coffee mix after trying it for the first time in Korea. In Narco-Saints (2022), Kang In-gu (played by Ha Jung-woo) is seen bribing a Suriname law enforcement chief with packets of Korean instant coffee.
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