'Don't buy it': Why Korea's cup bingsu craze is drawing crowds to cafes — whether staff like it or not

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'Don't buy it': Why Korea's cup bingsu craze is drawing crowds to cafes — whether staff like it or not

Published: 26 Jun. 2025, 07:00

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Rows of Mega Coffee's cup bingsu [MEGA COFFEE]

“Please don’t buy cup bingsu.”

This tongue-in-cheek plea online — posted by individuals identifying as coffee shop employees — had the exact opposite effect. Rather than cooling demand for the dessert, it sparked a viral craze, turning a humble plastic cup of shaved ice into the dessert of the summer.

Cup bingsu, which seems to sweeping its way through Korea's dessert scene at the moment, is a simplified, single-serving twist on the traditional Korean shaved ice dessert, bingsu.

Where the classic version comes in large bowls and is meant to be shared among two to four people — often featuring milk-based ice and elaborate toppings like fresh fruit or cheesecake — the smaller version is served in a plastic to-go cup and contains plain shaved ice, usually rough in texture, and a modest selection of toppings, like sweet red bean paste and cereal.

Leading this cup bingsu boom are Korea's budget coffee chains, with Mega Coffee at the forefront. As of June 18, the brand had sold more than 2 million cups of its Red Bean Bingsu Parfait and Mango Bingsu Parfait.

“I had Mega’s cup bingsu to-go after lunch,” said Donni Kim, an office worker in her 20s who visited a branch in Mapo District with colleagues. “They wanted to try it, and I was curious too — especially since I’d heard it was selling out fast.”

Two of the four groups ahead of her in line were there specifically for the bingsu. “It was honestly much better than I had expected.”

But it isn’t just the online buzz that has popularized the dessert. The product has come at a time where cost and convenience are playing a pivotal role.

Affordable, convenient and internet-approved

Cup bingsu may be trending now, but the product is not entirely new. Ediya Coffee introduced its single-serving Red Bean Injeolmi Bingsu in 2021, selling over 350,000 units in the first month. Gamsung Coffee launched a similar red bean product last year.

However, cup bingsu has remained under the radar until recently — when the right mix of affordability, portability and online buzz pushed it into the spotlight.

Mega Coffee's cup bingsu [WOO JI-WON]

Extravagant fruit-topped bingsu concoctions — especially those sold at luxury hotels and fetching prices between 50,000 won ($36.68) and 100,000 won — have dominated the bingsu scene in the past few years. But these deluxe desserts have catered to a niche crowd. Cup bingsu, by contrast, offers a far more accessible experience, with prices averaging at around 5,000 won.

"In the past, many — from millennials to Generation Z — enjoyed luxury experiences, like hotel vacations,” said a hotel official who requested anonymity. “But now, there’s a stronger preference for value."

Cup bingsu's convenience also fits into today's busy lifestyle. Served in to-go cups and sold at tens of thousands of affordable coffee shops nationwide — including Compose Coffee and Ediya Coffee — cup bingsu is easy to grab and easy to eat as well.

“Because it’s served in a plastic cup, it was easy to carry around and store — I even froze the leftovers and took them home,” said Chang So-yeon in her 20s, an office worker in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, who tried Mega Coffee’s cup bingsu last week after it became the talk of her office.

But what really pushed the trend into overdrive was the internet.

Mega Coffee launched its cup bingsu in late April, but things were relatively quiet at first. Then, one by one, people began posting about it on social media — including on X — praising its affordability and taste. One post alone praising Mega Coffee’s red bean cup bingsu, uploaded on May 27, racked up over 20,000 likes and 28,000 reposts.

Then came the memes. Individuals identifying as employees of Mega Coffee and other brands jokingly complained about the dessert’s time-consuming prep, posting photos of rows of cup bingsu and sarcastically begging customers not to try it. Some even recommended other brands.

One X user mentioned Mega Coffee's cup bingsu, which received over 28,000 reposts and 20,000 likes. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Riize member Sungchan praises Mega Coffee’s cup bingsu on the fan platform Bubble. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The hype hit another level in early June when Riize member Sungchan mentioned on fan platform Bubble that he had tried and liked the bingsu product. Boy band NCT Wish, serving as Mega Coffee’s brand models, also helped boost cup bingsu's visibility among K-pop fans.

Riding that momentum, Mega Coffee's cup bingsu sales quickly surged in early June, according to a Mega Coffee official. Following this, similar offerings from other coffee chains also began gaining traction.

Bingsu products from Mega Coffee, Ediya Coffee and Compose Coffee have even earned a nickname: “Red Bean Bingsu Filled with Tears” — a humorous reference to the chaotic, labor-intensive prep that staff endure as demand surges. Ediya Coffee offers a single-serving Red Bean Injeolmi Bingsu for 6,300 won, while Compose Coffee sells its Patjeolmi Shake — a milkshake blended with red beans and injeolmi — for 4,500 won.

Gongcha Korea, a premium milk tea chain, has also jumped on the cup bingsu boom with its two new offerings, Matcha Red Bean Bingsu Shake and Royal Milk Tea Red Bean Bingsu Shake.

“We introduced these as single-serving bingsu beverages in Gongcha’s signature style to meet the rising consumer interest and demand in bingsu,” said an official from Gongcha Korea.

Too much of a good thing?

But with sudden viral fame comes challenges.

A manager at a Mega Coffee branch in Jongno District last week said the dessert initially, in early June, sold out too quickly because “we didn’t have enough stock to meet the sudden surge in demand.”

“We’ve secured more inventory since then, but it still sells out in just two to three hours,” she added.

One user on X questions the cup bingsu's price difference at different Mega Coffee's branches [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Not all Mega Coffee branches were equipped to handle the sudden boom — or the labor that came with it. Some branches didn’t offer the bingsu at all, while others restricted sales on delivery apps. A few even raised the price to as high as 8,100 won on delivery platforms, prompting backlash from customers.

A search conducted through delivery app Coupang Eats on June 19 found that of the 20 Mega Coffee locations listed near Mapo-gu Office Station, 11 stores weren’t selling the cup bingsu product. The ones that did, however, listed it at prices ranging from 5,400 won to 6,900 won — well above the regular price of 4,400 won.

In response to the criticism over the higher prices at some branches, a Mega Coffee representative said the headquarters had advised franchises to refrain from increasing prices and explained that the price differences were largely due to factors like delivery fees and minimum order requirements.

Health concerns are also beginning to surface.

“It was really good, but it tasted so sweet. I only had two bites," officer worker Chang said.

Her reaction reflects broader concerns about the dessert’s sugar content. According to Mega Coffee’s nutrition information, one 554-gram (1.22-pound) serving of the Red Bean Bingsu Parfait contains 86 grams of sugar — far exceeding the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended daily limit of 50 grams for someone on a 2,000-calorie diet.

And it’s not just Mega Coffee's bingsu. Compose Coffee’s red bean milkshake contains 78.5 grams of sugar in a 591-milliliter (19.98-ounce) cup — also well above the WHO’s daily limit.

Luxury bingsu lives on

So, does this mean that extravagant hotel bingsu selections have lost their shine?

Not at all — in fact, they're only getting bolder and more inventive.

DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo's bingsu selections [DOUBLE TREE BY HILTON SEOUL PANGYO]

DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo has taken an innovative approach with its Dangjangdanjang Bingsu, incorporating Korea’s three traditional fermented sauces, or jang — doenjang (soybean paste), ganjang (soy sauce) and gochujang — into a single dessert. The so-called jang trio comes together in doenjang anglaise, soy sauce caramel and gochujang-seasoned crisps. It is priced at 68,000 won.

Marriott Executive Apartments also introduced seasonal summer desserts, the Honey Bee Bingsu, featuring honeycomb from Mount Jiri, croquants, vanilla ice cream, homemade dulce de leche and red bean paste — elevating sweetness with extravagance.

Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas 's Belle Epoque Champagne Bingsu [GRAND INTERCONTINENTAL SEOUL PARNAS]

Yet, the most expensive bingsu to hit the luxury hotel scene this year comes from the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas and is called the Belle Époque Champagne Bingsu. Priced at 150,000 won — roughly 10 times the price of a typical bowl — it was created in collaboration with French champagne house Perrier-Jouët and features champagne granita, milk-based shaved ice, cheese and avocado slices.

BY WOO JI-WON [[email protected]]