[Insta Walk] Unicon - Do Not Spray on Your Body... Save It for Your Mouth!

Cafe Enjoying Unique Liquid Tea 'Tiperfum'
Liquid Tea Made from Various Fruits
Add to Ice Water to Taste and Savor
Distinctive Experience of Perfume and Tea Charm
Brand Products Also Sold Overseas
Tiperfum Glass Container Resembling Perfume Bottle
Unicon's Decorations Adding Unique Sensibility

Unique iced tea cafe Unicon sells liquid tea 'Tea Perfume' / Photo by Juhyung Lim skepped@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] "A cafe is not just a place to sell drinks, but a space to enjoy culture." This is a quote from Howard Schultz, the founder of the world's largest coffeehouse chain, Starbucks. When asked about the secret to his success, he gave this answer. As he said, nowadays cafes serve as spaces for rest and culture. They take on various forms, becoming exhibition halls to enjoy artworks, performance venues, libraries, or even offices.

Nevertheless, the primary function of a cafe remains providing food and beverages. As the spatial concept has become more diverse, the drinks offered by cafes have also become unique in many cases. A representative example is the unique iced tea cafe called 'Unicon.' It became famous among Instagram users in their 20s and 30s because of its exclusive product called ‘Tea Perfume.’ Experiencing it firsthand offers a distinct taste and visual appeal.

Located near Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station in Seoul and in Manan-gu, Anyang-si, Gyeonggi Province, this cafe’s signature menu includes iced tea, handmade rice cake desserts, and coffee. However, the standout item is undoubtedly the Tea Perfume. The name is a portmanteau of tea and perfume. As the name suggests, the small glass bottles resemble perfume bottles and contain colorful liquids. First-time customers often don’t even realize it’s a drink. Park Sangmo, the CEO who founded and operates 'Unicon' since 2018, describes it as 'handmade tea.' It is made by mixing fruit juices, grains, and other ingredients into a liquid tea, then served in glass bottles modeled after perfume bottles.

Unicon's Tiperfume is presented in a glass bottle modeled after a perfume bottle. / Photo by Juhyung Lim skepped@

Park, who loves both perfume and tea, wanted to create a completely different beverage from coffee. After years of trial and error, one of the results was the Tea Perfume. There are six varieties: Indigo (black), Turkish Ocean (jade), Aqua Mint (blue), Rooibos Apple (red), Peach Flower (orange), and Green Javana (yellow). All are made by blending fruit juices, organic raw sugar, and syrup without any artificial coloring. He also plans to expand the range of flavors.

I ordered the most popular iced tea perfume series at the cafe. It came with a bottle of Tea Perfume and ice water. There are various ways to drink it. You can add a little liquid tea to water to enjoy the aroma, or make a strong iced tea. It can also be added to milk, sparkling water, alcohol, and other beverages. It is essentially a 'drinkable perfume' that enhances the flavor of any drink. The product’s popularity is not limited to Instagram; video channel users attracted by its uniqueness have visited this online cafe. Videos related to iced tea and desserts posted on YouTube have garnered tens of thousands of views.

Iced tea with perfume / Photo by Juhyung Lim skepped@

Park named the cafe 'Unicon' with the intention of offering a beverage no one had ever introduced before. Although the English prefix 'un' means 'not,' he clarified that it does not carry a negative meaning here. Pronounced as spelled, it sounds similar to 'unicorn,' the mythical creature, symbolizing his ambition to bring to life a drink that previously existed only in imagination.

He also aims to have the product brand properly recognized and sold overseas. He dreams ambitiously, hoping it will become more famous than the UK’s 'Lipton' iced tea brand. Reflecting on the words of CEO Schultz, who transformed Starbucks from a mere coffee bean seller into a global giant with tens of trillions in sales, Park is determined to realize his dream. Schultz emphasized in his autobiography that "what appears reckless to others is the driving force to achieve dreams different from theirs." This passage highlights the unique challenge Unicon faces as it strives to become the ‘unicorn’ of the beverage industry.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.