DEVELOPMENT OF LOW-CAFF BARLEY COFFEE

[Anchor Lead]

Imports of coffee beans keep rising in Korea on the rapid growth of the coffee market. But a growing number of consumers turn their eyes to decaffeinated coffee. Low-caffeine coffee made of barley has been developed in Korea recently. Take a look.

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Last year, Korea imported 159,000 tons of coffee beans. Korea is the third largest importer of coffee in the world, and its coffee market is growing exponentially. Demand for decaffeinated coffee has been on the rise among Korean consumers in recent years. Low-caffeine coffee has been developed in Korea recently using domestic barley. Black barley is mixed with coffee beans to produce the unique scent and flavor of regular coffee while drastically reducing the amount of caffeine by more than 90 percent.

[Soundbite] PARK HYE-IN(SEOUL RESIDENT) : "At first, it smelled like barley, but when I tasted it, it was not much different from regular coffee. It is very savory."

Unlike barley tea, which is roasted briefly at high temperature and dried, barley coffee is roasted at low temperature for a long period of time before it is ground and extracted. One of the advantages of barley coffee is its benefits in reducing cholesterol.

[Soundbite] LEE MI-JA(RURAL DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION) : "Barley contains beta-glucan, which is known for various health benefits. Beta-glucan helps lower cholesterol and prevent obesity and diabetes."

The Rural Development Administration hopes that barley coffee will promote the use of domestic barley, which has been in low demand recently because of the cheap barley imported from overseas.