TL;DR: Daming (大茗) is a Taiwanese milk tea brand from Taichung that’s been running since 1994 — and its Seongsu location is the brand’s very first store outside Taiwan. The signature order is the avocado milk foam over oolong tea (6,500 KRW), a mild, creamy-not-fruity drink that’s genuinely distinct from the usual bubble tea. One catch: only coffee is served from 8:00–10:00 AM, so milk tea orders start at 10:00 sharp.
Chinese and Taiwanese milk tea brands have been expanding into Korea fast lately — Michelle Bing Cheng, Chabaidao, Heytea, and reportedly Ba Wang Cha Ji soon, all landing first in Gangnam, Hongdae, or Seongsu. Domestic tea markets in China are getting saturated, so Korea’s becoming a testing ground for going international — Gong Cha Korea alone reported sales up 11.4% year-over-year in the first half of 2026. Curious to see this trend up close, I went to check out Daming’s new Seongsu location — the brand’s first store anywhere outside Taiwan.
Where it is and the basics
Location: 396 Ttukseom-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul (Seongsu-dong 2-ga), 1F
Hours: Daily, 8:00 AM–9:00 PM (coffee only from 8:00–10:00 AM — milk tea orders start at 10:00 AM sharp)
Reservations: Not needed — walk-in only
Exterior and interior
The store sits on a corner where Seongsu-ro meets Ttukseom-ro, in a floor-to-ceiling glass storefront. The building itself is an older tiled structure, but the ground floor is painted entirely in orange — it catches your eye walking down the street.
The sign reads “大茗 DAMING SINCE 1994” in bold lettering. Upstairs, the building’s original tile and faded signage are still visible, which makes for a fun contrast against the crisp orange shop below.
The entrance door has a sticker that reads “8:00 AM–10:00 AM Only Coffee” — the store technically opens at 8, but milk tea and other tea drinks aren’t available until 10. I showed up at 9:30 and ran straight into that limitation.
Inside, the same orange tone continues up the walls, set off against a beige lower half. Round wooden tables paired with black chairs, plants scattered throughout — it’s a bolder color palette than most cafés, but it doesn’t feel overdone.
One corner has a flower arrangement with a ribbon reading “Taiwan brother, congratulations on your Grand opening” — clearly sent over from the Taiwan headquarters. It’s a small detail, but it quietly confirms this location really is Daming’s first step outside Taiwan.
The counter area is tiled in yellow, white, and green. Staff aprons are printed with an avocado character and “THE DRINK CLUB” — as it turns out, that avocado is the mascot for Daming’s signature drink.
Menu
Ordering happens at a kiosk near the entrance. The menu is split into eight categories — a 1+1 promotion, avocado milk foam, classic milk tea, handmade fruit tea, fresh milk latte, premium tea, classic tea, and coffee/desserts — with the “BEST” tags concentrated almost entirely in the avocado milk foam section.
The avocado milk foam comes in four base teas — oolong, black tea, jasmine green tea, and winter melon tea — each topped with avocado milk foam, all priced flat at 6,500 KRW. This is the brand’s headline drink. Milk teas range from 5,900–7,000 KRW, from the Premium Daming Milk Tea (6,200 KRW) up to the Strawberry Jasmine Green Milk Tea (7,000 KRW).
Handmade fruit teas — apple oolong, lemon osmanthus oolong — run 5,500–6,500 KRW, and fresh milk lattes are 6,500–7,300 KRW. You can add pearls (800 KRW), jelly (1,000 KRW), or the signature avocado foam (1,800 KRW) to basically any drink.
For dessert, there’s Agejak Cake and Dubai-style chewy cookies. The cake is priced as a boxed set at 12,000 KRW rather than per piece — positioned more as a gift item than a solo treat.
Next to the counter, there’s a stack of octagonal tin gift boxes that look straight out of a Korean holiday gift set — gold-foil butterfly and peony patterns that make it hard to believe this is a Taiwanese brand at first glance. It reads less like an import of Taiwan’s original packaging and more like a localized format built specifically for Korean gift-giving norms — a level of localization effort you don’t always see from a brand’s very first overseas store.
Opening one of those gift boxes reveals chewy round cookies in different colors and flavors — green tea, black sesame, purple sweet potato. True to the name, they’re built around the chewy “Dubai chocolate” texture that’s been trending recently.
The Agejak Cakes are finished to look like peaches, displayed in cream and pink versions — clearly designed more for gifting and photos than as an everyday treat.
The taste test
Since milk tea orders don’t start until 10:00 AM, I ended up waiting the 30 minutes out before ordering an oolong tea with avocado milk foam.
The avocado foam sits on top in a generous layer, and the first sip is all foam — smooth and creamy. I expected a stronger avocado flavor, but it’s actually fairly subtle, closer to a lightly savory cream cheese note than fruit. The oolong underneath isn’t bitter, more mellow and roasty, so the foam and the tea support each other rather than competing. It’s not a flashy, hit-you-over-the-head kind of drink — more the kind of milk tea you could order regularly without it being too much.
A 30-year heritage brand betting on Seongsu
What stood out to me more than the taste was the positioning. Most Chinese and Taiwanese tea brands landing in Seongsu lately lean on freshness — real fruit, handmade toppings. Daming goes the opposite direction, anchoring its logo around “SINCE 1994” — three decades of heritage as the differentiator in a crowded field of newcomers. Pairing that with one clear signature item (the avocado milk foam) at the top of the menu, plus a Korean-style holiday gift format, shows real effort in localizing for a first overseas location.
There are a couple of honest downsides. The location sits just slightly outside Seongsu’s main commercial strip, so it feels like a deliberate destination rather than something you’ll stumble across. And the coffee-only window from 8–10 AM means an early-morning milk tea craving might mean waiting, like I did.
Tips if you’re going
- Avoid the 8–10 AM window if you specifically want milk tea — only coffee is served during that time.
- The avocado milk foam is the signature order — start there if it’s your first visit.
- The tin gift boxes make a good souvenir if you want something more portable than a drink.
- It’s a short walk off Seongsu’s main strip, so build in a few extra minutes to find it.
FAQ
Q: Is Daming Seongsu the only Daming location outside Taiwan?
A: Yes — as of opening, it’s the brand’s first store anywhere outside Taiwan.
Q: Can I order milk tea first thing in the morning?
A: Not before 10:00 AM — only coffee is served between 8:00 and 10:00 AM.
Q: What’s the signature drink?
A: The Avocado Milk Foam, available over oolong, black tea, jasmine green tea, or winter melon tea, all priced at 6,500 KRW.
Q: Is there seating inside?
A: Yes, there’s a full seating area with round wooden tables.
Q: Do I need a reservation?
A: No — it’s walk-in only, order at the self-service kiosk.
Bottom Line
If you’ve had this style of milk tea while traveling in Taiwan, Daming Seongsu is a nostalgic, low-key pleasant stop — not a knock-your-socks-off drink, but a genuinely solid one worth trying, especially given it’s the brand’s global debut outside its home market.