Sweet Iced Tea, Indonesia's Most Popular Homemade Beverage

Consuming processed beverages is a common activity among the Indonesian population. Processed beverages are made through the processing and refinement of raw materials into ready-to-drink beverages.

Besides their ease of preparation, processed drinks often provide refreshment. A variety of processed beverages are chosen by people for daily consumption.

A Kurious-Katadata Insight Center (KIC) survey shows that the most widely consumed homemade processed beverage in Indonesia is sweet iced tea. More than half, or 63.1%, of respondents admitted to regularly consuming sweet iced tea weekly.

A significant number of respondents also consume sachet coffee (55.3%) and blended fruit juice (47.7%) weekly.

Some respondents also enjoy homemade processed beverages using coffee or other sweet drinks from shops (32.0%), sweetened condensed milk (29.6%), powdered drinks (27.3%), and powdered milk (26.4%), which generally contain sugar.

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), a U.S. government medical research agency, sugar plays a vital role in the body.

“Our bodies need a type of sugar called glucose to survive. Glucose is the number one food for the brain, and an important fuel source for the entire body,” said pediatrician Dr. Kristina Rother in the article *Sweet Stuff: How Sugars and Sweeteners Affect Your Health*, published on the official NIH website.

However, sugar consumption needs to be limited to maintain a balanced nutrient intake and avoid the risk of diseases such as obesity and diabetes.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that sugar consumption be adjusted to daily caloric needs.

For men, the AHA suggests a maximum sugar intake of 150 calories or 9 teaspoons (36 grams) per day. For women, the recommendation is a maximum of 100 calories or 6 teaspoons (25 grams) per day.

The Kurious-KIC survey on the consumption of these homemade processed beverages was conducted from March 24 to April 1, 2023. A total of 618 respondents participated, spread across various regions of Indonesia. Respondents consisted of men (46.8%) and women (53.2%), aged between 25 and 54 years.

The Kurious-KIC survey used the computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) method, with a margin of error of approximately 3.94% and a 95% confidence level.