As demand for health teas increases worldwide, the tea market is growing steadily each year. The purpose of this study was to investigate the consumption and purchasing behavior of leached teas in the domestic tea-product market and to analyze the different selection attributes of leached tea according to food-related lifestyles. The results of a cluster analysis examining food-related lifestyles produced three distinct clusters: a gourmet and convenience oriented group (cluster 1), a health and safety oriented group (cluster 2), and a low involvement group (cluster 3). Cluster 1 perceived all selection attributes as more important than cluster 3 did, but cluster 2 had higher values than cluster 1 for all attributes with the exception of marketing attributes. Cluster 2 appears to be the most demanding consumer, perceiving all selection attributes of leached tea to be highly important, with a special emphasis on sensory and safety attributes. Cluster 3 scored significantly lower than the other groups across all selection attributes. Furthermore, all three clusters were highly aware of different levels of sensory attribution, thought to be the fundamental selection attribute for tea. Whereas cluster 1 and 2 were highly aware of the importance of safety attributes, these attributes were not ranked as highly by cluster 3. The findings of this study can be used as a basic resource in developing leached tea products to expand the tea market.

Keywords: food-related lifestyle, leached tea, selection attributes, consumption behavior