The World of Korean Teas: A Comprehensive Guide
In this article, we will share the best Korean Healthy Korean Teas you can enjoy. make sure you read until the end of this article to find out the best and healthy korean teas you can enjoy.
We know Cafe and Coffee culture is a significant part of Korean culture. Korean Tea Culture is different from the other tea culture all over the world. Especially Korean Tea has been an inheritance given from the older generations.
These Korean teas will motivate you to take care of your health while enjoying the premium taste of Korean cultural heritage.
The History Of Tea In Korea
What most people known when it comes to korean tea history is that it was first introduced by Buddhist monks in 7th century. As we know, many Buddhists studied in China, so they brought the Chinese tea culture across to Korea, and taught its ways to the Korean people.
However, according to the historical document “Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms” or “삼국유사”, it is also speculated that tea was first brought in by Heo Hwang Ok (허황옥). She was the first queen of Geumgwan Gaya that married King Suro (수로왕) and ended up visit Korea. She brought with her a tea plant and planted it in Korea.
In its early years, tea was considered as a luxury drink, and something meant for royal families to experience. However, in modern days, tea is competing with coffee in being the choice of beverages to enjoy with friends or family as we hang out together at local cafe.
Korean Traditional Tea Ceremony
In Korean culture, drinking tea is not just for fun or hang out with friends while having a deep talk. It is actually an experience to enlighten your soul and spirit.
Traditional Korean tea ceremony known as ‘darye,’ means ‘etiquette for tea.’ is a thousand years old korean tradition to bring peace of mind.
There are three different types of Korean tea ceremonies:
- Royal darye – Kings tea ceremony
- Seonbi darye – Korean confucious students ceremony
- Friends darye – Similar to Westerns Afternoon tea
Types of Korean Tea
Every part of a plant has been used to make some type of tea and each of them a unique flavor. Other than that, they also have so many health benefits ranging from detoxifications to enhancing body health. There are many different types of Korean tea, such as:
- Leaf tea
- Grain tea
- Seed tea
- Flower tea
- Root tea
- Fruit Tea
Korean Teahouses in Seoul
Here are a few of Korean tea houses in Seoul that you can try to feel the experience of Korean Tea Houses as you travel Seoul.
Suyeon Mountain Tea Room
Credit to timeout
Suyeon Sanbang literally means ‘gathering house of writers in the mountain.’ Before remodeled into a teahouse, this house used to be the home of novelist Taejun Lee.
Useful Informations:
- Address:8 Seongbuk-ro 26-gil, Seongbuk-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- Opening Hours:
Weekdays: 11.30-18.00
Weekends: 11.30-22.00 - Phone: +82 2-722-7006
Cha Masineun Tteul (차 마시는 뜰)
Credit to timeoutkorea
Cha masineun tteul is teahouse that sets in a traditional korean hanok with most seating is on floor areas. Located at Bukchon and overlooking Gyeongbokgung Palace, Cha masineun tteul is one of the best tea house you want to try as you visit Seoul.
Useful Informations:
- Address: 26 Bukchon-ro 11na-gil, Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- Opening Hours: 12.00-19.00
Closed on Monday - Phone: +82 2-722-7006
Tteuran Tea House
Credit to hannahmatcha
Tteuran Tea House is located at Ikseon-dong, the greatest korean hanok street in Seoul, in my opinion. You can enjoy your korean tea while overlooking the serene courtyard garden.
Useful Informations:
- Address: 17-35 Supyo-ro 28-gil, Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- Opening Hours:: 11.00-22.30
- Phone: +82 2-745-7420
Best Korean Tea
Here’s some of the best korean teas you can try at home if you want to live like a local koreans. You can get it easily from amazon.
Nok-cha 녹차
Nok-cha is korean green tea, this is the most popular and well known korean teas all over the world. For those of you who are having allergy or sensitive with caffeine, this green tea contains less caffeine compare to another korean teas.
Other than that, green tea is full with antioxidants which help improve brain function, protect against cancer, lower the risk of heart attack and also having fat loss benefit.
Sollip-cha 솔잎차
Sollip cha is a herbal tea made by the pine needless from the Korean red pine. The pine needles are harvested on December from a 20 years old trees. Pine needle tea is well known to be rich in Vitamin C, up to five times than lemons which benefited in relieve heart disease, improving skin health and immunity.
Other than having lots of vitamin C, this tea also rich in vitamin A which is really good for eyes, hair and skin regeneration.
Yeonnip-cha 연잎차
This tea is made by heating or steaming the young leaves of the lotus plant and dried it. Yeonnip cha was enjoyed since thousands years ago, known for it’s health benefit. This tea help those with digestive issues and improve stomach condition, which end up helping diet and slimmping process.
Daechu-cha 대추차
Daechu-cha is a South Korean tea made from jujubes. This tea can be made from dried jujubes, which are boiled in water, or with a jujube preserve, which is diluted in warm water. The tea is usually dark red or brown and is often praised for its health benefits
You can easily find this tea on most cafe menus. When it’s served, daechu-cha is usually garnished with pine nuts. This tea has lots of iron, calcium, vitamin B and C which help fight insomnia, relieve stress and improve immune system.
Bori-cha 보리차
This tea is a common tea that usually be given in most cafes in south korea. Bori cha is a barley tea, has a mild flavor and refreshing effect. Other than that, this tea is free from caffeine and also help improve the digestion process, help in weight loss and lower your sugar level.
Gukhwa-cha 국화차
This tea is made by blanched the chrysanthemum flowers before it fully open in a bamboo salt water, washed and dried in an ondol(korean traditional floor heating system) room.
When it is served, it is usually served with three flowers placed in a cup before poured by hot water. This tea is also free from caffeine and help fight sore throats, fevers, headache and high blood pressure.
Gyepi-cha 계피차
Gyepi cha is a cinnamon tea that is famous and common all over the world. Korean cinnamon tea is a mixture of cinnamon and ginger with a little bit touch of honey or sugar as the sweetener. When it is served, it usually served with a garnish of jujubes.
This tea is full of antioxidants, catechins and procyanidins which help protect the body from stress by free radicals. Other than that, this tea also help lower the risk of heart attack and improve immune system.
Insam-cha 인삼차
Many korean women or especially mother, likes to make jokes about making ginseng wine for their husbands. Men in Korea consume ginseng wine for its supposed potency and vitality. Though ginseng tea probably won’t give you the same kick as the extract or the wine, It does increase your energy and would be better to mix it with honey.
Other than being a natural energy booster and help improve your vitality, this tea also benefit in stimulates appetites, and lower the risk of diabetes.
Yuja-cha 유자차 (King Sejong Favorite)
Yuja-cha is Korean citron tea, taste totally like citron, mostly enjoyed during winter season. It is made with yuja, a lemon like citrus fruit. Usually prepared by mixing fresh sliced fruit with sugar and combine it with hot water.
This tea is super easy to make and also have lots of health benefits such as releive sore throats, improve your immune as it is rich in Vitamin C, and also help strengthen the bones, as it is also rich in calcium.
Memil-cha 메밀차
Many of the same ingredients you find in Korean food, you’ll also find in Korean teas. The same buckwheat in Korea’s famous cold summertime noodles, naengmyun and spicy buckwheat noodles which you can get at the market, is the only ingredient in this tea.
Buckwheat kernels are roasted and then boiled, but modern teabags feature crushed kernels. This tea has long been a favorite in China, Korea and Japan, known for it’s health benefits. It is rich in antioxidant, caffeine free, help boost your metabolism, prevents edema, and reduce blood sugar.
Saenggang-cha 생강차
Saenggang-cha is the perfect Korean tea for remedying the winter blues, warm up your body and boost your energy during winter seasons. The tea is made from ginger root that is soaked in honey. This healthy Korean tea is useful for treating diarrhea, stomach aches, and low body temperature.
Danggwi-cha 당귀차
Danggwi cha is made from an Angelica root plant, a popular inggridient used for medical purpose in Europe. Angelika root has a lots of health benefits, so you can count this tea as a herbal tea. The roots harvested during winter seasons in their most bitter and dried during the preparations.
This tea help you increase your appetite, improving your asthma conditions, colds, flu, arthritis, urinary infections and bad blood circulations.
Omija-cha 오미자차
Omija-cha is a Korean infusion made with omija—five-flavor berry. Also known as schisandra or magnolia berry, these small red berries are dried before they are used to make omija tea. The berries can be boiled in hot water, which will bring out bitter flavors, but traditionally they are merely steeped in cold water.
Just remember the first letter O, is from hangeul ‘o’ which means five. This tea help boost your power, improve kidney and liver functions and immune system.
The tea is usually sweetened with sugar or honey, and you can enjoyed it both warm or cold. The berries will give the drink its distinctive red hue, and they will also provide five omija flavors, includes saltiness, sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and pungency.
Yulmu-cha 율무차
Yulmu-cha is a Korean tea that is made with yulmu—the seeds that are gathered from yulmu plant (also known as Job’s tears). The seeds are then roasted and ground into a powder, before dissolved in warm water to make the tea.
One of the best uses for Job’s tears is to treat allergies, boost your immune system, reducing levels of cholesterol, cancel prevention and treatment as well as weight loss.
Optionally, yulmu powder can also incorporate other seeds, grains, or nuts. The tea is opaque and creamy with a distinctive nutty flavor. It is usually available as a pre-packed powdered mix, and it is sometimes sold from vending machines.
Gambi-cha 감비차
This tea is 100% natural and it contains pure, high-quality herbs that is good to glow your skin and weight loss.
Korean Teas
Here’s all of the Korean teas you can try at home and choose to try as you travel south korea in whatever season it is that might help you beat the cold or improve your health and immune system.
