| 'Korean tea' | |
 nokcha (green tea) | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | jeontong-cha |
| McCune–Reischauer | chŏnt'ong-ch'a |
| IPA | [tɕʌn.tʰoŋ.tɕʰa] |
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| Korean cuisine 한국 요리 조선 료리 |
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Korean tea is a beverage consisting of boiled water infused with leaves (such as the tea plant Camellia sinensis ), roots, flowers, fruits, grains, edible mushrooms, or seaweed. It may or may not contain tea leaves.
 | This section needs expansionwith: history of teas other than green tea. You can help by adding to it. (April 2017) |
According to the Record of Gaya, cited in the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms , the legendary queen Heo Hwang-ok, a princess of the State of "Ayuta" (theorized to be Ayodhya, India), brought the Camellia sinensis (var. assamica) tea plant from India to Korea and planted it on Baegwolsan, a mountain that borders the city of Changwon. [1] In practice, however, Labrador tea and fruit teas, such as magnolia berry tea and goji berry tea, were more widely used in the Samhan Era instead. [2]
It is a widely held belief that the systematic planting of tea bushes began with the introduction of tea culture by Buddhist monks some centuries later. [1] Some of the earliest Buddhist temples in Korea, such as Bulgapsa, Bulhoesa, and Hwaeomsa, claim to be the birthplace of Korean tea culture. [1] The import of Chinese tea products started during the reign of Queen Seondeok of Silla (631‒647), when two types of tea bricks, jeoncha (전차;磚茶) and dancha (단차;團茶), were imported from the Tang Empire. [2] In 765, a Buddhist monk is said to have presented an offering of the tea to King Gyeongdeok and the Buddha. [2] Camellia sinensis tea plants spread throughout the country in 828, when King Heungdeok received seeds from the Tang Empire and sent them to be planted on the Jirisan mountain. [1] Tea was usually offered to the Buddha, as well as to the spirits of deceased ancestors. [1]
Tea culture continued to prosper during the Goryeo Dynasty. Tea offering was a part of the biggest national ceremonies, such as Yeondeunghoe and Palgwanhoe, and tea towns were formed around temples. [2] During the reign of King Myeongjong (1131‒1202), Seon-Buddhist manners of ceremony prevailed. Jeong Mongju and other scholars enjoyed tea poetry, dasi (다시;茶詩), and tea meetings, dahoe (다회;茶會). [2] The state of daseonilchi (다선일치;茶禪一致; "tea and seon in accord") was eulogized. [2] Xu Jing, a Song dynasty envoy who visited Goryeo in 1123, wrote in the Gaoli tujing that the people of Goryeo were avid tea drinkers and set out tea three times a day. [3] Coins were accepted at tea and wine shops (茶酒店). [4]
During the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), Korean tea culture underwent secularization. [5] The royal family and aristocracy used tea for simple rites, a practice referred to as darye (다례;茶禮, "tea rite"), which is often translated as "etiquette for tea". [2] Towards the end of the Joseon Dynasty, commoners adopted the practice of using tea for ancestral rites. [6] The word charye (차례;茶禮, "tea rite"), cognate to darye, now refers to jesa (ancestral rite). [7] [8] In the past, the two terms were synonymous, as ancestral rites often involved offerings of tea to the ancestors. Wedding ceremonies also included tea offerings. The practice of packing tea into small cakes, which lost popularity in China during the 14th century, continued in Korea until the 19th century. [1]
In 1895, King Gojong of the Korean Empire used coffee for the first time. [2] In 1896, grocery stores began to have tea rooms as annexes, and the first modern tea house was established in 1924. [2]
The Korean Tea Ceremony, called Darye, embodies Confucian principles of harmony, respect, and gratitude. It occurs in a traditional Korean house, with participants wearing hanbok attire. Darye involves tea preparation, serving, and presentation. The host serves tea to guests in order of importance, using a ceramic teapot and small cups. It is believed that Darye fosters a peaceful ambiance for appreciating tea's beauty, meaningful conversations, and reflection on respect and gratitude. [9]
Although tea from the Camellia sinensis plant is not as popular as coffee in South Korea – with the annual South Korean tea consumption at 0.16 kg (0.35 lb) per capita, compared to 3.9 kg (8.6 lb) for coffee [10] – grain teas are served in many restaurants instead of water. [11] [12] Herbal and fruit teas are commonly served, both hot and cold. [12]
| Tea | Korean name | Image | Ingredient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baegyeop-cha (pine leaf tea) | 백엽차(柏葉茶) | Korean pine needles | |
| Baeksan-cha (white mountain tea) | 백산차(白山茶) | Labrador tea leaves | |
| Bakha-cha (mint tea) | 박하차(薄荷茶) |  | East Asian wild mint leaves |
| Daennip-cha (bamboo leaf tea) | 댓잎차 |  | Bamboo leaves |
| Gamnip-cha (persimmon leaf tea) | 감잎차 |  | Oriental persimmon leaves |
| Hwangsan-cha (rosebay tea) | 황산차(黃酸茶) | Lapland rosebay leaves | |
| Iseul-cha (dew tea) Gamno-cha (sweet dew tea) | 이슬차 감로차(甘露茶) | mountain hydrangea leaves | |
| Maegoe-cha (rugose rose tea) | 매괴차(玫瑰茶) | rugose rose leaves | |
| Mulssuk-cha (mugwort tea) | 물쑥차 | common mugwort | |
| Ppongnip-cha (mulberry leaf tea) | 뽕잎차 |  | white mulberry leaves |
| Seombaengnihyang-cha (thyme tea) | 섬백리향차 |  | Ulleungdo thyme |
| Sollip-cha (pine leaf tea) | 솔잎차 |  | Korean red pine needles |
| Ssukcha (mugwort tea) | 쑥차 |  | Korean mugwort |
| Yeonnip-cha (lotus leaf tea) | 연잎차 |  | lotus leaves |
| Tea | Korean name | Image | Ingredient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dohwa-cha (peach flower tea) | 도화차(桃花茶) |  | peach blossoms |
| Goehwa-cha (pagoda flower tea) | 괴화차(槐花茶) | pagoda flowers | |
| Gujeolcho-cha (dendranthema tea) | 구절초차(九節草茶) |  | white-lobe Korean dendranthema flowers |
| Gukhwa-cha (chrysanthemum tea) | 국화차(菊花茶) |  | Indian chrysanthemum flowers |
| Gyehwa-cha (cinnamon flower tea) | 계화차(桂花茶) | Chinese cinnamon flowers | |
| Gyulhwa-cha (citrus flower tea) | 귤화차(橘花茶) | citrus flowers | |
| Maehwa-cha (plum flower tea) | 매화차(梅花茶) |  | Chinese plum blossoms |
| Mindeulle-cha (dandelion tea) | 민들레차 |  | Korean dandelion |
| Mongnyeon-cha (magnolia tea) | 목련차(木蓮茶) |  | kobus magnolia flowers |
| Yeonkkot-cha (lotus flower tea) Yeonhwa-cha (lotus flower tea) | 연꽃차 연화차(蓮花茶) |  | lotus flowers |
| Tea | Korean name | Image | Ingredient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daechu-cha (jujube tea) | 대추차 |  | jujube |
| Gugija-cha (goji tea) | 구기자차(枸杞子茶) | goji berries | |
| Gyulpi-cha (citrus peel tea) | 귤피차(橘皮茶) | citrus peels | |
| Hobak-cha (pumpkin tea) | 호박차 |  | cheese pumpkin |
| Maesil-cha (plum tea) | 매실차(梅實茶) |  | Chinese plums |
| Mogwa-cha (quince tea) | 모과차 |  | Chinese quince |
| Ogwa-cha (five fruit tea) | 오과차(五果茶) | walnut ginkgo jujube chestnut dried persimmon | |
| Omae-cha (smoked plum tea) | 오매차(烏梅茶) | smoked plums | |
| Omija-cha (magnolia berry tea) | 오미자차(五味子茶) |  | magnolia berries |
| Sansuyu-cha (cornelian cherry tea) | 산수유차(山茱萸茶) | cornelian cherry | |
| Seongnyu-cha (pomegranate tea) | 석류차(石榴茶) |  | pomegranates |
| Taengja-cha (hardy orange tea) | 탱자차 | hardy oranges | |
| Yuja-cha (yuja tea) | 유자차(柚子茶) |  | yuja |
| Tea | Korean name | Image | Ingredient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bori-cha (barley tea) | 보리차 |  | barley |
| Gyeolmyeongja-cha (sicklepod tea) | 결명자차(決明子茶) |  | sicklepods |
| Hyeonmi-cha (brown rice tea) | 현미차(玄米茶) |  | brown rice |
| Memil-cha (buckwheat tea) | 메밀차 |  | buckwheat |
| Misu-cha (rice tea) | 미수차 | rice | |
| Nokdu-cha (mung bean tea) | 녹두차(綠豆茶) | mung beans | |
| Oksusu-cha (corn tea) | 옥수수차 |  | corn kernels |
| Yulmu-cha (Job's tears tea) | 율무차 |  | Coix lacryma-jobi var. ma-yuen |
| Tea | Korean name | Image | Ingredient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danggwi-cha (angelica root tea) | 당귀차(當歸茶) | Korean angelica root | |
| Doraji-cha (balloon flower root tea) | 도라지차 |  | balloon flower root |
| Dunggulle-cha (Solomon's seal tea) | 둥굴레차 | Solomon's seal root | |
| Chikcha / Galgeun-cha (arrow root tea) | 칡차 갈근차(葛根茶) | East Asian arrow root | |
| Gyepi-cha (cinnamon tea) | 계피차(桂皮茶) | Chinese cinnamon bark | |
| Hongsam-cha (red ginseng tea) | 홍삼차(紅蔘茶) | red ginseng | |
| Insam-cha (ginseng tea) | 인삼차(人蔘茶) | Korean ginseng | |
| Macha (yam tea) | 마차(麻茶) |  | Chinese yam |
| Misam-cha (ginseng root hair tea) | 미삼차(尾蔘茶) | Korean ginseng root hair | |
| Saenggang-cha (ginger tea) | 생강차(生薑茶) |  | ginger |
| Ueong-cha (burdock tea) | 우엉차 | burdock roots | |
| Yeongeun-cha (lotus root tea) | 연근차(蓮根茶) |  | lotus root |
| Tea | Korean name | Image | Ingredient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beoseot-cha (mushroom tea) | 버섯차 |  | edible mushrooms |
| Dasima-cha (kelp tea) | 다시마차 | kelp | |
| Donga-cha (wintermelon tea) | 동아차 | winter melon flesh winter melon seeds | |
| Giguk-cha (goji chrysanthemum tea) | 기국차(杞菊茶) | northern dendranthema goji berries black sesame seeds jakseol green tea leaves milk | |
| Gyulgang-cha (citrus ginger tea) | 귤강차(橘薑茶) |  | citrus fruit pyeongang |
| Hyeonmi-nokcha (brown rice green tea) | 현미녹차(玄米綠茶) | brown rice green tea leaves | |
| Jeho-tang | 제호탕(醍醐湯) | smoked plums medicinal cardamom white sandalwood black cardamom honey | |
| Podo-cha (grape tea) | 포도차(葡萄茶) | grapes Korean pear ginger honey | |
| Ssanghwa-tang | 쌍화탕(雙和湯) |  | white woodland peony root rehmannia root Mongolian milkvetch root Korean angelica root lovage root Chinese cinnamon bark Chinese liquorice |
| Sunchae-cha (watershield tea) | 순채차(蓴菜茶) | watershield leaves magnolia berry-infused water honey pine nuts |
Tea, or cha, is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis, an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northern Myanmar. Tea is also made, but rarely, from the leaves of Camellia taliensis. After plain water, tea is the most widely consumed drink in the world. There are many different types of tea; some have a cooling, slightly bitter, and astringent flavour, while others have profiles that include sweet, nutty, floral, or grassy notes. Tea has a stimulating effect in humans, primarily due to its caffeine content.
Tea ceremony is a ritualized practice of making and serving tea in East Asia practiced in the Sinosphere. The original term from China, literally translated as either "way of tea", "etiquette for tea or tea rite", or "art of tea" among the languages in the Sinosphere, is a cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of tea. Korean, Vietnamese and Japanese tea culture were inspired by the Chinese tea culture during ancient and medieval times, particularly after the successful transplant of the tea plant from Tang China to Korea, Vietnam and Japan by traveling Buddhist monks and scholars in 8th century and onwards.
Green tea is a type of tea that is made from Camellia sinensis leaves and buds that have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process which is used to make oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China, and since then its production and manufacture has spread to other countries in East Asia.
The Korean tea ceremony is a traditional form of tea ceremony practiced in Korea. Darye literally refers to "etiquette for tea" or "tea rite" and has been kept among Korean people for over a thousand years. The chief element of the Korean tea ceremony is the ease and naturalness of enjoying tea within an easy formal setting.
The history of tea spreads across multiple cultures over the span of thousands of years. With the tea plant Camellia sinensis native to East Asia and probably originating in the borderlands of southwestern China and northern Myanmar. One of the earliest accounts of tea drinking is dated back to China's Shang dynasty, in which tea was consumed as a medicinal drink. An early credible record of tea drinking dates to the 3rd century AD, in a medical text written by Chinese physician Hua Tuo. It first became known to the western world through Portuguese priests and merchants in China during the early 16th century. Drinking tea became popular in Britain during the 17th century. The British introduced commercial tea production to British India, in order to compete with the Chinese monopoly on tea by stealing green tea leaves from China, transporting them by train/road, resulting in them being fermented and thought fermented tea is the tea drunk in China. Hence the tea drank in the West is mostly fermented and not green fresh tea.
Yellow tea can refer to Chinese huángchá and Korean hwangcha.
Songpyeon is a traditional Korean food made of rice powder. Its shape resembles a half moon and it is a representative rice cake of Korean holidays and traditional culture. It is a type of tteok, small rice cakes, and variety of fillings are used—some include red bean paste, toasted sesame seeds, and chestnuts. Songpyeon is traditionally eaten during the Korean autumn harvest festival, Chuseok, where it is often prepared by families at home. It is a popular symbol of traditional Korean culture. The earliest records of songpyeon date from the Goryeo period.
Compressed tea, called tea bricks, tea cakes or tea lumps, and tea nuggets according to the shape and size, are blocks of whole or finely ground black tea, green tea, or post-fermented tea leaves that have been packed in molds and pressed into block form. This was the most commonly produced and used form of tea in ancient China prior to the Ming Dynasty. Although tea bricks are less commonly produced in modern times, many post-fermented teas, such as pu-erh, are still commonly found in bricks, discs, and other pressed forms. Tea bricks can be made into beverages like tea or eaten as food, and were also used in the past as a form of currency.
Dongfang meiren or baihao (白毫), among other Chinese names, is a heavily oxidized, non-roasted, tip-type oolong tea originating in Hsinchu County, Taiwan. It is an insect tea produced from leaves bitten by the tea jassid, an insect that feeds on the tea plant. Terpenes are released in the bitten leaves, which creates a honey-like taste. Oriental beauty, white-tip oolong, and champagne oolong are other names under which dongfang meiren is marketed in the West.
Fermented tea is a class of tea that has undergone microbial fermentation, from several months to many years. The exposure of the tea leaves to humidity and oxygen during the process also causes endo-oxidation and exo-oxidation. The tea leaves and the liquor made from them become darker with oxidation. Thus, the various kinds of fermented teas produced across China are also referred to as dark tea, not be confused with black tea. The most famous fermented tea is pu'er produced in Yunnan province.
A dabang is a Korean drinking establishment that primarily serves coffee, tea, and other non-alcoholic beverages. Other words to denote dabang include coffee house, coffee shop, dasil, daejeon, and chatjip.
Jesa is a ceremony commonly practiced in Korea. Jesa functions as a memorial to the ancestors of the participants. Jesa are usually held on the anniversary of the ancestor's death. The majority of Catholics, Buddhists and nonbelievers practice ancestral rites, although Protestants do not. The Catholic ban on ancestral rituals was lifted in 1939, when Pope Pius XII formally recognized ancestral rites as a civil practice. Many Korean Christians, particularly Protestants, no longer practice this rite. Christians generally, and Muslims avoid the rites, and many emigrants avoiding the rites.
Matcha is a finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea leaves that originated in China and developed in Japan. It is mostly produced in Japan today. In the 12th century at the latest, Chinese compressed tea, the raw material for matcha, was introduced to Japan. When the production of compressed tea was banned in China in 1391, matcha was abandoned in China and developed in Japan thereafter.
Yakgwa, also called gwajul (과줄), is a type of yumil-gwa, which is deep-fried, wheat-based hangwa made with honey, cheongju, sesame oil, and ginger juice. Traditionally, the sweet was offered in a jesa and enjoyed on festive days such as chuseok, marriages, or hwangap (sixtieth-birthday) celebrations. In modern South Korea, it is also served as a dessert and can be bought at traditional markets or supermarkets.
Doncha, also called jeoncha, is a coin-shaped post-fermented tea produced in Korea. The tea has been called cheongtae-jeon in the Jangheung region in South Jeolla Province.
Black tea is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. All five types are made from leaves of the shrub Camellia sinensis, though Camellia taliensis is also used rarely.
Brown rice green tea is green tea blended with roasted brown rice. In Korea, it is called hyeonmi-nokcha and is considered a blend of nokcha and hyeonmi-cha. In Japan, green tea blended with puffed brown rice is called genmaicha.
Sejak, also called dumul-cha, refers to nokcha made of young, tender leaves and buds hand-plucked after gogu but before ipha. Also called jakseol as the tea leaves are plucked when they are about the size of a sparrow's tongue, sejak is best steeped at a temperature of 60–70 °C (140–158 °F).
Camellia taliensis is a small species of evergreen shrub whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea.
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