Tea from South Korea

Korean tea has unfairly remained in the shadow of teas from tea giants like China and Japan. The country produces amazing, top-quality teas, though these have largely stayed within the country or have been exported to more dedicated tea enthusiasts worldwide. Most of South Korea's teas are green, and you can find both steamed and roasted varieties. In terms of flavor, they often sit in the space between Chinese and Japanese teas – one could generalize that they combine Chinese purity with a certain Japanese fullness. The best Korean teas are produced on a small scale. We source South Korean tea from the Kim family's small farm in Hwagae, Hadong. This area is the origin of the country's tea cultivation, and here, you can still find some of the best and most traditional teas. The farm's remarkable teas have won awards, and the family has its own stock of semi-wild tea plants/shrubs (locally called "yasaeang-cha," meaning "wild tea"). The farm’s teas are hand-plucked and entirely handmade. It's not easy to find this quality of small-scale Korean tea, and we are the first European tea importer to visit this award-winning tea farm. We have sourced green teas from the farm based on the country’s traditional classification system, corresponding to the four harvest periods: Ujeon, Sejak, Jungjak, and Daejak. Ujeon is the term for the first harvest of spring, which takes place before "Gogu" on April 20th. Gogu is the same as "Guyu" in China, which means "before the rains" and marks an important date in the delimitation of tea harvests. The first harvest, Gogu, usually occurs later in Korea than in China, as Korea's climate is cooler.
Ujeon is the designation for the first picking of spring, the harvest takes place before "Gogu" on April 20. Gogu is the same as "Guyu" in China, which means "before the rains" and is an important date in the demarcation of tea crops. The early harvest, Gogu usually occurs later than in China, as Korea's climate is cooler.