This Organic Woojeon Green Tea is an excellent representation of the highest grade of organic green tea from Korea. Plucked in early to mid-April, this tea has a beautiful, smooth cup of concentrated vegetal flavor that lingers in the mouth and evaporates on the mid-tongue. The tight, small dark green leaves of this loose leaf organic tea have the occasional bright green wisp of a curl that hints at the light yellow, jade-like liquor to come. Grown on the volcanic island of Jeju, it is infused with the salty sea breezes and fertile soil of this pristine area of the world. Its cup is thicker in mouthfeel than our other Korean green tea, Organic Sejak, and represents the most premium of Korean Green Teas.
Ingredients: organic Korean green tea
Jeju is the largest island off the coast of the Korean Peninsula, and was formed entirely by volcanic eruptions. The island is still dominated by Hallasan, the largest volcano and mountain in South Korea. The volcanic soil and humid subtropical climate on the island has made it ideal for growing tea, and most of the Korean teas exported to America come from Jeju.
At Arbor Teas, we believe tea should be brewed to suit your personal taste. We’re happy to make recommendations to get you started, but don’t hesitate to experiment! When brewing your tea, your main considerations are tea quantity, water temperature, and steeping time. We recommend green and white teas to be steeped for 2 to 3 minutes in water heated to not-quite-boiling, just as bubbles begin to form on the bottom of the pan (approximately 170 to 180 degrees F). For the best flavor, use fresh water whenever possible. Try not to steep your tea longer than necessary, as you’ll extract undesirable bitterness from the leaves. If you want a stronger brew, don’t steep longer, just use more tea. And don’t forget to re-steep your tea leaves to get the most out of your leaf!
Looking for more info? Check out our How-To Guides and Eco-Brewing Tips!
"I've been advocating for adding Korean tea to our catolog for several years. I couldn't be more pleased with this Woojeon. A terrific example of Korea's most highly prized tea!"
"This lovely tea has the slightest hint of a floral scent that is a nice counterpoint to its rich vegetal flavor!"
My favorite green tea is when it's more vegetal tasting and this tea taught me that. The smell alone is beyond fantastic and had me absolutely hooked on my first try- I spend most of my time with my cup enjoying the smell if anything, but the taste is equally as addictive, don't worry. I'm Korean myself and used up all our last tea from Korea a while ago... I'm really happy to have found some nearby that I love so much!
The tea tastes clean and fresh, without any of the astringency you normally get in green teas. I think I've found my go-to tea.
This tea has a thicker, buttery mouthfeel that pairs fantastically with its savory, "leafy greens" vegetal flavor. The aroma is a little sweeter and "grassier" than the flavor, which features notes of bok choy, asparagus, cabbage, and perhaps seaweed. This tea has a little more bitterness than a Chinese green tea like Xianzhi, but less so than the Japanese green teas I've had, and has about as much astringency as a soft black tea. When paired with the thick character and mellow, green flavors, that astringency makes this tea a true experience. I will note that I let this tea sit in my cupboard, unopened, for about a year before trying it out. It could be that time, or perhaps this tea is a little less bold than I'd like, but I've found that I've had to brew it at double-strength to get the level of flavor and body I prefer in my teas. The flavor is delicious, but it's just too subtle and soft unless brewed strong, for me. It also doesn't stand up as well to multiple steeps. That bumps this rating down from 5 stars, in my opinion.
This was my first ever Korean tea. After having it several times now as well as comparing it to my other favorite green teas, I can confidently state it is among my very favorite green teas (not just among Japanese styles but also Chinese, and others). I'm not sure I could ever settle upon "one absolute favorite overall green tea" because I like other kinds of green teas for various attributes, but not all are necessarily good, and even fewer are great. I will also state that I prefer and typically drink my tea iced, so I am reviewing this based on how I regularly make it. It is also amazing hot, having the strength of character to keep you pleasantly entertained even after multiple infusions. My preparation technique for this tea has been 6g per 8oz of 180° F water over four infusions starting at 2 minutes, then 3, 4 and 5 minutes for the rest, with all the liquor poured over ice into a 64oz container, then topped off with cold water yielding a bottle of tea that lasts into the next day (perhaps). With all that now said, this Korean Woojeon is just simply amazing! As many have stated in other reviews, it has a very Japanese feel to it regarding green vegetal flavors, with a lovely buttery mouthfeel, but lacking bitterness. As an iced tea I find it to be a remarkably refreshing clear green drink which on occasion blie hard not to drink down too quickly on a hot day. I would definitely recommend this if you like vegetal green teas like Japanese Sencha, Gyokuru and Matcha as well as Arbor Tea's Chinese Five Peaks Green Dee, Xianzhi or Lung Ching offerings. This stands on it's own differently from all of them, but a bit closer to the Japanese styles.
I really think this may be the best green tea ever. My favorite before was Gyokuro. This has the same if not better flavor and is way more affordable. Of note is that every Japanese cookbook or tea book has recommended that Gyokuro be brewed at about 122 degrees, and any high-quality tea be a little higher like 130, 140, 150 depending on the grade, meaning lesser grades need more heat. I am currently using 140-145 for this tea and it is wonderful and will try lower temps soon to see the difference if any, and it is good for many brewings. Will definitely be ordering more!
Bold vegetal flavor with mild sweet nuttiness creates a full brothy cup
Brothy and boldly vegetal with a smooth and mildly astringent taste
Moderate bitterness and slightly nutty with notes of dark leafy greens like kale