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!"
Notes of nuttiness, asparagus, and honey. Has a bit of tannin dry feel that's good. The dry leaves have a rich nutty aroma as does the first steeping. Don't rinse this tea; you'll lose some of that nuttiness. Longer steeping yields a rich, intense brew. Cha qi is a smooth energy good for brain focus and it leaves my system by the end of the day. I've tried a lot of teas from Arbor, green, black, white, and puerh, and Korea Woojeon ended up my fav.
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!
Some folks suggest Korean Woojeon as a sort of budget sencha or gyokuro. I suppose you could look at it that way; it's green and "vegetal", and it's roughly from the same neck of the woods. It packs a nice kick to get you moving, and feels like food; something nourishing. But I experience it as being something quite different...yet very good. Find yourself some manhua (the Korean version of manga) to read while you curl up with a pot of this delicious tea. Something fammiliar, yet all of its own. Mmmm...tea is GOOD!
This being my first venture into Korean tea, please take this review with a grain of salt. That said, this was my favorite tea in my order. A rich tea with a buttery, vegetal flavor reminiscent of mellower Japanese greens, along with a hint of floral complexity and virtually no astringency. I highly recommend it, and look forward to trying more Korean teas in the future.
An explanation: I have an immune disorder that has devastated my taste buds. Many teas I used to favor are now tasteless. Not knowing anything about Korean teas, I was curious when an acquaintance served it to me. A revelation! Beautiful almost buttery mouth feel. Definitely a keeper.
My favorite tea of all time! I relish each sip :)
South Korean green tea is probably right in the middle of Chinese green tea and Japanese green tea in terms of taste. I think it's got a great balance. My wife and I love this tea. I use 1 teaspoon for 8 oz of water at 170 F for 2 minutes. Will definitely buy more in the future.
I love my green tea to have a bright green color with fresh vegetal notes. Up to this point Gyokuro was my favorite but the price point is the limiting factor. I prefer the Japanese style teas because they are steamed and preserve the fresh green of the tea more than the pan roasted teas which appear brown and more oxidized. This Woojeon tea is bright green and has a lovely, fresh flavor. If you brew it at a lower temperature and shorter steep, you get minimal bitterness with a light vegetal flavor. I like my second steep to be a little hotter and longer and then my second cup of tea has more of the bitterness and grassy flavor that I also enjoy. This is a great tea and more affordable than Gyokuro but provides me many of the aspects I love about the more expensive tea. It's my daily tea! One note is that if you empty it into a tea tin, over months it loses its color and freshness. I think I'm going to put a small amount into the tea tin and keep the rest tightly sealed so it oxidizes less. So glad Arbor Tea has acquired this tea!
It's very close to a good Sencha, but a little bit lighter and smoother. Almost no bitterness whatsoever. I personally prefer the saltwater/umami thing that Sencha's offer, but this Korean Woojeon is a real treat. Totally recommend it.
I've previously used Sencha as my daily green, but there was always a mild bitterness that I wasn't a huge fan of. This Woojeon tea blows Sencha out of the water in terms of flavor and a lack of bitterness. It smells wonderful and the color is great. Highly recommend if you can afford.
This tea has been a fantastic surprise. I am a big fan of Japanese teas and their vegetal delicate yet complex flavors. I knew about Jeju Island through a Korean friend and when I saw this tea decided to try it. I was surprised to discover a tea that equals the quality and flavor profile of the best Japanese teas. I am adding the organic Korea Woojeon to my green tea routine!
First let me say that I didn't even know that Korea even grew tea. I kind of assumed that they drank it being so close to China and having been occupied by Japan for such a long time but I didn't think their climate would support growing of the plant. So this tea was a real surprise for me. I just had to try it. Second, I really really really love this tea. I find myself reaching for it almost as much as I do for my Sencha or Bancha teas. Brewing notes: I find that brewing for 120 seconds for the first pot and 20 additional seconds after that for subsequent pots to be the best method. I typically brew in 720mL ceramic pot, and for this tea I prefer the water to be 80-83C. I normally can get between 3 and 5 brews out of this tea depending on how frequently I'm brewing a pot of tea. The more frequently the more times I can brew as it seems that the main factor is the oxidation that the leaves under go between brews. The dry leaf smells green, like cut grass that has been allowed to dry slightly or fresh hay. The wet leaf smells of freshly cut grass. The liquor notes are umami with a strong vegital component with a lighter note that reminds me of sea air. In later brews there is a slight mineral-ly taste that develops. I like to think that that is the notes of the soil the tea trees/bushes are grown in. Over all the taste reminds me of a very high quality Sencha. I'm rating 5 out of 5 because next time I order tea I'll be getting this in the bulk size. I would highly recommend this tea to anyone who already loves Japanese (and Japanese style) teas.
Though the Gyokuro remains my favorite green, this high-grade Korean tea is a very close second. It's become my everyday green tea.
This tea is amazing! I do not think its tastes at all like the Korean Sejak, it is sweeter and a bit thicker on the tongue. If you drink green tea regularly and want variety this is a must have. I will be ordering this one in bulk for now on!
I LOVE this tea and it's the first thing I make in the morning. It has that vegetal, kelpy flavor with a suggestion of sea mist that just transports. I brew it at lower temperatures, not more that 160 degrees, depending on whether I'm using my insulated ceramic travel cup (which seems to make a stronger brew, interestingly) or making a pot.
Out of the two Korean green teas that Arbor Teas offers, I think I prefer the Sejak tea over the Woojeon. To my tastebuds, the Woojeon is a more delicate, subtle flavor of the ocean-y green tea that is the Sejak. A good tea overall.
Arbor Teas Korea Woojeon Organic Green Tea is my favorite tea right now. It makes me very happy. It’s got that lovely vegetal, sort of dry-finish, green taste I love so much. To give you an idea of my passion for this tea, I JUST ordered 12 oz of it in January, and I’m already out! To give you an idea of the kind of teas I like, I have really enjoyed Arbor Teas Korea Sejak, and Hawaii Premium, and in general, I like strongly-brewed, steamed green teas that brew up and really taste "green." Here is my <a href="http://yummyfixins.tumblr.com/post/116562699539/arbor-teas-korea-woojeon-organic-green-tea-is-my">Tumblr post</a> about the tea (there are photos).
I absolutely love this Woojeon green tea from Korea. It is a lovely smooth, lightly vegetal brew that is now my daily morning cup. I agree that it is slightly different from but on-par with the high quality of the Gyokuro. Just wonderful and I've had great luck re-steeping it as well. Try this one out!
My favorite everyday green. I like to chew the leaves of this one. Thank you.
This is an absolutely exquisite Japanese-style tea from Korea. There is definitely a "wow" factor with this one, like a fine Gyokuro but different. Almost flowery notes like an Oolong, but not quite the same. If you love fine green teas you may just have to try this one. So far it's my favorite green tea.
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