Japanese vs. Chinese greens

The only Korean green tea I've seen at my local Korean store is in bags, so I passed it by. But I have a friend who's going to Korean this summer and I'll be making a request. :) Does anyone know of good places in Korea to get green tea? Any good tea houses etc? THanks in advance, and thanks for mentioning it Joanne.

Melinda

chinese. japanese all taste the same to me.

Major Korean department stores all have a wide variety of Korean teas on sale in the tea sections of their food departments (invariably one of the basement level floors). Assuming your friend is visiting Seoul, she could explore the Lotte Department Store in Myong Dong (central Seoul and the city's main shopping area). Many Korean green teas are similar to Japanese green teas, and some are made from Japanese tea plants and processed Japanese-style. However you can also find exquisite hand-made teas produced using traditional techniques in very old tea gardens that are part of Buddhist temples. These can be very expensive, partly because the volumes made are quite small - but they are much closer to Korea's tea making traditions than many other offerings. There are also inexpensive blends of green tea with barley or other grains - these are often imported from China.

David

There are a lot of small tea houses in fashionable areas of Seoul, Pusan and probably any other city. They serve tea with a sweet and also sell teaware and tea leaves. It's nice to buy there or just go to relax. Anyway, their tea leaves are expensive as they only produce higher grades in limited quantities, and the rest systematically becomes tea bags or is mixed as genmaicha. Many times, I have seen cheaper teas, but when I asked, the shopkeeper has explained me it was imported. Many of the "teas" the Korean drink are herbals. In spice markets, she can find thousands of medicinal tisanes and spice mixes to prepare the dessert drinks (like ginger or cinnamon flavored ones) that help you to digest after excesses of Korean food.

Tell her to also get chesnut tea (there's no tea inside) in a supermarket (or in the Lotte duty free shop if she goes there). It's in bags and cheap, I buy tons of that each time I go to Korea, it's a great evening tisane.

Kuri

Excellent, thank you both!

Melinda

"There are a lot of small tea houses in fashionable areas of Seoul, Pusan and probably any other city. They serve tea with a sweet and also sell teaware and tea leaves. It's nice to buy there or just go to relax. Anyway, their tea leaves are expensive as they only produce higher grades in limited quantities, and the rest systematically becomes tea bags or is mixed as genmaicha. Many times, I have seen cheaper teas, but when I asked, the shopkeeper has explained me it was imported. Many of the "teas" the Korean drink are herbals. In spice markets, she can find thousands of medicinal tisanes and spice mixes to prepare the dessert drinks (like ginger or cinnamon flavored ones) that help you to digest after excesses of Korean food.

Tell her to also get chesnut tea (there's no tea inside) in a supermarket (or in the Lotte duty free shop if she goes there). It's in bags and cheap, I buy tons of that each time I go to Korea, it's a great evening tisane.

Kuri"

Japanese green teas seem to have a brightness about them. I find Chinese teas in general somehow smoky. Bancha is an acquired taste, I think, like Puarh, but most all Japanese senchas are mild. Japanese senchas depend greatly on where they are grown and have drastically different qualities. Yabukita is a popular favorite. I bought a nice sumibiyaki (literally "coal fired") sencha in Shizuoka a few months ago. I highly recommend Sayamacha for its sweet taste. Tea is grown in nearly every prefecture up to Tohoku and there is such a variety it is hard to grow tired of it. Even gyokuro or matcha is different based on where it is grown. Japanese green teas are simply a part of life like the air that people breathe here. It is a wonderfully light transition entering that lifestyle.

Rufus Firefly Tokyo

I agree whole heartedly. The last batch I got was a freebie that came with a purchase of a gaiwan. It was their top, organic, Chinese Sencha. I tend to be a bit more forgiving with free tea, but it might as well have been packaging material.

Blues