Types of Tea consumed in Korea
As Korean tea was influenced by China, the first type used by the Koreans was the pressed black tea from China. This was popular and it had a presence in the royal court as well. Nevertheless traveling Buddhist monks brought over plants of tea to Korea and they were grown to give a more delicate taste as opposed to the dark, strong tea from China.
Koreans love green tea known as "chugno" or "chaksol" and it is often served after meals, and in general at home.
Other types include Sejak or Jakseol meaning “sparrow tongue” tea, which is so referred because the tender leaves are plucked when they are of the size of a sparrow's tongue. Named for areas it is grown sometimes, names worth mentioning are Jookro, Chunhachoon, Okcheon, and Woojeon.
Koreans also enjoy types of herbal and spiced teas, for e.g. chrysanthemum tea, mugwort tea and persimmon leaf tea.
Korean teas are categorized into five tastes; bitterness of the tea, astringency, sourness, sweetness and saltiness. They prefer fresh tea to aged tea. Various areas according to the climate and soil situations produce tea with different characteristics referring to the five taste elements. For e.g. in Jeju Island, tea is salty due to the ocean being closer to them.