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Walk into almost any restaurant in Seoul and sit down. Before you order, someone will put a steel cup of pale brown liquid in front of you. It isn't water, and it isn't coffee. It's barley tea, and in Korea it's simply what you drink while you decide what to eat.
That's the thing most tea guides miss. In Korea, tea isn't a ceremony you schedule. It's the pitcher in the fridge in August, the mug your mother hands you when you come home with a cold, the small paper cup at the end of a company dinner. Here's what's in those cups, written from our office in Seoul.
Barley Tea (보리차)
Roasted barley steeped in hot water, then usually chilled. It tastes toasty and slightly sweet, with no bitterness and no caffeine. Nearly every Korean household keeps a two-liter bottle of it in the fridge through the summer, and it's what most Korean kids grow up drinking instead of water. If you ever wondered what the free tea at a Korean BBQ restaurant is, this is it.
Corn Silk Tea (옥수수수염차)
Made from the silky threads inside a corn husk. It's gently sweet, golden, and sold cold in every convenience store in the country. It became a national habit after a 2000s ad campaign tied it to a slim face, which is a very Korean piece of marketing history. Mostly, people drink it because it's easy to drink a lot of.
OSULLOC Yuja Earl Grey, Korean citrus meets bergamot. Source: Daebak. Shop it here.
Yuja Tea (유자차)
Not a leaf tea at all. Yuja, a fragrant citrus somewhere between a lemon and a grapefruit, is sliced thin and packed in sugar or honey until it becomes a thick marmalade. You spoon it into hot water. Every Korean family has a jar in the cupboard for the first cold of the winter, and the smell of it opening is one of those things that instantly means December here.
Jujube and Omija Tea (대추차, 오미자차)
Jujube tea is made from dried Korean red dates, simmered until it's dark and almost syrupy. Omija means "five-flavor berry," and it genuinely tastes sweet, sour, salty, bitter and pungent at once, usually served cold in summer. Both are the teas you get at a traditional teahouse in Insadong rather than at home.
OSULLOC Berry Garden Green Tea from Jeju Island. Source: Daebak. Shop it here.
Green Tea from Jeju
Korea does grow its own green tea, most famously on Jeju Island, where volcanic soil and sea air produce a softer, less grassy leaf than Japanese sencha. OSULLOC is the brand that made Jeju tea known worldwide, and their tea museum on the island sits right in the middle of the fields. Their blends are a good place to start if you want Korean green tea without committing to loose leaf.
A few of our favorites:
- OSULLOC Camellia Forest Tea: green tea with a soft floral finish, the one we reach for first
- OSULLOC Yuja Earl Grey: bergamot plus Korean citrus, a very good introduction
- OSULLOC Moon Walk Tea: roasted and nutty, good in the evening
- OSULLOC Organic Premium Matcha Powder: Jeju matcha, softer than most
- OSULLOC Milky Oolong Tea: naturally creamy, no milk needed
OSULLOC Camellia Forest Tea, our first pick for Korean green tea. Source: Daebak. Shop it here.
Kombucha, the Korean Way
Kombucha in Korea took a different path than it did in the US. Instead of refrigerated bottles, it's sold as powder in stick packs that you stir into cold water. TEAZEN is the brand that started it, and it became a genuine phenomenon here after a member of BTS was seen drinking it. Shine Muscat and Green Mandarin Lime are the two most Korean flavors on the shelf.
TEAZEN Kombucha Shine Muscat, Korean kombucha in stick form. Source: Daebak. Shop it here.
Where to Start
If you want the everyday Korean experience, start with a roasted grain tea and drink it cold. If you want something to give as a gift, the OSULLOC Premium Tea Collection covers a lot of ground in one box. If you're curious about Korean tea but don't want to choose, our Daebak Box often includes a tea we're drinking in the office that season.
OSULLOC Premium Tea Collection, the easiest Korean tea gift. Source: Daebak. Shop it here.
How Koreans Brew It
Two things surprise most people. First, we rarely time it. Tea bags go in the cup and stay there. Second, most grain teas are brewed strong, then poured over ice and kept in the fridge for days. Yuja tea is the exception that deserves care: two heaping spoons per mug, hot but not boiling water, and stir until the citrus peel floats.
Written from our office in Seoul, where the office fridge currently holds two liters of barley tea.
