Woojeon

Korea has an ancient yet chequered tea culture, which is strongly linked to the rise and fall of the country's social and political fortunes over the centuries. Introduced by Buddhist monks returning from China during the 6th century AD, tea drinking and its production became an everyday part of Korean life, until the middle of the next millennium, when the rise of Confucianism and the Seven Year's War all but destroyed it. A mild resurgence occurred at the end of the 19th century, but the main renaissance came after the Second World War, due to the venerable Hyo Dang's writing and establishment of tea schools. Tea is now widely grown in the south of the country and a Korean tea ceremony has also developed unique to the country.

Jeju Island where our Woojeon green tea is grown lies to the south of mainland Korea, in the Korean Strait, and is a volcanic, sub-tropical island perfect for producing excellent teas.
Four distinct seasons in South Korea determine the type of tea produced. The first season starts in Mid April and the fourth ends in late summer. Woojeon means "before the rains", (before April 20th), and is the first season of the year - just as first flush is the first season in Darjeeling, India. The leaves are tender and young, full of softer polyphenols and packed with superior amino acids, producing a sweet, delicate, mildly vegetal and umami tea. 

Sometimes woojeon is also known as Jaksul or "Sparrows tongues" because the newly formed first season's buds look like little sparrows tongues!