Boseong vs Hadong
Korea’s two main tea areas differ in almost every structural respect: one is a large-scale planted district and the tea most likely to leave the country, the other is the oldest recorded growing area and still substantially seed-grown on steep slopes.
growing region
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Boseong | Hadong |
|---|---|---|
| Position | South coast of the peninsula, South Jeolla. | South Gyeongsang, on the Seomjin river. |
| Elevation | Roughly 50 to 400 m. | Roughly 100 to 700 m. |
| How the tea grows | Planted in terraced rows at scale. | Much of it still from seed on steep, wild-ish slopes rather than in planted rows. |
| Historical position | The largest district, and the modern face of Korean tea. | The oldest recorded tea-growing area in Korea. |
| What reaches export | Most Korean green tea sold outside the country. | Less, and usually at the premium end. |
| Consistency | High, as planted rows allow. | Variable, because a seed-grown population is variable by definition. |
| Fixation | Pan-fired, as is Korean practice. | Pan-fired likewise. |
The short answer
Korea is small enough as a producer that most buyers meet one district and take it for the country. Hadong’s seed-grown slopes give a less uniform and often more interesting tea, and are the reason Korean green tea is worth a second look for anyone who tried it once.
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