TeaHQ

Ujeon

The earliest and most expensive grade of Korean green tea, picked before gogu — the spring rains — in late April. The tiny leaf and short harvest window make it scarce, and it is the clearest expression of the delicate, nutty Korean style.

Green teaDelicate intensityIntermediate to appreciate우전
Brew at 65–75 °CUse 1.5–2.5 g per 100 mlFirst steep 90sWestern brewing (teapot or mug)Full schedule and equipment →

Character

Fine, sweet and nutty, with more delicacy and less body than the later Korean grades. The picking-date naming is the whole grading system here, and ujeon sits at the top of it.

Flavour
Nutty, Sweet, Umami, Floral
Aroma
Toasted, Fresh
Mouthfeel
Light, Silky
Complexity
Layered
Notes
toasted rice, chestnut, wildflower, cream
Aftertaste
Delicate, nutty and sweet.

Delicate intensity: light in the mouth with little grip. forgiving of a long steep.

Provenance and production

Origin
South Korea
Region
Boseong
Oxidation
Unoxidised
Harvest
First flush
Processing
Withering → Pan-firing (Chinese fixation) → Rolling and shaping

History

The first Korean picking, taken before the spring rains, and the grade most closely tied to the temple cultivation that kept Korean tea alive through centuries of official disfavour.

Brewing

No caffeine estimate is authored for this tea. TeaHQ does not infer one from its category, because category predicts caffeine poorly — matcha and gyokuro carry more than many black teas.

If you like this

Grouped by why they were suggested, strongest reason first. Nothing here is a blended score — a suggestion appears under the best reason that exists for it, and never under a weaker one as well.

Editorially linked

Someone wrote down why these two belong together. The note below is theirs.

  • Longjing

    Pan-fired, chestnut-sweet and delicate. The Korean tea is the closer analogue to Longjing than any Japanese green.

  • Sejak

    The first and second Korean pickings. Ujeon is picked before the spring rains and is the most expensive Korean tea; the gap in the cup is smaller than the gap in price.

Similar sensory profile

Shares controlled flavour, aroma and mouthfeel descriptors. A looser match — two teas can share descriptors and still taste nothing alike.

  • Meng Ding Gan Lu

    Shares 7 descriptors with Ujeon: sweet, nutty, floral, umami, light, silky and fresh.

  • Bai Ji Guan

    Shares 6 descriptors with Ujeon: sweet, floral, nutty, light, silky and fresh.

  • Meng Ding Huang Ya

    Shares 6 descriptors with Ujeon: sweet, nutty, floral, light, silky and toasted.

  • Anji Bai Cha

    Shares 5 descriptors with Ujeon: sweet, umami, light, silky and fresh.

  • Anji Bai Cha supreme

    Shares 5 descriptors with Ujeon: sweet, umami, light, silky and fresh.

  • Bai Hao Yin Zhen (Silver Needle)

    Shares 5 descriptors with Ujeon: sweet, floral, light, silky and fresh.

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