Compare two teas

Side by side across seven dimensions. There is no verdict and no winner — the purpose is to understand the difference, not to be told which to buy.

Korean green tea

녹차

Green tea

Sejak

세작

Green tea

Why these two get confused

Korean tea is graded by picking date rather than by leaf composition, which is a different system from the Chinese and Japanese conventions buyers usually carry over.

Point by point

DimensionKorean green teaSejak
CategoryGreen tea · unoxidisedGreen tea · unoxidised
ProductionIn order: Withering → Kill-green (fixation) → Rolling and shaping. bud and two leaves and spring harvest.In order: Kill-green (fixation) → Rolling and shaping → Drying. bud and one leaf and spring harvest.
OriginSouth Korea — BoseongSouth Korea — Hadong
Flavournutty, grassy and floral. light and smooth in the mouth. Aroma: toasted rice, chestnut, wildflower, light grass. Moderate in character. Moderate in intensity.nutty, grassy and sweet. light and silky in the mouth. Aroma: chestnut, fresh grass, light melon. Moderate in character. Moderate in intensity.
BrewingWestern brewing (teapot or mug): 1.5–2.5 g/100 ml at 70–80 °C, first steep 90s. Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 3–4 g/100 ml at 75–85 °C, first steep 20s of 4 authored.Western brewing (teapot or mug): 1.5–2.5 g/100 ml at 70–80 °C, first steep 90s. Gongfu brewing (gaiwan): 3–4 g/100 ml at 75–85 °C, first steep 20s of 4 authored.
Cultural contextUsed in Korean tea practice (darye). Picking-date terminology is the organising principle. Ujeon is picked before the spring rains and is the most expensive; daejak is the latest, coarsest and cheapest, and is often the better choice for iced or everyday drinking.Not recorded for this tea.
Who may prefer itSomeone who wants presence without being dominated and wants to enjoy it on the first cup. It tolerates an imprecise brew.Someone who wants presence without being dominated and has drunk enough tea to notice what changes between infusions. It rewards attention to leaf weight and timing.

Nothing above is a recommendation. The last row describes the drinker each tea suits, using each tea’s own authored fields and the same sentence structure for both, so neither can be framed as the safe choice.

Brew Korean green tea · Brew Sejak