Chuseok: Which Korean Green Tea to Serve for the Harvest Festival?
Chuseok: which Korean green tea to serve for the harvest festival?
From Hadong to Jeju, by way of Boseong: our new selection of loose leaf green teas to accompany Korea's great autumn festival.
In Seoul, the streets empty, the stations fill up and the shops overflow with gift sets: Chuseok has arrived. For three days, millions of Koreans return to their hometowns to honour their ancestors, share a festive meal and watch the most beautiful full moon of the year rise.
At the heart of these reunions, a quiet gesture has crossed the centuries: serving tea. This article tells you about the place of tea in Chuseok, explains what the names Ujeon, Sejak and Jakseol mean, and introduces our new selection of loose leaf Korean green teas, designed to recreate the festive atmosphere at home.
1. Chuseok, the Korean harvest festival
Chuseok (추석), also called Hangawi, is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, at the time of the autumn full moon. In 2026, it falls on Friday 25 September, with three public holidays from Thursday 24 to Saturday 26 September. Together with Seollal (the lunar New Year), it is the most important festival in the Korean calendar.
Its roots are agricultural: people thank the earth for the year's harvest and taste the new rice and the first autumn fruits. Families visit the graves of their ancestors (seongmyo), clear weeds and tend the burial sites (beolcho), then gather around a generous table. In the evening, they gaze at the moon and make a wish.
It is impossible to speak of Chuseok without mentioning songpyeon, the little half-moon shaped rice cake filled with sesame, beans or chestnut, steamed on a bed of pine needles. Making songpyeon as a family remains one of the most anticipated moments of the festival.
In Korea, Chuseok is also the great gift-giving season. Gift sets of fruit, traditional pastries or tea are exchanged between neighbours, colleagues and family members, often wrapped in a bojagi, the traditional Korean wrapping cloth.
2. Charye: when tea was at the centre of the rite
On the morning of Chuseok, many families perform the charye (차례), the rite of homage to ancestors. A carefully ordered offering table is set: new rice, songpyeon, savoury pancakes (jeon), seasonal fruit, fish, rice cakes.
The word itself tells a story. Written in Chinese characters 茶禮, charye literally means "the tea rite". In the days of the Silla and Goryeo kingdoms, when tea culture flourished on the peninsula, tea was among the offerings presented to ancestors. Over the course of the Joseon dynasty, it was gradually replaced in most households by rice wine or clear water, but the name remained.
Today, a growing number of Korean families and tea houses are putting tea back in the spotlight during the charye. Serving a young leaf green tea during Chuseok means reconnecting with the original meaning of this rite.
3. Ujeon, Sejak, Jakseol: understanding young leaf teas
In Korea, green teas are traditionally graded by the time of harvest, marked by the calendar of 24 solar terms. The central marker is Gogu (곡우), "grain rain", which falls around 20 April.
Ujeon (우전, 雨前), "before the rain", refers to the very first buds picked before Gogu. It is the rarest and most sought-after grade: a soft infusion, with no bitterness, rich in umami.
Sejak (세작), "small sprouts", covers the young leaves harvested around Gogu and in the following weeks. It is the ideal balance between delicacy and character, the everyday green tea of Korean enthusiasts.
Jakseol (작설, 雀舌) means "sparrow's tongue", referring to the fine, pointed shape of the young leaves at picking time. It is a poetic, ancient name, found in classical Korean texts to designate young leaf green tea.
Next come Jungjak and Daejak, with larger leaves harvested later in the season. Our new selection deliberately focuses on young leaves: the finest, softest teas, the ones you serve when welcoming guests.
4. Our new selection of loose leaf green teas
For Chuseok, we have brought together four new arrivals that cover the great terroirs of Korean tea: Hadong and Mount Jirisan, the volcanic island of Jeju and the hills of Boseong. One common thread: young, unoxidised leaves, crafted to preserve their freshness.
Good Herb, Hadong young leaf green tea
Hadong is considered one of the oldest tea-producing regions in Korea, with a tradition of about 1,200 years. The Hwagae gardens grow on the foothills of Mount Jirisan, nourished by the mist of the Seomjin River and large temperature swings between day and night. This Jakseol-cha offers a clean, delicate cup, a soft vegetal aroma and a refreshing finish. Its generous 120g size makes it the ideal tea for welcoming the whole family.
For a traditional presentation, simply place 5 to 6 leaves in a small cup and watch them slowly unfurl in the water.
Hadong, Jirisan · Loose leaf 120gGood Herb Thé Vert Jirisan Hadong Jeunes Feuilles→
Looking for an exceptional tea for the morning of Chuseok? Our Ujeon La Première Rosée de Jirisan comes from the same terroir: the very first buds hand-picked before Gogu, a cup with no bitterness and notes of fresh chestnut and spring orchid, which can be re-steeped 3 to 4 times.
Grand cru · Ssanggye Collection · 30gUjeon La Première Rosée de Jirisan→
OSULLOC Jeju Sejak, loose leaf
Founded in 1979 with the ambition of reviving Korean tea culture, the house of Osulloc grows its organic gardens on the volcanic island of Jeju, at Seogwang, Dolsongi and Hannam. Near Mount Sanbangsan, mist and clouds give the tea plants natural shade. Picked around Gogu, this Sejak is crafted using a Korean method that combines steaming and pan roasting: soft flavour, subtle aroma, a delicately coloured cup.
Jeju · Loose leaf 40gOSULLOC Thé Vert Sejak de Jeju→
Nokchawon roasted Jakseol-cha
At Nokchawon (녹차원), the Jakseol-cha is designed to reveal the natural colour, aroma and flavour of the young leaf. Gently steeped in lukewarm water, it gives a golden green cup, soft and smooth, with a clean finish. An accessible tea that is very easy to enjoy, perfect for a first discovery of Korean green tea.
Korea · Loose leaf 40gNokchawon Jakseol-cha Thé Vert Torréfié→
Matcha de Boseong: Éclat Biologique
Boseong, in Jeollanam-do, is famous for its terraced tea hills and its mild, humid climate. This organic matcha is made from first and second flush leaves, shaded for about 20 days before harvest then stone-ground. The result: a vivid green, a rich and smooth flavour, a pronounced umami and a naturally soft finish. A typically Korean interpretation of matcha, to whisk or to fold into your festive desserts.
Boseong · Organic · 100gMatcha de Boseong : Éclat Biologique→5. Which tea with which Chuseok sweet?
The Chuseok table blends the sweet, the toasty and the fruity. Each tea in the selection naturally finds its place.
With songpyeon and rice cakes: the Jeju Sejak, soft and lightly roasted, complements the tender texture of the rice and the sesame fillings without ever overpowering them.
With honey pastries: yakgwa, the royal pastry of honey and sesame oil, calls for a clean, fresh tea. The Hadong Jakseol-cha cleanses the palate between bites.
With savoury pancakes (jeon): the roasted Nokchawon Jakseol-cha, round and smooth, balances the toasty side of vegetable or fish jeon.
With autumn fruit: Korean pear, persimmon, jujube or chestnut pair wonderfully with the Ujeon, whose fresh chestnut notes prolong the season.
For dessert: the Boseong matcha can be whisked in a bowl or folded into a rice cake, an ice cream or a cream, for a touch of vivid green on the festive table.
Fine foods · Traditional pastryYakgwa Artisanal au Potiron et Miel→6. Preparing a loose leaf Korean green tea well
The golden rule for young leaf Korean green teas: never boiling water. The younger and finer the leaf, the gentler the water should be. Simply let freshly simmered water cool for a few minutes, or pour it first into an empty cup before pouring it over the leaves, as Korean tradition has it.
Good Herb Hadong: 70 to 80°C, 2 to 3 minutes, adjusted to the strength you want.
OSULLOC Sejak: 70°C, about 1 minute 30, two teaspoons of leaves.
Nokchawon Jakseol-cha: about 68°C, 2 minutes, then stir gently before serving.
Jirisan Ujeon: 60 to 65°C, 3g for 150ml, 60 seconds, 3 to 4 infusions possible.
Matcha de Boseong: sift 1.5 to 2g into a bowl, add 70ml of water at 75°C, whisk in a zigzag until a fine foam forms.
Young leaf teas happily take a second steeping. Keep the leaves in the teapot and slightly increase the steeping time with each cup: you will discover a different profile with every serving, ideal for stretching out a long Chuseok evening.
7. Frequently asked questions
When is Chuseok in 2026?
Chuseok falls on Friday 25 September 2026, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. Public holidays in South Korea run from Thursday 24 to Saturday 26 September 2026.
What is the difference between Ujeon and Sejak?
Ujeon is picked before Gogu, the grain rain, around 20 April: these are the very first buds, the rarest. Sejak is harvested around Gogu and in the following weeks, with leaves that are still young but slightly more developed, for a more assertive cup.
What does Jakseol-cha mean?
Jakseol (雀舌) means "sparrow's tongue". This traditional Korean name designates a young leaf green tea, referring to the fine, pointed shape of the leaves at harvest.
Why is the Chuseok rite called charye?
Charye is written 茶禮, literally "the tea rite". In the Silla and Goryeo eras, tea was among the offerings to ancestors. It was later often replaced by rice wine, but the name was kept.
K-dramas are full of lessons about tea: read our article on what the series teach us about tea rituals.