It is now harvest time for green tea on the island. This year, favorable weather conditions have made for a better quality tea leaf and a more bountiful harvest. For tea lovers, the chance to pick and prepare your own leaves is a unique experience. Joseph Kim has more.
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Seogwipo branch of Jeju Agricultural Research and Extension Services

Near the Seogwipo branch of the Jeju Agricultural Research and Extension Services lies a green tea field where tourists can go and pick their own green tea.

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Tourists enjoy picking their own tea leaves

At the tea leaf harvesting event, participants can be seen filling their baskets, carefully picking young, green leaves.

To enhance the flavor of the tea, the freshly picked raw tea leaves are then roasted in pots and then rolled by hand.

The tea leaves are then repeatedly steamed and dried a total of nine times. The steaming and drying process is a key factor in determining the tea's flavor, aroma and color.

INTERVIEW
Seo Jae-myeong / Visitor
The weather is nice, and I enjoyed picking the tea leaves. Now I’m roasting the tea leaves. I’m really enjoying the aroma.
<인터뷰 : 서재명 전후남/서귀포시 남원읍>
"날씨도 좋고 새순 따는 것도 재미있고 직접 향기 맡으면서 덖으니까 좋아요."

The high quality of this year’s green tea crop has been attributed to favorable weather conditions and a lack of early morning frost, which can hinder the development of the leaves.

INTERVIEW
Yang Chang-yun / Representative, O’sulloc Tea Farm
Weather conditions are favorable for tea leaves. We were fortunate in that there was no frost damage this year. Not only are the quality of the leaves good, but the harvest is abundant.
<인터뷰 : 양창윤/오설록농장 돌송이차밭 소장>
"올해는 기후와 강우량이 적당해서 녹차 품질과 수확량이 좋습니다.
봄철 서리피해를 입지 않아 좋습니다."

[REPORTER]
Joseph Kim

In terms of quality, Jeju remains among the top three green tea producing areas in the world, alongside Japan and China. The aroma of this year’s green tea harvest is sure to attract tea lovers from all over.

Joseph Kim KCTV