We live in a country where there are twice as many coffee shops than all the McDonald’s in the world. Koreans are just crazy about coffee. But what about tea? East Asia is known for its love of tea. After all, it’s where tea culture originated. In 2015 alone, China’s tea consumption accounted for about 40% of the world's tea products. In Japan, an average household drinks up to nearly 2 kg of tea annually. In contrast, South Korea stopped at spending 30 tons, even when including the commercial tea drinks. Another significant indicator is comparison to coffee expenditure: an average Korean drinks 350 cups of coffee annually, ranking third in the world. What could be the reason behind such a difference? Why is tea culture so weak in Korea?
There was once a time when tea culture thrived in Korea. Historical records denote that Korea’s tea culture began in Later Silla (AD 828) during the reign of King Heungdeok. It profiliated the most within the Goryeo dynasty (circa AD 1392), which even had a national department that oversaw all services related to tea — a ministry just for tea. And it wasn’t just nobles, but even the general public who had access to tea; there are records of public tea shops, ancient equivalents to today’s Starbucks. Tea was more than a drink; it deeply influenced people’s lives, and its traces can still be found in Korean traditions. Charye, a term for ancestral rituals, which continue to be practiced today during Chuseok, literally means “ritual of tea”.
However, such thriving ended when the Joseon dynasty began. Joseon upheld the ideals of Confucianism; hence Buddhism, the national religion of Goryeo, was harshly oppressed. Buddhist monks were treated as the lowest social class and temples were forced to move into the deep mountains, which the public had little access to. Like how monasteries in the West had preserved and developed the technologies of forging wine, Buddhist temples were the primary institutions that cultivated and developed tea culture. Thus, the oppression of Buddhism signaled the descent of tea culture.
But the political reasons were just one factor. There was also a geological factor in the fall of tea culture in Korea. Historical records show signs of a global Little Ice Age from the 16th to 19th centuries. As a subtropical plant, tea became more difficult to harvest in the Korean peninsula during the Joseon dynasty. Even if Buddhist temples were not oppressed, tea cultivation would still have been limited to southern regions. Tea culture did not completely die out, yet it could not spread throughout the nation as it did before. Furthermore, methods of transportation were limited to wagons and sailboats. Though Joseon had a highly developed market distribution system, it cannot be compared to that of contemporary times. Hence, there was a limit to which tea could be commercialized.
The quality of water also accelerated the decline of tea culture. The Korean peninsula is constructed over a granite field, which meant that naturally purified groundwater met an acceptable standard of drinking water quality. In other regions that contained lime in their waters, alternative methods were needed to provide safe drinking substitutes — Romans developed wine, the Germans developed ale, and the Chinese developed tea to purify the lime in their waters. In that sense, tea was more of a luxury than a necessity to Koreans.
Lastly, though it may sound ironic, Koreans’ definition of “tea” is too broad for tea culture to develop. To Koreans, tea is not limited to water that boils leaves of the tea tree. It extends to water that boils various herbs and even those with grain. For example, bori-cha made from barley seeds and corn-silk tea are widely accepted as “valid” tea. Such substitute teas are more accessible to the public, as commercial products can be easily bought in convenience stores or supermarkets. In 2019, substitute tea market sales have reached over 31 billion KRW and are still increasing. Meanwhile, it is harder for the public to access tea, for it takes the inconvenient process of brewing tea leaves. Thus, the tea and substitute tea are not complementary goods but are competing substitute goods. In contrast, in the coffee industry, ersatz coffee made from acorns and endives are not accepted as coffee. They are just different drinks that provide similar flavor and fragrance.
Yet, there is hope. Tea culture is slowly spreading as tea products are becoming more accessible in the market. With the public’s increasing interest in health, tea is gaining attention in Korea as one method of attaining a healthier life as it provides necessary vitamins and develops the immune system. Furthermore, progress of technology is providing increased production of tea globally, making it easier for consumers to access tea.