Jungjak
Jungjak is the mid-harvest grade of Korean green tea, picked after the delicate ujeon and sejak pluckings but before the coarse, late daejak. It uses slightly larger, more developed leaves, giving more body and a stronger, rounder flavor than the prized early grades while staying smoother than daejak. The variable that matters most is its place in the ladder: jungjak is the value sweet spot of Korean green.
Jungjak leaf is larger and more open than the tiny buds of ujeon or sejak but still reasonably tidy and deep green, reflecting a mid-spring pluck. Expect a fuller body, a rounder vegetal-sweet flavor and a little more briskness than the early grades, without daejak's coarseness. Well-made jungjak, hand-finished in the Korean pan-fired (deokkeum) tradition, tastes nutty and roasted-sweet rather than raw or grassy; harsh bitterness, scorching or a flat papery taste are the things to avoid. As with all Korean green, the grade reflects harvest timing rather than region.
Jungjak is made across Korea's main tea regions: Hadong, Boseong and Jeju. The grade name marks a mid-spring harvest, gathered after the early pluckings have passed but before the leaf grows fully coarse, with the timing keyed to the solar-term calendar rather than to a cultivar or estate. Most quality Korean green, jungjak included, is pan-fired by hand in the Hadong style, which gives it a characteristic gentle roast over the leaf's natural sweetness.
Western: 75-80°C, 3 g per 200 ml, 1-2 minutes, 2-3 infusions; it is more forgiving than the early grades but still happier below boiling. Korean practice often cools the water in a bowl (sukwu) before pouring. Jungjak's extra body means it holds up well to a second and third steep.
€15-35 (about $16-38) per 100 g for typical jungjak, above daejak but well below the early ujeon and sejak grades. It is widely considered the best balance of quality and price in the Korean green range.
Prices reviewed June 2026
Korea grades green tea by pluck date against the solar terms rather than by region; jungjak sits in the middle of that calendar, which is exactly why it is so often recommended as the everyday Korean green that gives most of the early-harvest character at a far gentler price.