Korean Persimmon Leaf Tea
Hard boiling makes this tea bitter and astringent. Heat 16 g rinsed dried persimmon leaves and 3 g dried tangerine peel in 1.3 L water until small bubbles gather at the edge, add the thin pear slices, lower the heat right away, and simmer gently for 12 minutes. Strain without squeezing the leaves or pear, then stir in 2 tbsp honey while the tea is still warm.
Quick answer
- Total time
- 26 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 6
About this dish
Persimmon leaves never reach a hard boil here; they steep gently in water held just short of boiling.
Read more
A rolling boil, or squeezing the leaves when straining, makes the tea astringent and cloudy. Thin slices of unpeeled pear steep along with them, and the dried tangerine peel is kept to a small pinch.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Place 16 g dried persimmon leaves and 3 g dried tangerine peel in a sieve.
Rinse briefly under cold water, just enough to remove surface dust, then shake well so the leaves do not start soaking too early.
- 2
Wash 60 g Korean pear thoroughly and slice it thinly with the skin on, cutting around the core.
Keep the slices even so their sweetness extracts at the same pace and does not turn the tea cloudy.
- 3
Pour 1300 ml water into a pot and add the rinsed leaves and tangerine peel.
Heat over high heat until steam rises and small bubbles gather at the edge, stopping before a rolling boil develops.
- 4
Add the pear slices, then immediately lower the heat.
Simmer gently for 12 minutes, with only light movement in the liquid; if it bubbles hard, reduce the heat further to prevent bitterness and harsh astringency.
- 5
Turn off the heat when the tea looks clear yellow and the grassy aroma softens.
Strain through a fine sieve without pressing the leaves or pear, because squeezing can push bitterness and pulp into the tea.
- 6
While the tea is still warm, stir in 2 tbsp honey until none remains on the bottom.
Sprinkle only a very thin layer of 0.3 tsp ground cinnamon, so it adds aroma without covering the persimmon leaf flavor.
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