Solnip-cha (Korean Pine Needle Tea)

Quick answer

Total time: 30 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 6

About this dish

Solnip-cha uses 40 g young pine needles, 4 jujubes, and 12 g fresh ginger in 1,200 ml water to make four servings.

Rinse the needles two or three times under cold running water, then cut them into lengths of about 5 cm with kitchen shears. Halve and pit the jujubes, and peel and thinly slice the ginger before all three ingredients go into the pot. Begin over medium heat and stir lightly so the cut needles and fruit are distributed through the water. As soon as the liquid starts bubbling, reduce the heat to very low and continue for 15 minutes. Keep the total heating time within about 20 minutes because a longer boil can make the pine infusion astringent. Turn off the heat and pass the tea through a fine strainer to remove the needles, jujubes, and ginger. Stir in 30 g honey and 10 ml lemon juice only after the heat is off, checking that the honey has dissolved and the liquid remains clear. The tea can be divided into cups while warm. For a cold version, let it cool completely before refrigerating rather than putting the steaming liquid directly into cold storage.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

young pine needles40 gg

water1200 mlml

jujube4 piecepiece

ginger12 gg

honey30 gg

lemon juice10 mlml

Shop All Ingredients

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Prep

Rinse 40g of young pine needles two or three times under cold running water to remove impurities, then use shears to cut them into five centimeter lengths to enhance flavor extraction.
2

Step

Halve four jujubes to remove the seeds and peel 12g of fresh ginger before slicing it into thin rounds, preparing the ingredients so their beneficial essences can be fully released during brewing.
3

Control

Combine 1200ml of water with the prepared pine needles, jujubes, and ginger in a large pot, then start heating over medium heat while stirring gently to ensure the flavors meld together properly.
4

Control

Once the water begins to boil, reduce the heat to very low and steep for an additional 15 minutes to allow the refreshing pine aroma, sweet jujube, and spicy ginger to infuse deeply.
5

Step

Stop heating and strain the tea through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pitcher, then stir in 30g of honey and 10ml of lemon juice to balance the sweet and acidic flavors.
6

Finish

Serve the tea warm in cups immediately, or let it cool completely and refrigerate to serve chilled, which highlights the crisp and refreshing pine fragrance even more vividly for a clean finish.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Solnip-cha is Korean pine needle tea, so the evergreen resin aroma is the main flavor.
Finish cue: Serve the tea warm in cups immediately, or let it cool completely and refrigerate to serve chilled, which highlights the crisp and refreshing pine fragrance even more vividly for a clean finish.
Avoid this: Avoid overboiling pine needles; keep total simmering around 20 minutes to prevent bitterness.
Storage and reheating: For a cold version, let it cool completely before refrigerating rather than putting the steaming liquid directly into cold storage.