Solnip-cha (Korean Pine Needle Tea)
Quick answer
Solnip-cha is Korean pine needle tea, a clean herbal brew made by simmering young pine needles with jujubes and sliced ginger.
What makes this special
- Solnip-cha is Korean pine needle tea, so the evergreen resin aroma is the main flavor.
- Pine needles cut to 5cm to maximize surface area for resin extraction
- Over 20 minutes over-extracts resin and turns bitter; timing is key
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Rinse 40g of young pine needles two or three times under cold running water...
- 2 Halve four jujubes to remove the seeds and peel 12g of fresh ginger before s...
- 3 Combine 1200ml of water with the prepared pine needles, jujubes, and ginger...
Solnip-cha is Korean pine needle tea, a clean herbal brew made by simmering young pine needles with jujubes and sliced ginger. This pine needle tea recipe depends on careful washing, short cuts, and a low simmer so the evergreen aroma infuses without resin bitterness. Jujubes bring gentle sweetness, ginger softens the pine's sharp edge, and honey with lemon is stirred in after straining for a bright finish.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
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.
- 2Step
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.
- 3Control
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.
- 4Control
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.
- 5Step
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.
- 6Finish
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.
After the steps
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