Green Tea Plantations

This past Sunday, Blair and I went to the Boseong Green Tea Plantations. Our journey began early in the morning and after 6 hours of traveling on three different buses we arrived at the green tea fields around mid-afternoon. Unlike most cities and towns in Korea, Boseong and most places westward of Daegu are a little more difficult to get to because there are no direct trains linking the areas. Nonetheless, the long journey by means of bus wasn't too bad.

The plantations in Boseong date back to the 1930s when colonialists from Japan established the area’s first commercial tea plantation. The area was chosen because of its soil, humidity, and day-night temperature differences which is perfect for tea cultivation.

We were dropped off along the road near the green tea fields and we quickly made our past small souvenir and green tea shops. Along the way, we decided to grab some green tea ice cream. The ice cream was delicious, I even contemplated getting seconds. As we ate our ice cream, we slowly made our way to the entrance of the green tea fields. Once inside, we were impressed how big the area actually was, it is setup much like a park. One can easily spend many hours exploring the fields, trails, and surrounding forest.

The green tea plants were aligned in winding rows which grew up the mountainside. It was an amazing sight to see even from the bottom. We slowly made our way upward through the winding rows of green tea plants and arrived at the top after a bit of hike. The view of the sweeping field was even more amazing from the top. The view was calming as the scent of green tea gently floated upon the breeze. On our way out, we stopped at a tea shop and enjoyed a freshly brewed pot of tea for only 1,000 won (about a dollar). I’m a big fan of green tea (it’s my favorite) and this tea was one of the best I've ever had.

After spending the afternoon at the plantation, we started making our way back to Daegu. We arrived back in Daegu just before midnight. It was a long day that included a lot of traveling, but it was totally worth it.