Simply explorer: May 2015

There’s a place in your heart, and I know that it is green tea love*

(*Title inspired by Michael Jackson’s Heal the World Song)

Mother Nature sure got her way to endlessly astonish us. Who would have thought that Green Tea will be this magnificent? Green Tea Lover? Then Boseong Green Tea Grand Festival (보성다향대축제) is specifically made for you. Held annually every May in Boseong Tea Plantation.

Indulge yourself in one of Korea’s finest and pride, the Boseong Green Tea Plantation. Boseong is dubbed as the cradle or birthplace of the commercial tea civilization of Korea and home to endless green vista, tree-lined roads with cedars and considered to be the largest tea producer in the country. The greenery of Boseong have been utilized as the natural backdrop and perfect shooting location for a number of movies, TV show, and even commercial firms in Korea. What more can you ask for Yulpo seashore is just around the corner so foreigners and natives alike sure have tons of activities to do when one decided to pay visit in this wonderful place.

A MATTER OF HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE

The very first Green Tea Festival was held on the hillside Hwalseongsan Mountain located inside the tea plantation on May 12, 1985. Since then the county held a variety of tea events which includes the ritual to give praise to the Tea God and to pray for a good harvest of tea, picking tea leaves, making of green tea and also competition for best Tea Lady. In 2009, the Tea festival was renamed from Boseong Tea Festival to Boseong Green Tea Festival. From then on Boseong country has been on its race to become the representative tea culture festival in the country.

Another source of pride for Boseong is that the green tea produced in the plantation was selected as the official drink of Lee So Yeon, Korea’s very first astronaut in his journey in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft launched on April 8, 2008.

Aside from being a healthy and nutritious drink rich in various antioxidants and nutrients, green tea offers a great pragmatic health benefits proven by scientific researches.

GREEN TEA IN KOREA

In Korea, green tea is among the most popular ingredient for desserts together with sweet potato (고구마 in Korean). Green tea provides a number of mouth-watering and delicious desserts ranging from green tea ice cream, green tea latte, green tea candy, and green tea cake among others.

For green tea lovers I highly recommend that you visit this place. The ideal months to visit the Boseong Dawon Green Tea Plantation is at the beginning of May until August so you will be able to enjoy as well the temperate climate of the Jeollanam province.

For more detailed information about the Boseong Green Tea Grand Festival (보성다향대축제) visit this website http://dahyang.boseong.go.kr/index.boseong
* Languages available: Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese

For more detailed information about Boseong County visit this website http://english.boseong.go.kr/index.boseong
* Languages available: Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese

Venue: Korea Tea Culture Park and around Boseong Tea Plantation

Festival Period: Usually held every third week of May for it is the peak season for harvesting green tea leaves.

For Inquiries feel free to contact them at 061-850-5885

Activities during the festival
* First-hand Experience Programs includes picking of tea leaves, green tea making, tea bowl making, tea food making, green tea beauty and health experience, green tea rice cake making, green tea sampling, green tea soap making, tour to green tea field among others

* Exhibitions available to visitors includes Boseong Tea exhibition and sales, tea seedling exhibition, tea bowl exhibition, green tea photo exhibition, green tea food sampling and sales, Boseong local specialties and produce among others

Address: 775 Nokcha-ro, Boseong-eup, Boseong-gun, Jeollanam-do (전라남도 보성군 보성읍 녹차로 775)

Getting there via Express Bus

From Seoul Express Bus Terminal