''Maesil-cha'' () or plum tea is a
traditional Korean tea made from ''
maesil
''Prunus mume'' is an East Asian and Southeast Asian tree species classified in the ''Armeniaca'' section of the genus ''Prunus'' subgenus ''Prunus''. Its common names include Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, long ...
'' (fresh plums), ''
omae'' (smoked plums), or ''
maesil-cheong
''Cheong'' () is a name for various sweetened foods in the form of syrups, marmalades, and fruit preserves. In Korean cuisine, ''cheong'' is used as a tea base, as a honey-or-sugar-substitute in cooking, as a condiment, and also as an alternativ ...
'' (plum syrup).
Preparation
Most commonly, ''maesil-cha'' is made by mixing ''
maesil-cheong
''Cheong'' () is a name for various sweetened foods in the form of syrups, marmalades, and fruit preserves. In Korean cuisine, ''cheong'' is used as a tea base, as a honey-or-sugar-substitute in cooking, as a condiment, and also as an alternativ ...
'' (plum syrup) with hot or cold water.
Sometimes, plum tea is made with plum extract, made by grating green plums, mixing it with small amount of water and juicing through hemp cloth, and sun-drying it.
The extract is kept in a glass container in a cool area, and mixed with hot water to make tea.
Plum tea made with
smoked plum
Smoked plum is the smoked fruit of Asian plums, used in East Asian cuisine and medicine. It is called ''wūméi'' () in Mandarin, ''omae'' (; ) in Korean, ''ubai'' (; ) in Japanese, and ''Ô mai '' in Vietnamese.
Overview
Smoked plums, matte b ...
s are usually called ''
omae-cha'' ("smoked plum tea").
See also
* ''
Maehwa-cha
''Maehwa-cha'' () or plum blossom tea is a traditional Korean tea made by infusing dried flowers of Korean plum in hot water. During the early spring, half-open buds of plum blossoms are picked, dried, and preserved in honey. It is served, wit ...
'' – plum blossom tea
* ''
Maesil-ju
''Maesil-ju'' (), also called plum wine, plum liquor, or plum liqueur, is an alcoholic drink infused with '' maesil'' (plums).The exact origins of ''Maesil-ju'' are unknown, but it is thought to date back to the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392).
Ingre ...
'' – plum wine
* ''
Suānméitāng'' – Chinese sour plum drink
References
Herbal tea
Korean tea
{{Tea-stub