5 from 117 votes
Korean plum tea recipe (green maesil cha) (ume) (suanmei)
Korean plum tea is made by mixing Korean plum syrup with water, suitable served hot, cold, iced, or sparkling. The syrup imparts a sweet, slightly tangy flavor that can be balanced with optional honey for additional sweetness. A few toasted pine nuts on top add a subtle nutty contrast to the drink's smooth texture.
Prep Time
1 min
Cook Time
1 min
Servings:
1
person
Course:
Drinks
Cuisine:
Chinese, Japanese, Korean
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Korean plum syrup Shop-bought or homemade works, maesil-cheong or Korean plum syrup
- 1 Cup water Hot water, cold water, iced water, or sparkling water all work!
- honey I drink mine unsweetened but if you have a super sweet tooth, add some honey. The plum syrup does have a few flavour notes in common with cough syrup so if you have a very sensitive palate (it's not super obvious), adding honey helps to reduce the cough mixture taste!, to taste, optional
- 1-2 pine nuts lightly toasted, sprinkled on the tea, optional
Instructions
- Add 3 tablespoons of the maesil syrup to the water (hot/ iced/ cold/ sparkling) and mix well. Remember to only use a wooden spoon if you're dipping into your jar of home-made maesil syrup! Add honey, to taste, if you like it extra sweet.
- Sprinkle the pine nuts on top, serve with some cookies and enjoy!
Cup of Yum
Notes
- Use a wooden spoon when stirring homemade maesil syrup to preserve its quality.
- Lightly toast pine nuts to enhance their flavor before sprinkling on the tea.
- Chill sparkling water well before mixing for optimal refreshment.
- If adding citrus juice like lime or lemon, omit the pine nuts to maintain flavor balance.