What is jujube tea?

Jujube tea is a single-use tea bag made from dried jujube flesh. Simply place the tea bag in hot water and steep for 1–2 minutes to fully enjoy the natural taste and aroma of jujubes. Jujube tea is highly drinkable, offering the inherent sweetness and subtle fragrance of the fruit. Traditionally, it is a classic tea that our ancestors enjoyed as both a health tonic and a flavorful beverage. Below is a brief introduction to the jujube, the ingredient used in our tea.

Jujube (棗)

The jujube is a fruit that is placed at the very front of the ritual table during ancestral rites (charye), specifically at the first position on the left. During weddings, it is customary for the bride to receive jujubes in her skirt from her parents-in-law when she performs her first bow. As such, the jujube is deeply rooted in our traditional culture. Because the fruit and wood of the jujube tree were used for various purposes—including food, health, ornamentation, and tools—it was an indispensable and vital tree in the lives of our ancestors.

Even today, in our modernized urban lives, we continue to enjoy jujubes in dishes such as samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), yaksik (sweet rice with nuts and jujubes), sikhye (sweet rice punch), rice cakes, traditional confectioneries, and tea. Fresh jujubes are crunchy and sweet, making them a delicious snack. While they are often eaten raw, fresh jujubes are difficult to store for long periods, so they are typically dried or processed into jujube extract, vinegar, preserves, slices, wine, or honey-soaked jujubes. In some parts of northern and northeastern India, fresh jujubes are even eaten with salt or chili slices.

For health purposes, jujube leaves, fresh fruit, dried fruit, and seeds are widely utilized. The jujube is a drupe, where the seed is enclosed by a hard endocarp. The top right of the image below shows the jujube seed, which is called 'in' (仁) in Chinese characters. When you extract and crack open the hard endocarp (stone) embedded inside the flesh, it is usually divided into two compartments, each containing a seed. These seeds are sometimes roasted and ground into powder. Known as 'sanjoin', seeds from the wild jujube are a very famous health supplement in traditional medicine.

Origin of the name 'Jujube'

Since it is estimated that jujubes were introduced to the Korean Peninsula before the Three Kingdoms period, one might expect a purely native Korean name, but that does not seem to be the case. At the time, the Sino-Korean term 大棗 (pronounced 'dae-jo' today) was used as a loanword. The first mention of the jujube in Hangul records was written as 'daecho'. The term evolved from the loanword 大棗: 大棗 ('daecho') > 'daechyu/daechyo' > 'daechu'. I believe it is a modern wisdom for our descendants that we should creatively adapt the loanwords that flood our society into terms that any Korean can easily understand.

Looking at the Chinese character 棗 (jo) for jujube, one can see that the character 朿 (ja), which denotes thorns, is stacked twice. To the people who originally created the character, one of the primary characteristics of the jujube tree was its thorns. The thorns are visible within the red circle in the image below.

Types of Jujubes

In plant taxonomy, the jujube belongs to the genus Ziziphus, which comprises about 40 species. Common jujube trees have thorns on their young stems and branches, but as these thicken, the thorns fall off, and because the fruit is delicious, these trees are commonly found near rural homes. Wild jujube trees bear smaller fruit, retain thorns on their stems and branches throughout their life, and are found on hillsides. Because wild jujubes are quite sour, they are called 'san-jo' (酸棗 = sour acid + jujube), or 'san-jo' (山棗 = mountain + jujube) because they grow in the mountains. There is also a variety called 'Myeonsanjo', which is produced in Myanmar.

There are about 20 varieties of jujubes in Korea, broadly categorized into regular jujubes and giant jujubes (Wang-daechu), which are 2–5 times larger. Regular varieties include Bokjo, Mudeung, and Wolchul, while giant varieties include Cheonhwang, Hwangsil, Sangwang, and Gukgwang. Among the giant types, there is the 'apple jujube', which tastes like an apple and can weigh as much as 120g. The most famous Korean jujube is the Boeun jujube. It is characterized by having almost no seed (kernel), a large size, thin skin, a high ratio of flesh to seed, and high sugar content. The Boeun jujube is a variant of the regular jujube and is also known as the 'Bokjo' (㯷棗) jujube.

Origin and History of the Jujube

Although the precise origin of the jujube is unclear, it is believed to be in the region between China and southeastern Europe. Chinese scholars argue that China is the native home of the jujube, claiming it first appeared in northern China 24 million years ago and was first cultivated in northwestern China 7,240 years ago. However, the general academic consensus is that jujube cultivation began in South Asia as early as 11,000 years ago, and its exact place of origin cannot be clearly pinpointed.

Jujubes are mentioned in the Old Testament (Genesis) and have a cultivation history spanning over 10,000 years. Records of the jujube appear in the Classic of Poetry (Shijing), the first collection of Chinese poetry completed about 2,600 years ago. While it is impossible to know exactly when the jujube tree was introduced to Korea, according to Chinese records, it is estimated to have arrived before the Three Kingdoms period. The first Korean record of the jujube dates back to the reign of King Munjong of Goryeo (1051), and the first record of jujube cultivation dates to the reign of King Myeongjong of Goryeo (1148). In the Joseon Dynasty's Dongui Bogam, both the jujube and the wild jujube are listed as health ingredients.

China is the world's largest producer and consumer of jujubes, accounting for over 95% of global production. In China, the jujube is famous as one of the top five fruits—alongside peaches, plums, apricots, and walnuts—and its cultivation techniques were already fully established by the 6th century.

Why Jujubes are Famous

In Korea, jujubes are deeply embedded in our culture, symbolizing sons, fertility, and strength. Because jujubes are used during major human events like weddings and ancestral rites, it is a fruit that is inevitably famous to us.

It is common in Korean households to add jujubes when brewing health decoctions with bitter ingredients. The reason is that jujubes act as a sweetening agent, masking the bitterness and making the tea easier to drink. Furthermore, due to the unique benefits of the jujube, it is used as frequently as licorice in traditional medicine.

Components of the Jujube

Below is the general composition table for fresh jujubes from the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences under the Rural Development Administration. 'Dry weight basis' means the proportions were determined after removing moisture.

General Composition Analysis of Fresh Jujubes (Rural Development Administration, 2022, dry weight basis, 105kcal / 100g of fresh jujube with 70.2% moisture)

A characteristic of the jujube's general composition is its high carbohydrate content. The high total sugar content is what gives jujubes their intense sweetness, and the dietary fiber contributes to the crunchy texture of fresh jujubes. Below are some of the key, special, and trace components of the jujube.

Jujube is considered a food with warm properties. When making samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), in addition to the standard ingredients of chicken, ginseng, and glutinous rice, jujube, angelica root, and milk vetch root are often added.

The product is supplied by Onyudam (CEO: Yoon Sung-hyun, Jo Soo-in) and manufactured by Hapcheon Herb Processing Farming Association Corp. (CEO: Baek Mun-gi). CEO Baek ran a medicinal herb farm with his parents for over 20 years before establishing the Hapcheon Herb Processing Farming Association in 1996, opening a processing factory the following year, receiving the $500,000 Export Tower award in 2003, and serving as the 17th and 18th chairman of the Korea Medicinal Herb Association.

Located in Hapcheon-eup, Hapcheon-gun, the Hapcheon Herb Processing Farming Association cultivates over 60 types of health plants—including chrysanthemum, hydrangea, mulberry, persimmon, peony, achyranthes, safflower, motherwort, omija, matrimony vine, dogwood, milk vetch root, green tea, tara vine, and bellflower—to use as raw materials for their health teas. The association sells its products through domestic and international channels and also supplies products to other companies through OEM manufacturing.

The Hapcheon Herb Processing Farming Association received the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Award in 2002, registered the trademark 'Sangrime' in 2007, obtained the international food safety standard ISO22000 certification in 2015, and registered as a venture company that same year. In 2017, it patented a manufacturing method for bellflower tea. In 2018, it received HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) certification (No. 2018-2-9156) from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and in 2019, it received organic certification (No. 17100199) for chrysanthemum crops, establishing itself as a strong small business. A brief introduction to the Hapcheon Herb Processing Farming Association is provided below.

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