Dongsuh Tea Bags Guide: Ranking Korea’s Favorite Teas
The Everyday Brew in Every Seoul Pantry
My refrigerator has held a two-liter glass pitcher of chilled barley tea every single month since I moved into my Seoul apartment. Step into almost any home, traditional restaurant, or office breakroom in Korea, and you will quickly notice that plain water is often replaced by a cold or hot nutty grain brew. The brand behind virtually all of these iconic yellow, green, and blue boxes is Dongsuh (동서식품). They are an absolute juggernaut in the Korean beverage world, best known for their instant coffee mix and their vast range of traditional Korean tea bags.
Standing in the tea aisle of a large Emart or even a neighborhood GS25 can be overwhelming. Dozens of boxes look almost identical, filled with terms like dunggulle, memil, and oksusu suyeom. If you want to recreate authentic Korean dining at home or just need a comforting, caffeine-free hot drink for late nights, this Dongsuh tea bags guide walks you through the top varieties so you know exactly which box to add to your cart.
Ranking the Top Dongsuh Tea Varieties
1. Dongsuh Barley Tea (Boricha / 보리차)
If Korea had an official national house drink, boricha would win by a landslide. Dongsuh Barley Tea is made from 100% roasted Korean barley grains crushed to release maximum flavor in warm or cold water. In terms of taste, it is deeply nutty, roasty, and completely unsweetened with zero astringency or bitterness. Think of it as a super lightweight, non-caffeinated cousin to light-roast coffee, minus the acidity.
Unlike Western herbal teas that you steep briefly, Koreans brew barley tea in large batches. In the hot muggy summer, I boil a large kettle with two large Dongsuh barley tea bags, cool it down, and store it in the fridge. Drinking cold boricha on a hot day hits the spot faster than plain ice water. It provides an immediate, grounding refreshment after eating rich, spicy meals like pork belly or spicy roasted chicken.
2. Dongsuh Corn Silk Tea (Oksusu Suyeom Cha / 옥수수수염차)
Corn silk tea is hugely popular in Korea, especially among young adults and college students. Dongsuh blends roasted corn kernels with real corn silk to create a drink that is naturally sweet and incredibly smooth. Compared to barley tea, corn silk tea has a noticeably sweeter aroma and a silkier mouthfeel on the tongue. There is zero bitterness, making it one of the easiest teas for beginners to fall in love with.
In Korea, corn silk tea is widely believed to help reduce morning facial bloating and support fluid balance. While I drink it purely for the soothing taste, I love steeping a bag in a tall tumbler with ice while working at my desk. It tastes naturally dessert-like without containing any sugar or calories, making it a brilliant substitute for sugary sodas or sweetened iced teas.
3. Dongsuh Solomon’s Seal Tea (Dunggulle Cha / 둥굴레차)
Solomon’s Seal root (dunggulle) is one of Korea’s best-kept tea secrets. Dongsuh blends roasted Solomon’s Seal root with a small touch of roasted brown rice to balance the flavor. The result is a deep, savory, almost creamy hot beverage that fills the room with a toasted, wooden aroma the second hot water hits the mug.
If barley tea is crisp and corn tea is sweet, dunggulle cha is warm, savory, and rich. It has a slightly fuller body than other grain teas, making it my absolute go-to brew on freezing Seoul winter evenings. It pairs brilliantly with traditional Korean rice cakes (tteok) or sweet snacks like baked sweet potatoes. If you enjoy roasted oolong teas or cozy woody notes, this is the specific Dongsuh box you should grab first.
4. Dongsuh Tartary Buckwheat Tea (Memil Cha / 메밀차)
Made from 100% roasted Tartary buckwheat grains, Dongsuh Memil Cha delivers a vivid yellow liquor with a intensely nutty pop. Tartary buckwheat is famous for containing high levels of rutin (an antioxidant), but taste-wise, it is pure comfort. The aroma resembles freshly baked grain bread or toasted nuts.
The texture is light and clean, leaving no heavy coating on your palate. I love drinking hot buckwheat tea after heavy, oily dinners like Korean fried chicken or scallion pancakes because the crisp grain finish cuts through grease effortlessly. It is naturally caffeine-free, so you can drink three mugs back-to-back at midnight without worrying about staying awake.
5. Dongsuh Brown Rice Green Tea (Hyeonmi Nokcha / 현미녹차)
For those who need a gentle morning pick-me-up, Dongsuh Brown Rice Green Tea combines steamed green tea leaves with nutty roasted brown rice. Pure green tea can sometimes taste grassy or astringent if steeped a minute too long, but the addition of nutty brown rice softens the entire profile into something smooth, warm, and balanced.
This variety does contain caffeine due to the green tea leaves, though it feels much milder than a standard cup of black tea or espresso. The spice-cleansing power of green tea combined with the earthy comforting flavor of roasted rice makes this the standard tea offered in Korean office breakrooms. It is sharp enough to wake you up gently while remaining easy on an empty stomach.
Comparing Dongsuh Tea Varieties
| Tea Variety | Caffeine Level | Primary Flavor Note |
|---|---|---|
| Barley (Boricha) | Caffeine-Free | Toasted, crisp, nutty |
| Corn Silk (Oksusu) | Caffeine-Free | Naturally sweet, mellow |
| Solomon’s Seal | Caffeine-Free | Deep, savory, woody |
| Buckwheat (Memil) | Caffeine-Free | Rich grain, earthy |
| Brown Rice Green | Mild Caffeine | Grassy, toasted, soft |
How Koreans Actually Drink These Teas
In everyday Korean life, grain teas serve two main purposes: daily hydration and post-meal digestion. While Western tea culture often revolves around sweetening cups with honey or milk, Dongsuh grain teas are strictly consumed plain. Adding sugar or milk would overpower the delicate toasted grain notes.
For daily water replacement, barley and corn teas are usually brewed thin in large pitchers. Families keep a pitcher sitting on the dining table or cold in the fridge door. For post-meal relaxation or desk side sipping, people steep individual tea bags in hot water for one to two minutes. Dongsuh tea bags are engineered to extract extremely fast, so you do not need to leave the bag in for long—steeping too long won’t make grain teas bitter, but it can make the flavor overwhelmingly strong.
How to Get It Abroad
You do not need to fly to Seoul to get your hands on these classic boxes. Dongsuh products are widely exported across the globe thanks to the massive popularity of Korean food culture.
- H Mart & Asian Supermarkets: If you live near an H Mart, Zion Market, or 99 Ranch, check the tea and coffee aisle. You will almost always find large boxes of Dongsuh Barley, Corn Silk, and Brown Rice Green Tea stocked on the lower shelves. Boxes typically cost between $4.00 and $8.00 depending on the bag count.
- Amazon: Most popular varieties—especially Solomon’s Seal, Barley, and Corn Silk—are available on Amazon in single boxes or multi-packs. Prices online are slightly higher than local Asian markets, but convenience makes it worthwhile if you don’t have a Korean grocery store nearby.
- Online K-Food Retailers: Specialty Korean online grocers frequently carry the full Dongsuh lineup, including cold-brew specific pitcher bags.
Verdict
Dongsuh tea bags are a staple of daily life in South Korea for good reason. They are affordable, completely consistent, easy to brew hot or cold, and offer a comforting, naturally grain-forward taste that plain water simply cannot match. Whether you want chilled barley tea for summer hydration or cozy Solomon’s Seal tea for quiet winter nights, Dongsuh delivers authentic Korean flavors directly to your mug.
Overall Rating: 9.5 / 10
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Dongsuh grain teas contain caffeine?
Dongsuh Barley Tea, Corn Silk Tea, Solomon’s Seal Tea, and Buckwheat Tea are naturally 100% caffeine-free because they are made from roasted grains and roots. However, Dongsuh Brown Rice Green Tea (Hyeonmi Nokcha) does contain a mild amount of caffeine from the green tea leaves.
Can I drink Dongsuh barley tea every day instead of water?
Yes, millions of people in Korea drink mild barley tea (boricha) daily as their primary source of hydration instead of plain tap water. It is gentle on the stomach and contains no calories, sugar, or caffeine.
How do I brew Dongsuh tea bags in cold water?
For single-serve cups, place one tea bag in a glass of room temperature or ice water and agitate or stir for 3 to 5 minutes. Dongsuh grain tea bags extract remarkably fast even in cold water. For large pitchers, steep two or three tea bags in warm water first for maximum flavor extraction, then dilute with cold water and ice before refrigerating.
