Korean Jujube Tea (Daechu Cha)

hands holding a cup filled with Korean Jujube Tea

4.67 from 3 votes

A steaming cup of Korean Jujube Tea (Daechu Cha) will warm you right up! Make a big jar and enjoy this hot Korean drink during the cold winter months. A hot cup of tea, filled with antioxidants and BIG Korean flavor, is what we all need in the long winter months!

Prep Time10

Soaking Time1

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: Ginger, Jujube Tea, Red Dates

Servings:

Calories: 6kcal

Author: The Subversive Table | Lis Lam

Equipment

Food processor
Large Bowl
Mesh Sieve or Colander

Ingredients

2 cups/ 300g/ 10.5 oz Dried Jujubes or Red Dates *preferably seedless
1 1/2 cups/ 300g/ 10.5 oz Sugar *can be subbed with honey but the final texture will be more runny
3-inch section Ginger, preferably organic *peeled
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Rehydrate dried jujubes. Add seedless dried Jujubes or Red Dates to a large bowl. Cover with boiling hot water (from the tea kettle) until the jujubes float. Give it a good stir. Cover with a plate so the jujubes are completely submerged in liquid. Cover and set aside until rehydrated and soft, about 1 hour.
Mince Jujubes. Drain Jujubes and add to a food processor. Add minced ginger and cinnamon. Pulse into a thick paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula. The texture should look like wet sand. Make sure there are no big chunks.
Add sugar. Transfer minced jujubes to a large bowl. Add sugar. Mix well with a spoon until the sugar is evenly distributed. It will look like crystalized bits of red dates/jujubes.
Store in a jar. Transfer to an airtight container (like a 2L glass jar), packing down with a spatula so that there are no air pockets. Rest at room temperature for 8 hours (or overnight). Transfer and store in the fridge for 1 month.
To serve: When ready to serve, scoop out 1 Tbsp of the paste (or more, depending on taste preference) to a large mug. Add hot water (about 1 cup) directly on top and stir. Steep for 5 minutes. Drink and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Tips:

Use a strainer, if you like. Korean Jujube Tea is a cloudy tea with bits of ground-up jujubes and ginger floating in hot water. That's the way many people drink it. If you don't like the idea of floating bits, use a tea strainer.

Enjoy as a cold drink. Tastes good cold! Simply double the paste amount. Steep as is then cool to room temperature. Add a few ice cubes and enjoy!

Be careful of cross-contamination. Homemade Jujube Ginger Tea does not contain the same preservatives as store-bought ones. Avoid touching ingredients with dirty hands and always use a clean spoon when scooping a spoonful of paste from the jar.

Nutrition