Sunday, October 10, 2010

Dao Tea Tasting Event: 2009 Kim Shin Ho Hwagae Valley Jungjak Green Tea

Actually, one has not tried this tea. So what did you think of Kim Shin Ho's jungjak?

Link to Adam's (The Sip Tip) Tasting Notes

Link to Ian's (Monkey Teas) Tasting Notes

Link to Nate's (Subtle Taste) Tasting Notes

Peace

5 comments:

David said...

After reading back my notes, this was actually the first tea I tried from the selection of samples, and not the 2009 Kim Shin Ho Sejak, as I told earlier.

I had forgotten about it because I used a too small vessel to brew the whole content of the sample, leading to tea which was too strong.

I am not at a point where I always get the best from each tea/infusion. I still have to work on my own parameters, especially for green teas.

This one helped me to better understand the ratio leaves/water to use for these teas. After that, I chose a gaiwan twice bigger for the other ones (except for the balhyocha) which was for the best.

I remember enjoying the aromas of cereals and grapefruit.

Sorry not to be able to be more precise.

Nathaniel said...

It seems I had almost forgotten to leave my notes on this tea.

When I brewed this tea I placed the entire packet in my medium (100-120ml) gaiwan. I really agree with what David mentioned about the cereal and grapefruit notes, and I felt that overall this tea had less of the thick, almost rich and somehow deeply sweet flavor that I have come so far to associate with Sejak and Ujeon grade greens.

Again however, I was pleasantly suprised by how well this tea held up for its age and storage conditions.

Perhaps due to the fact that this was another 2009 tea or due to the fact that there was nothing else to directly compare it to, I felt I was able to just drink and enjoy what it had to give me.

M said...

This was the first (and so far the only) Korean tea I have tried. Here are my notes.

The dry leaves reminded me of spice, hay, and a mixture of sencha and yancha.

The heated leaves gave off a much more complex aroma: initially there was almost a meaty-like smell to it. The more I sniffed, the more I was reminded of baked pastries and croissants. The smell went straight to my stomach and was very satisfying.

The first sip had flavors running from the tip of my tongue to the back of my throat. An initial sweetness made me salivate, while the back of my throat had a touch of bitterness and umami. There were so much happening flavor-wise that I forgot to consider mouthfeel.

The second infusion was similar to the first, with less attack and more throatiness. I made sure to make note of the mouthfeel, which I think was average. Perhaps this is why I didn't initially notice it.

Later infusions seemed to taste more and more diluted, and reminded me of the later infusions of a gyokuro.

I had this tea first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, after a night with not enough sleep. I was left slightly light-headed and buzzy, but not overwhelmingly so.

Thank you Matt and Pedro, I am looking forward to trying the other teas.

Ben Prentice said...

This tea was quite enjoyable for me. It's quite surprising that it's held up like this for a year. I used the whole packet in my 4oz gaiwan and it turned out quite well. Having just drank this tea, I can agree with David on the grapefruit notes. Not sure about the cereal. I myself have a very hard time describing tea. These teas especially because they're so new to me. Drinking this today, it reminded me a lot of Japanese tea. The wet leaf was quite interesting to look at. A mix of many different leaf shapes and shades of green.

Bret said...

Ive been short on free time lately and just now got around to trying this tea.

Again, in my opinion, this tea has degraded so much that there really isn't much to say about it. It's drinkable, not horrible but nothing very noteworthy in the cup.

The malted grain notes that were at one time so dominant have faded to the background. Chalky mouthfeel and slightly astringent.

Lesson learned! Only buy Korean green teas in season. Or of you do buy them out of season they should be greatly discounted.