MattCha's Blog

2010 Woonsang "Gaya Cha" Semi Wild Korean Yellow Tea

2012-01-29T21:47:00.000-08:00

This Korean balhyocha is a unique one. It's name "Gaya Cha" is in reference to the one of the legends of how tea first arrived in Korea. As the story goes, a princess from India brought a tea plant that she had acquired in Southern China and offered it to the King of the Gaya Kingdom (for the other possible ways tea made its way to Korea see here, here, and here). This yellow tea from Woonsang underwent fermentation for 2-3 years before release and is a unique spin on the more typical Korean balhyocha out there.

CoreaColor kindly gifted a box of this Woonsang balhyocha, the only western dealer to sell this tea. This tea did not last long in the tea cupboard. Let's have a look at the tea leaves and find out why...

These are not your typical balhyocha leaves. They have deep syrupy-molasses notes that are distinct but thin and light with vibrantly fruity sweet notes of melons, peach, raspberries, and papayas on the high end. These leaves are unique looking and are not rolled at all. They are packed into about 2/3 of the small pot.

The first infusion is prepared with boiling water that spends only a very short time in the cooling pot before plunging over these beautiful leaves. A simple, sweet, apple-apricot taste fills the mouth. A very cereal, rice, and hay aftertaste greets them. There is a very nice wood sap-syrup taste underneath it all. A simple wood bark taste is all that is left on the breath. The mouthfeel is simple, watery, and slightly grainy in the front of the mouth.

The second infusion presents with a juicy apricot-apple-orange, barely spicy, taste. It slowly meets up with a slightly dry-wood-bark, a slippery-sappy woody taste. These flavours stretch out over the profile. The mouthfeel is both watery and grainy and coats the mouth and upper throat. The qi has already made the body light, it feels cozy, warm, and comforted.

The third infusion is of the same delicious fruity tastes but with the wood-bark elements encroaching on the initial taste right next to the fresh, sweet, watery, vibrant fruit. This tea is very flavourful but simple and refreshing without a deep quality to it. It strikes a nice balance between vibrant fruits and woody bark over a watery base which makes this simple balance easy to enjoy.

In the fourth and fifth infusions the dry-bark-wood notes are slightly more dominant than the fruitier notes both in the initial flavour and throughout the profile. The fruity notes develop more of a malted faint molasses quality to them here. The mouthfeel holds its own.

The sixth and seventh infusions are more juicy tasting but lack the vibrancy found in the first infusions. The aftertaste is dominated by dry wood bark.

Peace

Fire, Water, & the Art of Charcoal: Part 3- The Cultural Charcoal Traditions of Korea

2012-01-26T21:36:00.000-08:00

Historically, Korea's use of charcoal for heating the water for tea was similar to its neighbour China. Small portable braziers were often used with small pieces of charcoal that were fanned. This was done outside as the quality of charcoal wasn't as refined as it is today. This method of preparing charcoal must have been practiced until sometime quite recent as it is pictured in the paintings of the late Joseon Dynasty. Throughout history, perhaps through the exchange of technologies with neighboring Japanese, Korea refined its charcoal making. Kilns were set up to primarily supply high grade charcoal that was virtually smokeless and odourless. Korea uses a local oak species to make high quality charcoal for tea often refered to as white charcoal. Nowadays, Korea is the source of much research on the benefits and usages of charcoal. Most of this research is carried out by the Korean White Charcoal Research Institute. The use of charcoal in Korea is wide and diverse and can be seen not only for cooking but also as decorative air deodourizers in most restaurants, in cosmetics found in department stores, and in shoe insoles in sporting good stores. Yet it is rarely seen nowadays to heat water for tea.

Its use today is mainly seen by those rare tea purists, tea shop owners, and teamasters who honour the laterati style of drinking tea or scholar tea ceremony. This style of drinking tea involves drinking tea throughout the day while pursuing noble leisure activities such as study and art. It emulates the life of the Confucian Yangban or scholar class during the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. This style of drinking tea has a laid back fluidity and feel to it and is flexible if any tea guests happen to stop by. The brazier is always placed to the immediate right of the person preparing the tea because the right size harmonizes with yang energy, with action, and with fire. It lies next to the low lying table that is so low to the ground that you must sit on the floor. On cold days it feels as if you are cuddling up to its warmth sitting contently cross-legged in contemplation.

Those who practice this style use braziers that are larger than Chinese tea stoves and sometimes even larger than Japanese styles. This large size is used to support larger sized charcoal than both the Chinese and the Japanese. There is no formulaic size for Korean charcoal used in Korean style braziers however Korean oak is always used (such as the pieces pictured above). The nature of this style dictates that the charcoals are continuously burning so there is kind of an unspoken rhythm between the teamaster, water, and fire. This rhythm involves always being aware of the strength of the fire and continually adding fresh water to the kettle or tang gwan to maintain the waters vibrancy and removing it from the fire when necessary. It also involves adding more pieces to the fire at the right time to maintain intensity. In essence the teamaster becomes one with these elements, with nature, and with the Dao. There is little that is more comforting than to spend a day drinking tea next to a charcoal brazier and a teamaster which knows this rhythm.

Peace

Disclaimer: Using any flammable substance such as charcoal comes with some level of risk. MattCha's Blog takes no responsibly for any harm done by readers of this blog. Please use common sense and take reasonable safety precautions when using charcoal. Always make sure there is adequate ventilation if burning charcoal inside.

Double Peace

Fire, Water, & the Art of Charcoal: Part 1- Introduction

Fire, Water, & the Art of Charcoal: Part 2- The Cultural Charcoal Traditions of China

Fire, Water, & the Art of Charcoal: Part 2- The Cultural Charcoal Traditions of China

2012-01-24T14:32:00.000-08:00

The use of charcoal to boil water for tea is quite different in each of the traditional tea drinking cultures of China, Japan, and Korea. To understand how these tea cultures use charcoal you must first know a bit about the tea cultures themselves and their style of drinking tea. Each tea culture uses a different type of charcoal that is produced using very specific traditional techniques and is made from a very specific and deliberate local source. The type of charcoal used by each tea culture harmonizes best with the style of tea stove and kettle and the distinct tea ceremony of each country. The way these specific charcoals are prepared follows from their tea culture, the type of charcoal, the tea stove/kettle, and unique cultural traditions of each country. The following will look at the unique charcoal traditions of China, Korean and Japan. Due to length, each distinct tea culture will have its own post.

Currently, in China many consider Chao Zhou's tea culture to be the most preserved. Marshal'N's recent translation of Lin Yutang's Importance of Living gives us a good idea of how charcoal is used in Chinese tea ceremony typical of the Chao Zhou style. There are a few relevant points that pertain to charcoal that should be noted from this description. Note how the tea stove is placed under the window and how is fanned. It is placed under the window because typically the charcoals that the Chinese use tend to give off a bit of odour and maybe a tinny bit of smoke. This smoke is thought to improve the overall taste and energetics of the water, and increase the energetic connection between fire and water. In the Chao Zhou tea ceremony the tea stove is actually placed 9 steps away from the tea setting. This is done to create harmony as strong odours or smoke from the charcoal could irritate guests. Chinese charcoal is always fanned. This is done for a variety of reasons which include the quality/ type of charcoal, energetic reasons for imparting wind, as well as to control the strength of the boil.

The Chinese use a wide range of materials to make their charcoal. Often hardwoods are used. An excellent description of this charcoal is found on a translated paper on Chao Zhou gong fu found in comment #8. It states: "Chaozhou people make tea with charcoal made from the burls or twisted grain of hardwoods. The charcoal must be fired completely, so that no sap remains, and should retain a pleasant smoky scent. When tapped it should have a crisp sound, and be a deep black color. This is good charcoal to make tea with." The highest quality and most sought after charcoal in China is black olive pit charcoal. That same article goes on to say, "Even better is olive pit charcoal. Black olive pits are stripped of the fruit and fired until there is no more smoke. "It is noble like a refreshing breeze, when used to make tea, the flame is live and even, not too strong, nor too weak." This olive pit charcoal is the most precious and rare." This article doesn't mention the energetics of this type of charcoal. It is produced from a local black olive different than the black olive commonly known to those in Western cultures. The colour is energetically significant because black signifies the purist "yin" nature and is also the energetic colour of water. Olive pits are also considered yin in nature because olives are oily and therefore contain in them a connection to water. Seeds, pits, and beans are the form of food that is most energetically connected to water. Therefore all of the energetics of olive pits guide the heat given off by this type of charcoal to naturally connect to the water which it heats.

The small size of olive pit charcoal seems like the perfect fit for the small Chao Zhao tea stoves. The olive pit charcoal is considered one of the four treasures of Chao Zhao tea ceremony and provides perfect harmony to the small sand stove and clay kettle. The Tea Drunk Forum article states, "Chaozhou gongfu cha stove, clay kettle, and olive pit charcoal all complement eachother. Olive pit charcoal requires a clay kettle because so that the fragrant smoke can filter into the water and improve the water quality. The olive pit charcoal is hard to light, and requires the small clay stove, and the olive pit charcoal is a perfect fit for such a small stove." Here you can see why olive pit charcoal is the perfect type for the Chao Zhao set up.

Fanning olive pit charcoal is done to further harmonize the energetics fire and water. Traditionally, goose feather fans were used and are considered one of the eighteen essentials of Chao Zhao gong fu. The significance of using the feathers of the goose are interesting to consider. The goose is considered one of the most yin types of animals and one of the most yin of all birds. It is observed from nature that the goose spends much more time in water than other birds and that it has a very close connection with water. In fact when observing a goose taking flight they expend much energy to distance themselves from the water. The ancients thought that this was because they have a certain affinity to water that is hard to separate. They are also considered yin because their meat and feathers are very oily. Due to this strong connection to water goose feathers are used.

Fanning actually connects water and fire though the climactic energetics of wind. All of the Five Elements has a related climactic energy- Fire is quite naturally heat and Water is damp and cold. Wood is wind. Wood is considered a bridge that connects the elements of Water and Fire. In nature it is observed that wind strengthens fire and gives it vitality. Although olives are considered a manifestation of the Wood element, it could be said that it is not as strong as real wood so the use of wind fortifies this relationship. Fanning gives the person making tea the ability to influence the strength of the boil. It allows for a quick boil so that the waters essence is not lost over a long slow boil. The goal is always a quick boil over charcoal that is not abundantly strong.

Peace

Disclaimer: Using any flammable substance such as charcoal comes with some level of risk. MattCha's Blog takes no responsibly for any harm done by readers of this blog. Please use common sense and take reasonable safety precautions when using charcoal. Always make sure there is adequate ventilation if burning charcoal inside.

Double Peace

Fire, Water, & the Art of Charcoal: Part 1- Introduction

2012 Hatsugama

2012-01-22T17:59:00.000-08:00

Peace

Woonsang Introduction and A Sampling of 2010 Woonsang Saejak Jiri Mountian Semi Wild Green Tea

2012-01-15T19:58:00.004-08:00

Woonsang is one of the famous tea producers in Korea, its teamaster, Mrs. Kang, is one of the top in Korea. Woonsang has been around since 1986 producing extremely good Korean tea in the most traditional of ways. Woonsang (aka Jirisan Tea Company) means "clouds" in English and is a reference to the serenity of heavenly Jiri Mountain where all the tea is completely hand picked and produced. What makes Woonsang particularly interesting is that it is the only old famous tea producer in Korea which only sells camella sinensis teas with absolutely no herbal teas offered. One has very fond memories of drinking Woonsang saejak green tea, the 2006 harvest was one of the best. It ended up winning some awards that year.

For those outside Korea looking for Woonsang teas, they can be purchased from Coreacolor. These teas come packaged in the original packaging so its freshness is guaranteed. The kind people at Coreacolor sent a complimentary box of Woonsang's balhyocha and piggy-backed a small sample of saejak from the kind owner's personal tea box. It turned out that this tea was improperly stored in his desk. Fortunately, when ordering from Coreacolor you will never have this problem because the tea is always in its original packaging. The qi and mouthfeel of this tea was still excellent though. Thought one might as well post on this session with this Woonsang saejak anyways...

These dry leaves are very small and medium-light-green coloured. They smell of very fresh, minty-florals with lingering after-the-rain forest odours. These leaves are full of ethereal notes.

The first infusion pours a yellow-green and tastes pondy, sweet, and floral with distinct woody floral notes stretching a bit in the long aftertaste. The mouthfeel is thick and coats the mouth in a pasty coating which reaches the throat.

The second infusion supplies thick woody-pond notes that arrive first in the mouth. These tastes are followed by sweet, long, thick goopy florals. These floral notes are low not high like most fresh saejack. There is very little sweetness found in this tea. This mouthfeel is thick but not suffocating.

The third brings dry wood and pondy-forest notes presenting first. This infusion has a stronger dry wood and pond taste and less floral finish. The floral notes are low, almost rich, and linger in the nose. The mouthfeel dips into the mid-throat and nicely coats the mouth. The qi is strongly relaxing, it soothes the stomach and chest. Ones vision becomes crisp and clear.

The fourth and fifth infusions begin the same as before with that a bit off pondy, dry-wood taste. There is no sweetness left in this tea, a soft bitter wood is revealed in the taste profile. The sixth infusion has an initial taste that is chalky, powdery, with that low floral taste lingering low in the mouth.

The seventh and eighth infusions contain a muted sweetness with floral under thick, chalky but faint pondy-wood base. Some spicy notes appear in the aftertaste. A rubbery taste starts to appear.

A wonderful session none the less.

Peace

Experimenting With Peasant Teas

2012-01-06T07:19:00.000-08:00

This tea comes care of Pedro of Dao Tea. It was sent to him by Kim Jeong Yeol of Korean tea producer Butea and was never intended to be for sale to the public. It is tea picked from his organic gardens in Hwagae Valley during the month of June, 2011. Kim Jeong Yeol, in the spirit of Korean ancestors, tried some experimental techniques to try to get use out of his summer growth.

He chose to produce some variations of chung cha which translates to "oolong" in Korean. Ones experience with these types of teas they are a very crude, simple, almost puerh-green tea like. This tea is just that. As mentioned in the intro to Korean peasant teas, its production consists of cauldron roasted kill green, hand-rolling, wither, cauldron roasted kill green, hand roll, sun drying. He experimented with loose and compressed ddok cha versions of this tea. In the end he wasn't completely satisfied with either of these experiments.

Below are some notes on my session with the loose chung cha.

Dry leaves are very very long and sweet mix of multi-shade green leaves with stems. These leaves have a monotone fruit cherry-jam scent with very little forest base holding it together.

The first infusion pours a vibrant yellow. The taste is very watery with an empty initial taste. The aftertaste contains ghostly tastes of sour and sweet cherries which disappear into a very faint flat wood taste. The taste is distant and mellow. The mouthfeel is very weak.

One adds more dry leaves into the pot and prepares the next infusion with boiling water that rests just a minute or two in the cooling bowl. This second infusion has the initial taste of vibrant spicy hollow water turning slightly dry in the mouth. These tastes disappear into a very simple spicy apple-plum tone. The mouthfeel presents in the front of the mouth with a watery, grainy, slightly dry feeling.

The third has an initial taste of spicy-dirt-wood-bark taste is empty feeling with no layered base to support it, it just lingers as a simple, single note in the mouth. A ghostly simple cherry aftertaste appears. This tea is monotone and very simple but not tasteless.

The fourth infusion is less spicy now, it comes with a smooth sweet cherry initial taste with a base flavour emerging as very slight dry-wood-bark taste. A simple, slightly dry and softly course mouthfeel supports these sweet tastes. The qi is felt in the temples and has a bit of a heavy feeling on the body.

The fifth and sixth infusions present a soft, creamy, barely sweet, floral taste that ends with a soft spicy-floral sweet aftertaste. These tastes don't seem to be anchored by a base but are simple and enjoyable. A very faint, flat, sweet fruit taste is left in the mouth.

The seventh and eighth infusions contain simple, bland, but distinctly honey notes.

See here for a post introducing The Tradition of Korean Peasant Teas.

Peace

The Tradition of Korean Peasant Teas

2012-01-04T13:12:00.001-08:00

If you think that the farmers that scatter the rual south of Korea are drinking the finest first pick Ujeon grade teas in the teaware of old ceramic masters, you are wrong. Most farmers and labourers in tea producing areas choose to sell their best teas for cash or give it as gifts and sometimes drink more modest teas prepared in a very simple way. Koreans are very practical people. Throughout history Korea has gone through periods where the price of tea was beyond the reach of the average person, this is especially true for the finer Korean teas. Even today, Korean tea is quite expensive.

Today Koreans who don't or can't purchase the finer teas can easily enjoy inexpensive Korean tea the way that the world's common people enjoy it, in a tea bag. The tea bag is a relatively modern invention of the last century. In the hundreds of years before the invention and use of teabags these Koreans resorted to peasant teas.

There are two practical considerations that have lead to the development of peasant teas in Korea. The first is to not waste good quality tea. The second is to make use of lesser quality leaves.

Tea in Korea is picked according to seasonal markers. The most subtle teas are picked in the early spring (ujeon grade) and become deeper with a larger leaf as they are picked later into spring and summer (in this order: saejak, jungjak, daejak). Loose summer teas are rarely picked and sold because they have lost much of their complexity at this point. However, they are still perfectly drinkable, often organic or semi-wild, tea. One method of preparing these later picked spring/ summer leaves is by producing chung cha. Chung cha is produced by a very simple technique which involves roasting the freshly picked leaves in an iron cauldron to kill-green, hand rolling, allowing short time to wither, second roasting, then sun drying. This crude technique is very similar to the way puerh tea is produced.

Sometimes later picked spring and summer leaves are used for ddok cha especially coin type ddok cha. This is because the later picked leaves have a deeper, hardier quality to them that are in some ways better for aging than the more subtle picks of Ujeon and Seajak grades. These less expensive leaves can also be stored for a longer time when they are compressed into cake forms. This allows them to be enjoyed at a later time, after the higher quality tea has been consumed. Very simple, peasant style ddok cha can also be produced by freshly picked, but leftover, tea leaves that have not undergone the rather labour intensive production of green tea. Even cruder forms of peasant style ddok cha can be made by using up old stale green tea that is left over from last season. These finished but stale loose green tea leaves are steamed, pulverized with a wooden mallet, pressed into cakes, and then left to dry. It is important to note that the ddok cha that is available for sale in Korean teashops is not produced in this style but rather from high quality, fresh, seajak or jungjak grade leaves. The ddokcha for sale in shops is produced using a very deliberate and refined method of production.

Ddok cha is not the only type of peasant tea that Koreans make with older stale green tea. They may also crush this old green tea up in an attempt to oxidize the tea, then they store/age it as balhyocha. They also re-roast green tea, especially higher quality but stale green teas. The re-roasting is done just before the tea is consumed to awaken the qi of the tea. One has seen this re-roasting done over a ceramic device than looks very similar to a tea warmer. A small, wide-angled, cylindrical-cone shaped ceramic cup is warmed by being placed in the ceramic holder. The ceramic cone rests in the holder directly above a tea light or small oil lamp. When the ceramic cone shaped cup is warm the stale green tea is placed in the cup. It is removed from the heat and shaken to mix it up and give it an even roast before being placed back over the heat source. This tea is roasted in very small batches, just enough for one pot. The awakened green tea is placed in the pot either immediately after the roast or after it has sat out for a short while.

As you can see Korean peasant teas are inexpensive teas that undergo simple even crude production. Nowadays these teas are quite rare especially outside the rural tea producing regions of the south, even few tea people in Korea are familiar with them. However, they are an interesting but rarely discussed part of Korea's tea culture and history.

Peace

Pink Label Pal Yoh Yame Matcha

2012-01-01T22:42:00.000-08:00

Think a lot of traffic gets directed to MattCha's Blog in search of matcha related information. Although you won't see regular posts about matcha, one still consumes many bowls of matcha in both the Japanese and Korean matcha ceremonies on a weekly basis. A 40g tin of matcha is emptied every month or so. One ends up consuming much of the same matcha which has already been featured in posts on this blog. These include offerings from Yame's Pal Yoh, Uji's Marukyu-Koyamaen, and even tins from solid local brand Jagasilk. Thought it would be interesting to revisit a matcha that one has consumed the most over the last few years, Pal Yoh's Pink Label from the Yame region of Japan.

What is amazing about matcha is that it rarely changes very much in taste from year to year. This speaks to the keen skills of Japanese tea master blenders who go about great lengths to ensure a consistent tea experience from batch to batch and from year to year. Originally this Pal Yoh's pink label was featured in a 2008 post. Besides the harvest year, the biggest factor that has changed in the preparation of this tea would be the water used. The following notes are from a 2012/01/01 expiry dated can that one has been drinking up over the last month.

The powder emitted from the freshly opened tin carries very sweet cherry notes and creamy distinct florals which dominate the profile. The smell is tangy and vibrant. This tea is whisked up in ceremony and imbibed.

It offers a solid creamy, rich, sweet start. Deep, creamy, sweet oak wood base turns into a distinct lingering floral taste. Minutes later fruit notes fill the saliva. The woody oak base lays firmly underneath these floral notes. A full not-that-heavy mouthfeel that results is satisfying.

Meditating mindfully, ones body feels light and free from the alerting and clarifying chaqi.

Peace

2011 Jukro Jungjak Hwagae Valley Green Tea

2011-12-31T16:11:00.002-08:00

This tea was purchased directly from Korea but is also available for purchase at CoreaColor. CoreaColor offers this tea in its extensive original, and fittingly festive, packaging for the Korean shelf price- a good deal outside of Korea. This jungjak grade tea comes from famous tea producer Jukro and, as usual, is a completely hand produced affair.

The dry leaves give off a deep, musty-evergreen, forest note with sweeter grain layers presenting first.

The first infusion is prepared and a sweet and clear roasty-forest note presents first. This note fades into a sugary sweetness- a sweet, deep foresty taste is left in the mouth. A slippery mouthfeel with a soft, numbing, cool fullness continues on the lips.

The second infusion displays a roasty nut taste in the mix with deeper soupy-thick forest notes that are somewhat sweet. Slight floral and raspberry notes spring up in the aftertaste along with grain cerial notes.

The third infusion has more of a rich forest start with dry wood and wheat grains filling out the profile. These tastes slowly traverse to sweet deep green forest. Hidden in here are fruity, barely sweet, notes appearing later on the breath. The mouthfeel is heavier in the mouth now.

The fourth infusion flashes dry wood and deep forest. The dry wood taste quickly vanishes leaving sweet forest notes that develop into that sweet, light floral berry aftertaste. The qi is vibrant and clear. It opens the chest and calms the mind.

In the fifth a sweet clear taste emerges initially with woody-forest and wheaty-grain tastes now becoming a bit dry in the mouth. A fresher, almost menthol, forest aftertaste is apparent. The sweetness of this infusion is weaker but still makes an appearance with a very faint fruit taste. The sixth infusion is much the same with woody-bark notes also sharing the aftertaste.

The seventh infusion flashes dry wood then a light, clear, sweet, forest taste stretches across the profile with the aftertaste remaining relatively sweet, soft, and long. The eighth infusion is more dry and woody.

Peace

Korean Tea Pages New and Old

2011-12-19T10:10:00.002-08:00

Before there were any English books on Korean tea, or even mention of Korea in tea books, there were two really great sources of Korean tea information in English. In fact, in 2007, before MattCha's Blog even existed, these two sources were pretty much the only English information of Korean tea info on the internet. This information was in the form of web pages authored by Anthony of Taize and David Mason. Over the years they have significantly updated these sites to include a growing amount of Korean tea information and are still excellent free sources by two knowledgeable and kind pioneers of Korean tea culture in the English speaking world.

A few days ago one stumbled on a 49 page English research paper on Korean tea. It is basically just a combination of English sources and at times is a bit repetitive. Don't know who compiled the info, by the looks of it a German, but it probably took a lot of work. See here for a link to this paper:

home.arcor.de/rsoeder/Tee%20kor.docx

Happy reading.

Peace

2009? Wild Lapsong Souchong

2011-12-12T13:09:00.005-08:00

Zhengshan Xiaozhong (aka Lapsong Souchong) is one of only a handful of teas that can improve with age although most outlets that sell this tea don't age it. The lack of aged lapsong in the market likely indicates the use of artificial smoking or poor production techniques. This sample was gifted by Pedro of Dao tea, he aquired it from the owner and highly recommended I try it. It is from an online store called Wild Qi Tea where the site claims that it is 2/3 years aged.

Lapson Souchong has an abundantly warm thermal nature. Although all hong cha has qi that is warming, lapsong's heat is even more warming. This is because it takes on the essence of fire as it is smoked with pine during its production. One of the reasons why this tea is aged is to remove some of the smokiness and bring its energy into a more harmonious state.

Very sweet smooth grape smelling odours emit from these very small tippy mixed black and gold dry leaves- not the typical zhengshan xiaozhong leaves one remembers. Its been a while. A wood pine chalkiness welcomes then slowly transforms into sweet caramel transferring back to subtle smokey wood in the mouth. The transition between these tastes is slow and smooth, the mouthfeel full, wide, and chalky.

The second infusion starts with a sweet, open-watery taste which is filled with caramel then slowly fills the mouth with pine woody notes as the chalky mouthfeel slowly encroaches on the edges of the mouth. The aftertaste has a strong cooling undertone that is noticed with each in-breath. The chest heats up like an oven and the head feels light, the mind and eyes clear, and then focus ensues.

The third infusion starts with a taste that is less sweet and has a longer blank-empty-watery taste with each resulting infusion. The wood pine note is noticed under the whole profile. The aftertaste here is woody and more dry in the mouth. It has subtle hints of soft, smoky currents and is still quite cooling.

The fourth infusion has an even longer empty dry wood pine taste which slowly encroaches upon this emptiness. Sweet woody-gummy-grape aftertaste comes out in the aftertaste which still carries a coolness- the subtle smoky pine base is present throughout. The qi seems to heat the chest, heart, and imparts coolness to the head and limbs. The stomach and digestive organs are energized and softly vibrate. The fifth infusion is much the same but is considerably weaker.

The sixth and following infusions are reduced to dry wood and soft fruit. It is enjoyed like this for a few more pots.

Peace

2011 Kim Jong Yeol (Butea) Jungjak Hwagae Valley Green Tea

2011-12-07T22:08:00.004-08:00

This tea is available for purchase from Martin at Tea Mountain. This 15 gram sample was kindly gifted from Pedro of Daotea. This is another tea from the hands of Kim Jong Yeol, this one was produced on the second week of May- a Jungjak grade. Interestingly, this tea was prepared with the usual amount of dry leaves and yielded quite unexciting results. The second time preparing this tea a very liberal amount of dry leaf was used and the results were quite nice. The following notes are from this second attempt at these dry leaves on a cool fall late afternoon...

These soft sugary-sweet smelling, longish, darker green dry leaves are prepared and the first infusion is enjoyed. It pours a pale green with very light sweet foresty taste which presents first and finishes with a very soft sugary sweet bean finish. The mouthfeel is dry and soft and covers the mouth and throat.

The second infusion has that same very light intial taste, this time it seems slightly creamy this lighter presentation moves into a forest base. There is a very soft, faint, forest-creamy, sugary-sweet finish. The mouthfeel is a touch dry and moves the saliva away from the surface of the tongue but at the same time makes the mouth salivate- the effect is subtle.

Infusion number three offers vivid, crisp, soft and creamy-sweet greens. These tastes fade into a very soft frosty sweet sugary orchid aftertaste.

The fourth infusion is even more crisp and fresh but still relatively soft and mild. There is an undercurrent of sugary sweet notes under the whole taste profile. A barely fruity sweetness is detected just under the surface of these sweet notes. A sugary wood taste holds the base of this tea steady. This tea is very pure tasting and when steeped right can be refreshing especially for a jungjak grade.

The fifth infusion is similar to the last infusion but with deeper, dry, woody-forest notes starting to increasingly sneak into the fray. The fullness and depth of this tea is realized here in these later infusions. The aftertaste is of sweet, long, fruity notes.

In the sixth infusion drier wood notes now dominate with very little fresh vibrant green left- instead deeper forest notes reside in each sip. A dry, barely fruity aftertaste lingers before fading away. The tea is drying in the throat. The qi ascends to the head and softly releases as it climbs softly into the mind.

The seventh and eight infusions offer somewhat bitter, dry, gritty wood with flashes of muddled long forest fruit taste that disappears fast as it arrives. The aftertaste is light but is of a deeper forest taste. The mouthfeel is dry and descends deeper into the throat.

Peace

Fire, Water, & the Art of Charcoal: Part 1- Introduction

2011-12-03T18:21:00.005-08:00

There is little to no literature in English on the use of charcoal to heat water for tea, yet it was done this way for hundreds even thousands of years before. It is quite humorous that one English site claims that there once was an Tao of Charcoal- although this is meant to be a joke there is a measure of truth to it. There is a traditional Way of Tea that sees the use of charcoal as an essential component to harmonize the energies of the tea room while imparting the best possible taste to the water. Few people who have tried tea made with water boiled over charcoal heat deny that it creates the best possible water for tea. Current scientific research in Japan suggests that the benifits of infrared heat might have something to do with slight changes in the water's structure under infrared heat (see comments section here).

Fire is thought to be the most yang of the elements. Fire is active, vibrant, hot, and ascends- this is natures law. Water is thought to be the most yin of the elements. Water is passive, nourishing, cool, and descends- this is nature's law. In the traditional movement of the Five Elements, Water is thought to control or balance Fire. When Fire becomes relatively more abundant Water can pacify its energy. Conversely, an overabundance of Fire can pacify Water. When we make tea, the goal is harmony between these Elements.

Wood also plays an intermediate roll between Water and Fire. Wood is nourished by Water. Water's nourishment is necessary for Wood to grow and become strong. In this way it is said that Water is the mother of Wood. Wood generates Fire. Wood acts as fuel which is necessary for Fire to burn and become powerful. In this way it is said that Wood is the mother of Fire. This is the way of nature and the way of the Dao.

Throughout early tea history wood was likely used as the primary source of heat for making tea, old images and poems describe the use of wood when making tea while enjoying the vast beauties of the outdoors. It is important to note here that the heat given off from wood and traditional charcoal are energetically different- traditional charcoal burns as pure infrared where as wood heats with the gases released from the wood itself as well as infrared. As a result burning wood and burning charcoal each impact the boiling water and the resulting tea infusions slightly differently.

Over the years wood was slowly refined into higher and higher quality charcoal. Charcoal had an advantage over wood in that it could burn longer and more controlled. Gradually charcoal was refined to the high quality traditional grade that is used today- reaching its zenith only 300 years ago.

Due to the convenience and consistency of modern heat sources, the use of traditional charcoal in the preparation of tea has declined dramatically. The use of traditional charcoal has always been to create harmony in the tea room and within the teapot. It should be noted that in today's world the use of charcoal is often not appropriate and could create more disharmony in the tea room especially if not used mindfully.

In the following weeks and months this series will focus on how to achieve harmony when using traditional charcoal to boil water for tea. It will cover topics such as: the different cultural traditions of using traditional charcoal to boil water for tea, determining the quality of charcoal, making your own charcoal, methods and theories of starting a charcoal fire, safety issues when using traditional charcoal, and the energetics of traditional charcoal.

So, as the chill of Winter sets in, gather round and feel the penetrating warmth as we discuss in detail the harmony that traditional charcoal brings to the preparation of tea.

Peace

Disclaimer: Using any flammable substance such as charcoal comes with some level of risk. MattCha's Blog takes no responsibly for any harm done by readers of this blog. Please use common sense and take reasonable safety precautions when using charcoal. Always make sure there is adequate ventilation if burning charcoal inside.

Double Peace

2008 Chen Sheng Hao "Nannuo"

2011-12-01T14:44:00.004-08:00

This sample has sure made it around the block. It was given to Hobbes and now makes its way to this stained ceramic tea table. This cake is available for purchase from Red Lantern.

The brown hairy dry leaves smell of distant creamy sweetness. As the first infusion is prepared on this cold and wet late fall day ones mind unwinds with this tea. It pours a browny-orange-tinged yellow. As these colours make their way into the mouth and down the throat, dirty, gritty, smooth pear-like tastes come and go before ducking into a fritty, not that sweet, wood taste. The base flavor seems to be this gritty, dirt tasting, wood flavour. The aftertaste leaves a faint sweetness on the lips. It feels chalky and somewhat gritty in the mouth.

The second infusions starts off with a thick malty and goopy taste that still carries a dirty underlying base. This initial taste has very faint spicy-pear like sweetness in its return. The mouthfeel reaches deep into the throat and heavily coats the mouth, tongue, and lips.

The third starts off similar with a malty tastes but this time it carries cool menthol notes that then turn into that gritty bark base note. The finish is of that malty-dirty taste with notes of cherry fruit underneath creating a nice balance.

The fourth infusion starts to smoothly transition the tastes together in a nice broad balancing kind of way. The malty taste has softened considerably and the taste profile feels more rounded as it moves from grittier malted tastes to sweeter higher tastes of cherry even soft florals.

In the fifth and sixth infusions the dirty woodier notes seem like they are starting to slowly overpower the slightly sweet cherry fruit tastes. The mouthfeel is nice at this point and is especially nice in the throat. The chaqi is mild and seems to act more on the mind than body- the mind seems clearer than usual under the influence of this tea.

The seveth infusion turns a new leaf as this tea now seems to be slightly more sweet and cherry. The balance between sweet juicy malty flavours now present in the initial taste. It does carry a some gritty notes but smoothly transitions to barely fruit notes in malted wood.

In the eighth a distinctive fresh, cool, menthol taste mixed with subtle fruit suggestions passes under the woody, gritty base. This flavour profile almost becomes more distinctive in the ninth, tenth infusions.

The infusions that follow contain a nice subtle cool fruity taste that is most noticeable in the aftertaste the woody base continues to hold but is not as distinct or noticeable as the sweeter more motive higher tastes.

Link to Hobbes (The Half-Dipper) Tasting Notes

Link to Matti Kallio Korpi (Jadepisara) Tasting Notes

Peace

Appreciation & Wear of Kim Kyoung Soo's Grey and White Style: The Serving Pot

2011-11-28T00:56:00.013-08:00

Hot water gets passed from the cooling bowl to the teapot, from the teapot to the serving pot, then from the serving pot to the cups. After the serving pot is preheated and the tea steeped, the serving pot is the first to receive the gift of infused tea from the teapot. It is the first to receive and the first to give. It reminds us that the tea ceremony is about giving and receiving- about host serving guest.

The serving pot contains the same yin and yang motifs as the cooling bowl and tea pot. Its most noticeable feature is its shape and form.The shape and form of this grey and white Kim Kyoung Soo serving pot reflects both its practical and energetic function.

Warm infused tea passes from the spout of the teapot and through the relatively narrow collar of the serving pot. This opening at the top of the serving pot is a bit smaller than the opening of the cooling pot. The smaller opening is to retain the heat and the qi of the infused tea. The serving pot also has a more distinct bulbous interior than the more open interior of the cooling pot. This more bulbous shape acts to amplify the sound of the pour and give it more of a beautiful echoing reverberation- a feeling of closeness, of being grounded and held, a feeling of safety. More importantly this deeper bulbous shape acts to contain the warmth and qi (taste and smell) of the tea inside. It also reminds us that host should always retain warmth and feeling in every tea meeting.

There is beautiful contrast from the wear of this Kim Kyoung Soo serving pot. The inside of the pot was once as white and pure as the cooling bowl. Now only the crackled top collared rim shows evidence of what was. The choice to leave it covered in tea oil obscuring its pure white inside is simply to not remove qi that has accumulated from all the green tea that has passed through this vessel manifesting as this brown, terracotta coloured layer. Some feel that the presentation of purity to the guest is more important than accumulation of qi- you will see both in Korea.

The most stunning feature of this interior is no doubt the contrasting white flecks on the interior's bottom. These were made by a guest who doubted that there would be white under the thick coat of tea oils. They scraped their finger nail on the bottom of this serving pot, only when the white ceramic was exposed did they believe that such drastic change had taken place. These exposed white flecks remind one to experience that which is beyond the senses when enjoying tea poured from this serving pot.

The form of this pot looks as if it is reaching, stretching from handle to spout a little bit. This represents the relationship between the person preparing tea and their guests. On one end, the maker of the tea has his hand around the looped handle. This looped handle is almost identical to that of the teapot. It too contains ghostly faint, cloud-like globs of glaze.

On the other end is a long reaching spout. It is a bit longer than that of the teapot. It truly gives the impression of stretching from host to guest- of reaching out, of touching with warmth, with tea.

The tea oiled insides interconnect with the oil stains that descend down the exterior of the pot. They reaching down the long spout connecting almost flawlessly to the exposed clay of the pot's base. What is inside is out and what is out is inside. The green tea within connecting with Earth, with the host, with the guest.

Peace

2011 Ssang Kye Jungjak Semi Wild Hadong Green Tea

2011-11-20T18:33:00.006-08:00

Although this tea was brought in directly from Korea, it also is available from North American retailer Shan Shui Teas. Shan Shui Teas brings in some Sang Kye (Ssanggyae) and Goryeo (Koryeo) green tea in the original packaging, for a reasonable markup.

Sang Kye, like other Korean tea producers, also specializes in a variety of wild crafted herbal teas as well. Korean's tea history has a strong relationship with herbal teas. During the Choson (Joseon) Dynasty the popularity of herbal teas surpassed that of green tea, this was in part to Choson's Confucian government distancing themselves from the Buddhist practice of drinking green tea. Even in traditional Korean tea shops today, most people actually still order more herb teas than green tea.

Today we will be having a closer look at Sang Kye's jungjak grade green tea a later picking than the previously posted saejak grade.

After shedding the dense layers of packaging, the dry leaves reveal a greyish-silver green leaves which smell of wheaty-grains and dry wood. They carry a very faint foresty base and vary in size from small to large dry leaves.

The first infusion is prepared on this cool autumn day and delivers dry bark woody light grain initial taste. It turns to a deep forested base then returns with just a bit of tangy berry sweetness that was not afforded in the initial taste. The aftertaste is left in the mouth is a touch grainy and woody with a faint traveling chalky, tangy, berry sweetness. The mouthfeel offers a full chalky coating in the mouth, tongue, and throat in a painting of slight dryness.

The second infusion presents a bit different with more of a deep dry wood and subtle anise-licorice start which is long and stretches into a dry wood and almost (but not quite) sweet forest base. There is still that tangy berry sweetness that turns up in the aftertaste along with dry woody-forest tastes.

The third presents very similar as the second infusion, with the sweeter more subtler notes being more suppressed by dry robust, woody forest notes. The initial taste has strawberry tastes mixed with the soft anise-licorice. These subtle tastes linger for minutes under the dominant dry wood aftertaste among the dry-sticky mouthfeel.

The fourth infusion starts off with dry, almost metallic, wood bark tastes that are in some ways almost floral. This taste is stretched through the taste profile. The subtle nuances that were found in the first infusions are nowhere to be found only to reappear minutes later very faintly in the aftertaste. This aftertaste is primarily dominated by foresty tastes.

The qi of this tea is uplifting absent in the mid and lower body and somewhat more active in the upper body.

The fifth has less of that metallic-wood inital taste but is otherwise much the same as the fouth infusion. It seems to present creamier forest notes than the forest notes presented before. This very slight creamy taste makes the transition to the aftertaste much more smooth in the mouth.

In the sixth infusion more subtle anise sweetness is squeezed out under a bit longer infusions. Overall this tea offers profoundly dry-wood base taste with subtleties that float underneath which make the rather plain taste somewhat interesting.

The seventh and eighth infusions are about as far as this tea goes. Here the woody, dry, and sometimes cereal taste doesn't have much left but a thick dry mouthfeel and maybe a quick glimpse of anise.

As the leaves fall outside

Under cool autumn winds

One enjoys this pot of tea.

Peace

Good Green Tea also sells this tea. See here.

Double Peace

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Index

2011-11-16T21:06:00.004-08:00

The following is an index and links to the 13 part Harmonizing Water and Tea series:

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Choosing The Right Water For Tea- Part 1- Introduction

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Choosing The Right Water For Tea- Part 2- Mineral Content of Water

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Choosing The Right Water For Tea- Part 3- The Source of Water

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Choosing the Right Water for Tea- Part 4- Seasonal Influences

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Choosing the Right Water for Tea- Part 5- Storing Water

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Part 6- A Look At Silver, Ceramic, and Iron Kettles and Tetsubins

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Part 7- Modern Issues with Kettles And Consideration of the Heat Source: Induction, Hot Plate, Alcohol/Gas Or Charcoal?

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Part 8- Scaling and Other Issues With Kettles and Tetsubins

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Part 9- Water Additives- Silver Beads, Mineral Salts, Rocks, & Bamboo Charcoal

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Part 10- Pouring Method

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Part 11- Pouring Technique

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Part 12- My Personal Experience With Water

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Part 13- More Of My Personal Experience With Water...

Thanks to all who expanded on the content in these posts with their commentary on the topic.

Peace

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Part 13- More Of My Personal Experience With Water...

2011-11-14T00:06:00.012-08:00

Please see my previous post here before continuing to read...

I am not really a big fan of water additives. I have experimented with bamboo charcoal both in an induction kettle and in a clay tang gwan (kettle) as well as in a water storage container before the water is boiled (see article and comments here for my opinion on these things). I have also experimented with silver beads in a friend's kettle, but still have not played around with salts yet. If you have good water to start with there is little need for such things- if it isn't broken, then don't fix it.

When I arrived on Vancouver Island I was surprised that there are actually not that may local options for local water. With a bit of research I found three local companies- B.C. Artesian Springs Water, Mt Doug Springs, and Salt Spring Water Co.

Mt Doug Springs comes from Mout Douglas within the city limits. It was the closest source of natural water but was very, very light- too light for the tea I drink.

Salt Spring Water Co. is from Salt Spring Island, an island between Vancouver and Vancouver Island. They offer a very light soft round water that would be great for lighter teas such as green teas, matcha, and lighter oolong. They also offer water in glass 18.9 L jugs as opposed to plastic. The problem is that they don't ship off Salt Spring Island. I have considered traveling there to get water in the Spring and early Summer to harmonize their lighter, softer water with the lighter seasonal teas I drink at that time, but Summer came and went and I never made the trip.

The water I have used since coming to Victoria has been B.C. Artesian Springs Water. This water is gathered naturally from an artesian well on the edge of a provincial park outside the city. The qi of this water is both somewhat heavy but vibrant. It was once laying deep in the earth but springs forth in activity as it is violently forced out from its dormancy- nature's emotive force. This is the nature of artesian water.

The side of the 18.9 L blue water jug states the following:

Ca 38.20 Parts Per Million (PPM)

Mg 6.06 PPM

Si 10.90 PPM

Na 8.95 PPM

Mineral Salts 165 PPM

Fluoride 0.12 PPM

This water has moderate mineralization and heaviness and has a full mouthfeel. As a result it harmonizes nicely with most teas and is especially nice for moderate to heavier teas, the majority of the tea I tend to drink most of the year.

The guys at B.C. Artesian Springs Water are very nice and appreciate my enjoyment of their water. They drop off fresh water in blue plastic 18.9 L jugs weekly. They insist it comes from the ground just days before. After using the water for a while I found out that a local tea shop located a short walk away called Special Teas also use the same water to prepare the teas in their shop.

I have a ceramic crock which is used to dispense this water. I considered bringing some ceramic water storage containers back from Korea but they are quite expensive, cost lots to ship due to their large size, and the risk of breakage was too high in my mind. However, I do store water in a Kim Kyoung Soo ceramic ceremonial kettle called a "su ju" (pictured above right). I use this as both a collecting jar and a storage container.

Generally I place the su ju quite low and dispense the water from the ceramic crock so as to induce some activity in the water. Water rests in the lidless su ju overnight near the window where it not only absorbs the essence of the night sky but also is softened by the interaction with the ceramic and the open air. I also store water in my ceramic Kim Jeong Hoon tang gwan (pictured above left) overnight as well. I generally fill it no more than half full so it can reach a relatively quicker boil on the hot plate the next morning. Leaving water in the ceramic tang gwan (kettle) also softens it ever so slightly.

When boiling water is removed from the tang gwan with a pyo choo bak I usually use a medium to high pour from the su ju to replenish the water in the kettle. This is done to oxygenate the water and make it a bit softer and more vibrant which is beneficial for the moderately heavy water I use. Of course, all of these pourings of water will be slightly adjusted as the type of tea that one is brewing will always be considered.

This is how one harmonizes water with tea.

Peace

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Part 12- My Personal Experience With Water

2011-11-10T23:08:00.004-08:00

Early in this series on water Bev of Listening to Leaves asked about my personal experiences and journey with water. I had promised her to address it in a post, the last of this series on harmonizing water and tea. As I began typing I realized that the post was quite long and will therefore be separated into two sections that will be posted within days of each other...

In Korea the bottled mineral water called "Sam Da Soo" is considered the standard for tasting tea. It is a very light rain water that is naturally filtered through the natural volcanic soil on Jeju Island. This water is very soft yet still has a subtle soft mouthfeel. It is great for harmonizing with very subtle green teas, the tea I was consuming the most at that time. I used this water for years before switching to a local source that was bottled in those 18.9 L blue jugs from a mountain spring near my residence (they can be seen here in an early post on water and tea). This local water was moderately heavier and had a broader mineralization.

The reason for the change was threefold. First I was uneasy with the amount of waste that I was creating as I went through many 2L bottles of Sam Da Soo weekly. Secondly, I hoped to consume water from a more local source that would be much fresher and vibrant than the bottled water from Jeju Island and would also harmonize best with the local climate. Thirdly, I started drinking more deeper, darker, heavier teas that harmonized better with heavier more mineralized waters.

The heat source I use to boil the water is taken from the teamasters I had learned from in Korea. The most serious city dwelling tea masters generally have at least two sources of heat. The first is induction heat. It is quick and brings water to a vigorous and rapid boil without depleting its essence. The second is infrared charcoal heat or electric heat from a braizier. The third is often a glass kettle or stainless steel kettle that is heated on a gas range stove.

In Korea, life is fast and often people drop by with little notice. A quick boil is often required so that guests are not waiting hours for a cup of tea. So in many instances in real life induction heat creates more harmony among guests and is a good option. My experience with induction heat is that it retains much of the vibrancy of the water because it brings water to a very quick boil and then automatically turns off as to not deplete the essence of the water. Often other methods boil too slowly or end up over boiling the water which leads to water that lacks vibrancy. Although induction kettles likely deplete or alter some of the natural properties of water, the benefit of the quick boil and auto stop outweighs the loss.

Currently, I don't use an induction kettle since my last one broke earlier this year. All of the induction kettles that I have gone through in Korea and the one I purchased in Canada have been glass kettles with a stainless steel base. The last one I bought in Canada was a Black & Decker JKC660BC 1.8L Glass Kettle- don't think it lasted a year. The glass kettle has the benefit of being able to see the stage of boil which is beneficial when deciding when to remove the kettle from boil.

I decided not to replace the induction kettle for five reasons. First, I am somewhat concerned about the constant exposure to its electromagnetic field. Second, I want to utilize the benefits derived from the use of my ceramic tang gwan (kettle). Third, I hope to slow down the pace of tea drinking so as it is more reflective and meditative, more true to its original form. Fourth, I seem to go through one induction kettle every few years and it is beginning to be wasteful. Fifth, I have a normal, run of the mill, stove top glass kettle that I heat over my gas range which I use if I need a quick boil.

It is pretty much unanimous amoung teamasters that infrared heat generated by natural hardwood charcoal gives birth to the most optimal water for tea. My experience with the use of charcoal heat confirms this classic observation. It generates water that is vibrant and full of Qi, that is deep and penetrating in nature, but is also very soft. I continue to use charcoal heat when time permits or when having guests. Getting the charcoal to Canada has proven expensive and difficult though.

I use an Uh Sang Myung ceramic stove and since its matching tang gwan got destroyed when shipped to Canada it has since been replaced by one by Kim Jeong Hoon. The ceramic tang gwan gives the water properties that I have stated in this article and generally harmonize best with the tea I normally drink and matches the aesthetic of my tea space. Because I drink a variety of different teas, I feel that this is the best option as it benefits both lighter and heavier teas. I have experience with iron tetsubins as well, I feel they are also a great option- especially if you are drinking more heavier teas. I sometimes feel that I could get a little more out of my old puerh tea if I had one of these. My experience with silver is limited as I have only had tea made for me in silver and have not played around with it myself. Stay away from stainless steel as it always carries a bad taste even after years of use.

The type of heat source that I use the most nowadays is from a hot plate. I purchased a Cadco Portable 1500w Electric Single Burner Hd Cast Iron Range (note the warning about using containers constructed of ceramics or glass... hahaha). It is nice because I can either use my glass kettle or my ceramic tang gwan (they haven't exploded yet!!!). It gives off nice heat that creates a natural ambiance which I feel is invaluable to my tea experience. It also adds a touch of metal to the feng shui of my tea space which is otherwise lacking. It takes a bit of time to bring water to a boil- this is both good and bad. It is good because it cultivates patience and a more natural tea experience. However, if not used properly it might exhaust the water a bit.

I have found that to maintain the vibrancy of the water a few simple steps can be followed. First if less water is placed in the kettle it will boil relatively fast and will retain its vibrancy. Then simply add more water to the kettle every time you pour some out. This way the water always remains vibrant. Make sure that you always have water in the kettle if you are using this method else you will damage your kettle. Remove the kettle from the hot plate if you are not using the water to ensure that the water isn't over boiled.

(to be continued...)

Peace

2010 Yunnan Sourcing Nan Nuo Ya Kou

2011-11-09T18:24:00.003-08:00

This tea is another Nannuo puerh from Scott at Yunnan Sourcing. He has beautifully captured life in Ya Kuo village on his blog post when he traveled there to secure the raw material for this tea. The story sounds nice, how about the tea?

After opening the sample pack kindly supplied by Hobbes, the smell of rolling rose and wildflower florals and forest-like pungents fill the nose and the mind. The light notes are vibrant, light, and uplifting.

The first infusion pours a bright yellow. The initial taste is clear, vibrant, and creamy with strong hints of returning wildflower sweetness and a touch of cardamon spice. The aftertaste is of somewhat sweet pungent forest. The mouthfeel is soft and round, coating the mouth and upper and mid-throat.

The second and third infusions contain a noticeable pungent base which stretches across the profile with graceful creamy depth as the taste smoothly transitions to sweetness. It finishes somewhat floral, gummy, and sweet- this taste lingers for some time in the mouth. This tea presents a nice balance of deeper, heavier, and pungent gritt balanced with a vibrant, pronounced floral sweetness. The mouthfeel coats the mouth and mid-upper throat- a bit of saliva globs into the lower throat, a nice sensation there. The qi is warming and revitalizing, pushing mild euphoria at times. It is powerfully calm.

The fourth infusion starts with mild spicy, pungent taste that picks up more woody notes and has now lost some of its vibrant floral qualities. The floral taste is strong in its returning, gummy, fresh-greeny-wood-grassy, sweetness. It shows subtle signs of being more grainy with an underlying heaviness and fullness to it. The aftertaste fades to sweet wild floral tastes in the mouth. The flavours of this tea are vibrant and distinguished with enough interesting depth.

The fifth and sixth starts with woody notes pairing with soft florals these tastes slowly fade into the aftertaste and are joined there with pungent tastes. When the floral sweetness dissipates, a woody forest taste is left lingering in the mouth as well as a very light bland taste. A gentle sweet floral taste pushes past this light bland note after it has lingered for just a short bit. There is lots of action in the mouth here.

The seventh infusion sports a soft wood base with a sweet and tangy, soft fruit finish. The mouthfeel gets a touch dry here but remains robust and full.

The eighth and ninth infusions present with a sweet fruity floral taste which becomes bitter and woody. It then slowly reverts to sweet grass and faint floral fruits. The bitter-wood taste becomes more prominent in later infusions but still seems counter balanced by those light, fruity, floral tastes. This balance continues to play out as the tea stretches into a few more satisfying pots.

Link to Hobbes (The Half-Dipper) Tasting Notes

Link to Esteban Revas (Tea Drops) Tasting Notes

Peace

2010 Hai Lang Hao "Ba Ma Gong Chun" Nannuo Shan

2011-11-03T12:30:00.004-07:00

This is another sample from Hobbes produced under the guidance of Hai Lang. Scott from Yunnan Sourcing offers a description of this tea which explains that its from the Northern area of Nannuo Mountain.

When the dry leaves are examined they offer up a nice fruity, light, smooth mix of furry colours. These leaves exhibit a sour, nose tingling pungent-floral ordour that is quite stimulating.

They submit to a quite rise then a short first infusion which offers very spicy-pungent floral notes presenting first and fading into a pungent and floral sweetness with a certain gummieness appearing. The aftertaste is a continuation of these tastes held together with a soft sticky mouthfeel.

The second infusion offers less spicy florals which slide into a bubble-gum sweet aftertaste. The aftertaste is of this soft, thick, soupy, sticky gummy type. It is most notable on the lips and tongue but coats the whole mouth. The sweet bubble gum floral aftertaste lingers.

The third infusion is much of the same but a very light bitter-bland rubbery taste emerges slightly under nice florals in the finish. The returning sweetness tries unsucessfully breaking through these tastes.

In the fourth infusion this bland aftertaste has wiggled itself into the inital profile as well. It presents as a bland-floral taste, still slightly pungent. The aftertaste is still gummy, fruity and sweet and makes its way on to the breathe. The qi of this tea stagnates in the stomach slightly, it mildly alerts the mind.

The fifth infusion delivers more light spicy-pungent floral sweetness as well as a bitter-bland taste that shares room with fruit and flowers in the aftertaste. This infusion is relatively sweeter than the infusions that came before.

In the sixth and seventh infusions the brackish somewhat grittier bland bitter notes encroach more on the fine florals and lighter tones. The tea now leaves a rubbery bland taste in the mouth along with some lesser noted florals. The qi is on the whole soft and doesn't assert itself over ones mind.

This tea continues in this direction for the following infusions with more of the bland-muddled floral-fruit taste taking over.

Link to Hobbes' (The Half-Dipper) Tasting Notes

Peace

2011 Kim Jong Yeol (Butea) "Saebyeok" (Sunrise) Hwagae Valley Balhyocha

2011-10-23T17:04:00.004-07:00

This tea, currently available from Tea Mountain, is one of two balhyocha that was produced by teamaster Kim Jong Yeol this year. His two balhyocha are cleverly named "Saebyeok" (Sunrise) and "Noeul" (Sunset). They are both made from the tea of the same semi-wild garden but the "Sunrise" is made of earlier picked, smaller, and more delicate saejak grade leaves where the "Sunset" is made of later picked, larger, and more robust jungak grade leaves. See the comments in Michal Tallo's (Poetry Of Tea) excellent post on "Sunset" for the deeper meanings behind these names.

Today we will be sampling the Saebyeok "Sunrise" balhyocha, the early picked and therefore more pricey of the two. This tea from Kim Jong Yeol's Butea brand has been highly recommended by both HoGo and Pedro- regular commentators here on MattCha's Blog and people who know their Korean tea. Pedro kindly gifted 15 grams of this much talked about tea, enough for two sessions. One thought it appropriate to fire up the charcoal brazier for the occasion on this chilly Fall day.

The dry leaves have very creamy, distinct chocolate bread-like aromas that are strong and sharp for such smallish leaves. There is an mix of colour with the help of light brown buds in the mix. Once the natural Korean oak charcoal is glowing red and the steam from the ceramic brazier starts to audibly stir the lid on top, the mind becomes clear and the tea session begins. The leaves emit a sharp, almost bitter chocolate aroma as they hit the warmed pot.

This tea starts off subtle and light, its pale yellow colour indicating its light nature. The initial taste is of very light creamy faint chocolate tastes. The mouthfeel is also very light. The aftertaste is of bread, light chocolate, and soil notes.

The second infusion contains more bread-chocolate notes in the initial taste which coast across the tongue- subtle vanilla appears before vanishing in the aftertaste. Overall the aftertaste is a slow concentration of these tastes. The chest and heart feel light, the mind clear, as the qi of this tea softly quells one's mind. The energy seems thermally neutral, neither warm nor cool in ones body.

The third and fourth infusions contain soft, light, smooth barely vanilla tastes that build quickly into creamy chocolate, almost nuttty flavours appear at times. These flavours give way to faint wood notes. The aftertaste soon embraces nice chocolate tastes. This progression of flavour is as soft and gentle as the tea itself. This tea is light but its mouthfeel starts to round a bit and delivers a very soft coat to the mouth and sinks as deep as the middle of the throat. The chaqi softly ascends to the back of the skull.

The fifth and sixth infusions offer a similar creamy chocolate start now along with juicier notes. These flavours linger for a bit and then seem to traverse to a more wood-chocolate even soft nut taste. The mouthfeel builds with each pot and now seems rounder in the mouth and throat. The body feels comfortable- the upper body even a bit warm. The aftertaste doesn't linger as long as it once did and fades into the nice soft mouthfeel. It seems to reappear randomly then disappear again minutes later.

This tea continues to hold its ground in the seventh infusion presenting more milky-wood notes becoming most prominent in the initial taste before fading into a primarily nut-chocolate taste.

The eighth infusion has even more distinct juicy, wood-nut notes. The chocolate tastes are almost non-existent here if not just appearing just faintly in the aftertaste as a creamy-coco along with the more dominant nut and wood tastes. The mouthfeel becomes just slightly drying here but still quite soft and full.

The the ninth infusion is proof of this teas stamina. The once light colored soup gradually darkens throughout the session and develops a deeper brown-yellow colour. The tastes of this long infusion is of coco and wood. It is dry with very brief flashes of bitter milk. The soft dryness is felt deep in the throat.

This tea is put to another long infusion and delivers once again. This time a very juicy and flavourful apple-pear infusion is enjoyed cold the next morning.

This tea shows lots of movement and evolves lots over the long session. Like late Summer to Autumn, this tea gets deeper and darker as the session progresses.

Peace

Korean Tea Classics Book Club- Final Comments

2011-10-23T00:40:00.003-07:00

Thanks to all who participated in the Korean Tea Classics Book Club. It was a learning experience for all. A special thanks to Steve Owyoung, one of the translators of the book, for his added and detailed commentary.

See here to bring up all the Korean book club posts for review/ reference.

Peace

2009 Hai Lang Hao Yi Wu Zheng Shan

2011-10-16T17:36:00.006-07:00

Have been recently following ol' Hobbes recent run-ins with Hai Lang Hao factory cakes. It seems he had slipped one a few samples of the 2009 and 2010 offerings a few months back. Scott of Yunnan Sourcing still stocks this cake and offers some brief background on his site. Today lets have a closer look at the Yiwu Zheng Shan from 2009 produced under the direction of tea master Hai Lang...

Early in the morning these red tinged, longish, dry leaves smell of muted creamy and sweet scents with suggestions of floral notes to come.

The first infusion pours a light green yellow and presents first with creamy and spicy florals with a mushroom finish mixing with an interesting spiciness. The mouthfeel has a soft, light gritty sandy feel to it right off the bat.

The second infusion starts with a barely creamy green-woody taste transitioning nicely to wood, spice, and mushroom tastes in its finish. It seems there is a green-wood-bark type of base underneath its overall profile.

The third infusion reveals an initial taste that is more dirt and wood bark tasting. It is more dry in the mouth now, still sandy. Floral notes start arriving here later in the aftertaste with dry wood and dirty, meaty tastes. There is enough going on to make this tea interesting.

The fourth infusion presents a green, sour, woody start then finishes as dry spicy wood. This tea has watery almost empty moments but slight floral appearances continue to make it interesting. These tastes are much more obvious in the fifth infusion. In the fifth the floral tastes come along with the returning sweetness after the tea is swallowed. The bright morning sun brightens the room.

In the sixth, seventh, and eighth infusions the subtle floral nuances are most noted over a light dry woody, grass base. Minutes later in the aftertaste tropical fruit tastes such as papaya can be sensed and enjoyed. The qi of this tea is also very light and barely detected by one's sleepy body and mind.

In the ninth, tenth, and eleventh infusions wood notes turn grainy and smooth in the mouth with swirling sweet florals which come later with the very subtle returning sweetness. This tea has lots going in its very light profile.

This tea is taken to seventeen infusions where tropical fruits are highlighted. This tea has very good stamina, a very subtle tea.

Link to Hobbes (The Half-Dipper) Tasting Notes

Link to Jakub Tomek (T) Tasting Notes

Peace

Korean Tea Classics Book Club- Dong Cha Song- Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea- Epilogue

2011-10-15T08:03:00.002-07:00

"Tasting Cho-ui's Fragrant Green Mist. picked before Gogu, it is as delicate and fine as the tongues of birds."

from Dong Cha Song Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea translated in Korean Tea Classics

Feel free to join the online book club at anytime by simply purchasing Korean Tea Classics. Dong Cha Song is 17 stanzas in length, we will go through each stanza week by week. Jump in and join the discussion as you please.

Peace

Korean Tea Classics Book Club- Dong Cha Song- Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea- 17

2011-10-06T22:35:00.004-07:00

"With no other guests but a white cloud and a bright moon, I am raised to a place far higher than any immortal."

from Dong Cha Song Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea translated in Korean Tea Classics

Peace

What Exactly Is Korean Balhyocha (Paryo cha)?: Part 3- How Do We Classify Balhyocha? Is It Red, Black, White, Yellow, Or Oolong Tea?

2011-10-03T15:51:00.004-07:00

Please read Part 1- An Introduction and Some Problems With Translation (here) and Part 2- A Detailed Look At The Production Of This Unique Korean Tea (here) before proceeding to read the following...

Some of the confusion around how to categorize this tea is due to Korean dealers of bal hyo cha using different terms to market this tea to the westren/ English speaking world. Boxes of "Balhyo cha" or "Hwang cha" are translated from Korean to English as "Oolong", "Black Tea", "Red Tea", or "Yellow Tea" some even consider it a white tea. In general, Koreans consider balhyocha to be a yellow tea but most westreners don't know what a yellow tea is so it is often marketed as the more familiar red, black, or oolong tea.

It is very hard to classify these Korean teas in the typical 6 traditional categories (green, yellow, red, white, oolong, and black). But Koreans generally consider balhyocha to be in the yellow tea category (hwang cha) beacuse they call the production step of vigerous shaping/rolling, and then slow drying "min hwang" or "yellowing phase". Also, the final product pours yellow. So as a very matter a fact sensory judgement- the tea is a yellow tea.

The reason bal hyo cha is hard to define using the 6 tea classification system is because its production shares some similarities to all 6 classic tea types. The following will compare and contrast bal hyo cha production to each of these classic categories.

Bal hyo cha is different than a red tea (hong cha or what most westerners know as "black tea") beause it doesn't go through a rolling step- which forcefully exposes enzymes to air. Instead bal hyo cha goes through a shaping step that is a bit more violent than the green tea shaping but not as extreme as most red tea processing. Red teas go through quite a violent rolling- they go through an oxidizing stage that is very fast and then are roasted or hot air dried. Bal hyo cha, on the other hand, goes through a process of slow drying which takes days not hours like red tea production. Then the balhyocha is spread out and dried on the heated floor (which is also a relatively slower process compared to red tea). The biggest difference between these teas is that Bal hyo cha does not "fully" oxidize like red teas do because they don't undergo the harsher "rolling and oxidizing" method of red tea but instead undergo "yellowing".

Bal hyo cha is different than a black tea (hei cha) because black tea goes through a kill green stage after it is picked and bal hyo cha does not. However black tea does go through post fermentation or aged fermention stage. Some bal hyo cha also goes through a stage of fermentation or aging similar to that of black teas.

Bal hyo cha is different than an oolong tea because oolong tea goes through a few stages of withering and brusing but then goes through a high heat roll (kill green), shaping, then heat drying. Oolong has no slow drying (withering) stage after being shaped.

Bal hyo cha is different than white tea because white tea is not violently shaped. Also white tea is not fermented, some bal hyo cha is.

To complicate things, bal hyo cha is also different than Chinese yellow teas. Chinese yellow teas all go through a kill green stage first but bal hyo cha does not.

So after considering how bal hyo cha shares many similarities to each of these classic categories of tea, it is understandable that there has been difficulty categorizing it. This is the problem with categories. Perhaps we should just consider it a semi-oxidized tea or just simply "bal hyo cha".

Peace

2011 Ssang Kye"Chun-Go-Hyang" Yellow Tea... On A Cold Autumn Day

2011-10-02T16:08:00.009-07:00

Autumn has come fast to Victoria. It moved in with cold wet temperatures blown in by high winds. Winds that blew the first of the dry leaves off startled trees and seem to change the colour of green leaves to more vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows overnight. The streets are filled with piles of these colourful leaves, trampled upon by people coughing and tying to adjust to natures seasonal progression. Ahh... the perfect time for a cup of Korean yellow tea ("Hwang Cha" or "Bal hyo cha").

On this package of Ssang Kye balhyocha the processing is clearly stated:

First this tea is picked and withered in the shade. It then goes through intervals of rubbing over a rough straw mat and rest several times. The leaves are then shaped, pressed, and stuffed into Onggi pots. They then are dried over a charcoal fire before being left to ferment (presumably in Onggi pots) for 1000 days.

It roughly follows the formula used for other Bal hyo cha. The exception is the long fermenting time- 1000 days. 1000 is auspicious in Korea and can indicate the completion of a full cycle of energy (fermentation) but with still an abundance of power left for the new cycle which it has just entered (i.e. the step of infusing and drinking this tea). With this said, is this tea experience simply like that of other Korean yellow tea, or somehow more energetically auspicious? Let's bring the brazier to a boil on this gloomy fall day and find out...

The largish dry leaves are a dull grey with greenish hues and smell of muted walnut and oak. The leaves emit a maple surup-/ brown sugar- like sweetness in the warm teapot.

The first infusion imparts a very juicy subdued fruit taste of citrus and persimmon which glide smoothly across the tongue and down the throat. A woody, sweet taste is left in the mouth and turns to a prune-wood fruit taste on the breath. The mouthfeel coats the mouth in a thin dryness which softly sends the saliva retreating and makes the tongue noticeably tingle. This is a very enjoyable sensation in the mouth.

The second infusion involves brown-sugary, mushroom, sweetness striking first followed by spicy wood persimmon notes. Its aftertaste remains sweet and juicy. The mouthfeel now sofly encroaches on the throat. The qi of this tea is warming especially comforting the upper and mid body. A soft, fuzzy sweat covers the forehead. This tea also has an overall drying feeling and quality in the body.

The third infusion is smooth and filled with subtle spices. It has started to loose some of those fruity and juicy tastes. The aftertaste is hardly sweet and tastes more of dry oak. The mouthfeel is much the same.

The fourth infusion sees light, watery, spicy wood tastes ending in a drier oak finish. Flashes of fruity tastes are spotted that fade quickly to wood in initial taste but more so in the aftertaste. A wave of spicy notes encroach minutes later. "Dry wood and persimmon fruit" sum up this tea's base flavours nicely.

The fifth infusion develops a taste that holds for many infusions to follow. Now woody notes start to take over with sweet-fruity nuances pushed into the distance. There is some spicy warm notes that appear especially in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel remains thin and dry.

When these leaves are put to long, overnight infusions they yield very flavourful, vibrant, fruity-spicy, woody-bread, persimmon notes that are quite enjoyable.

Edit (Jan. 22/2012): Note that this Ssangkye balhyocha is different than Ssangkye's "Balhyo Saejak" that is only fermented for 500 days. Ssangkye's "Balhyo Saejak" is available from Good Green Tea here.

Peace

Korean Tea Classics Book Club- Dong Cha Song- Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea- 16

2011-10-01T17:03:00.004-07:00

"With one cup of Jade Flower, a breeze rises beneath my arms, my body grows light and I ascend to a state of supreme purity."

from Dong Cha Song Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea translated in Korean Tea Classics

Peace

Is Jukro's 2011 Ball Shaped Cake "Tong E Cha" Uricha The Same As Its Loose Form "Bal Hyo Cha" Uricha???

2011-09-25T20:53:00.006-07:00

Balhyocha (Korean yellow tea) pressed into a bell/ball form cake is a rather new trend in Korea these days. Even a few years back, the bell shaped balhyocha couldn't be found in Korea. Joytea was perhaps the first in recent times to offer the tea in this form. Ever since Joytea's bell shaped balhyocha won some international tea awards more balhyocha has been popping up pressed into the bell shape.

Over the last year or two, famous tea producer Jukro has began to offer its balhyocha in a 100g ball shape. It is packaged beautifully in a wooden box with two cakes per box. It retails for 120 000 Won (approx $120 for 100g x 2) for the boxed set or 50 000 Won (approx $50 for 100g) for a single ball without the fancy packaging. The Jukro site lists this product as "Tong E Cha" or "cake tea".

Jukro has traditionally offered its balhyocha in loose form only and continues to do so. One has been drinking this tea for ages now and it is consistently touted as one of the best (see here and here). It retails for 50 000 Won (approx $50) for the 100g box or 25 000 Won (approx $25) for the 50g bag. The Jukro site lists this product simply as "Bal hyo cha".

Ever since the introduction of Jukro's ball shaped bal hyo cha ("Tong E Cha"), one has wondered how the change of shape and variance in production impacts the experience of this classic Korean tea. The following post will examine the question of whither these two teas are the same or are different and will look at how they differ.

Readers may have noticed that there have never been side by side cuppings here on Mattcha's Blog. This will not change today. Although multiple cuppings reveal much about two similar teas under the same conditions, this method also has its disadvantages. If you are drinking two teas at once how can you determine the qi of one tea from another? How can you note how a teas flavour, fragrance, and mouthfeel compounds throughout a tea session? Also certain subtle nuances of one tea can always interfere with the nuances of another if you are drinking them together. In the rare instance that a close comparison of two teas is warranted, one usually compares them over a few days. Drinking tea A one day one, tea B on day two, then a complete session with tea B early in the day followed by a session with tea A that same day.

With the Fall Equinox signaling the perfect time to consume balhyocha what better time to compare these two teas. The loose balhyocha was purchased with this years tea order from Korea and a ball cake sample was kindly gifted by Pedro for this comparison. Throughout this post the loose balhyocha will always be pictured above the ball cake balhyocha. So let's look at the dry leaves...

The loose balhyocha's leaves seem a bit larger and have more of a blue green sheen to them that can even be seen in the picture above. The loose balhyocha leaves are coated in a dusty film that the ball shape does not have at all. The ball cake's leaves are smaller in size and are a deep dark brown-black colour. Appearance aside, the odour of these two leaves is also markedly different. The loose balhyocha smells of more subtle roasted nuts and light cereals with more of a creamy chocolate finish, even slight wood notes can be sensed. The ball cake's odour is of very deep chocolate odours that lean to a more brisk, deep, bitter dark chocolate.

Both pour an identical deep gold-yellow and share the most distinct chocolate tastes. The first few infusions of the loose balhyocha have distinctly creamy-nut and chocolate notes. The ball shape has less of the nutty notes and has a slightly richer, smoother, mellower taste and feel. The chocolate taste of the ball shape is barely more sour and bitter in these earlier infusions. These differences are very subtle. Both share the same long mellow chocolate aftertaste that slowly parts from the initial flavours.

At around the fourth infusions, the loose balhyocha has a slight juicer edge to it. The loose balhyocha also shows more woodiness here among its creamy nutty chocolate base. The ball shape now comes closer to the loose forms slightly more nutty taste. The differences are barely noticeable, so slight. The mouthfeel is also very similar with the ball shape having slightly more presence in the throat and the loose balhyocha perhaps having a juicier edge, both exhibit a very soft, mellow, velvet mouthfeel.

The later infusions suggest that the loose balhyocha has slightly less stamina- this makes sense when referencing other cake teas such as puerh as the leaves take a bit longer to awaken from their pressed posture. Compared to other balhyocha both have excellent stamina.

As a result, the loose balhyocha seems to flirt with woodier and citrus notes among its milky-nutty flavours earlier than the ball form. The bell cake only reveals these nuances in the last few pots and remains slightly more mellow and rich in taste and feel.

The qi of these two teas also shares very subtle differences. The loose balhyocha has slightly stronger qi in the body and is just a bit more warm and active especially in the middle of the body. The ball cake has a more mellow presence. Both are strongly comforting and slightly warm and have a reasuring and relaxing affect.

In the end the differences are barely noticable and could simply be caused from storage and the slight differences in production.

Link to Adam (The Sip Tip) Tasting Notes of "Tong E Cha"

Link to Petr (Pots and Tea) Tasting Notes of "Tong E Cha"

Peace

Edit: The loose "balhyocha" is currently available from CoreaColor (see here).

Le Palais Des Thes was the first company to offer the loose Balhyocha to the Western audience and still does (see here).

TeaMoutain made a recent addition to the Korean teas they sell and is the only Western dealer to stock Tong E Cha (see here).

Double Peace

Edit (Jan 22/2012): A representative from Jukro confirms that there are slight differences between these two very similar teas. Both of these teas undergo around 3 months of aging before released. The loose balhyocha undergoes an oxadative fermentation rate over 80% and is less bioactive than the cake Tong E Cha because it is sealed in an airtight bag. The cake Tong E Cha has an oxidative fermentation rate over 95% and is more bioactive because it is not packaged airtight and can continue to ferment as it interacts with the air. This no doubt explains the slight differences in these two teas.

TRIPLE PEACE!!!

One of Korea's True Master Potters Calls It Quits- Thank You Sel Young Jin

2011-09-24T19:09:00.003-07:00

One of Korea's best potters has stopped making wares. David Louveau passed this information on with kind words and a gift, a beautiful teapot, a few weeks ago. David Louveau studied under Sel Young Jin- heavy influences of this master can be seen in his work.

Sel Young Jin specialized in erabo style and his pieces were some of the most stunning of any modern potter. He infused a Zen mind with that of a potters mind and made them one in his works. Drinking from his cups and tea bowls you can taste this mind- peaceful and still within the contrasting raw and natural texture of his works.

According to David Louveau, Sel Young Jin has taken to deepening his meditation. One takes solace in knowing that he is still sharing many cups of tea with family and friends at his tea table.

Thank you Sel Young Jin.

Peace

Click here then scroll down to see some of his beautiful teaware.

Double Peace

Korean Tea Classics Book Club- Dong Cha Song- Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea- 15

2011-09-22T21:49:00.002-07:00

"A profound subtlety lies at the heart of this process that is hard to express"

from Dong Cha Song Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea translated in Korean Tea Classics

Peace

2010 Yunnan Sourcing Jing Gu Yang Ta

2011-09-20T20:30:00.004-07:00

This tea is still available from Yunnan Sourcing. On their site they offer some good background on this tea that comes from 60-350 year old wild trees.

Had an interesting experience with this tea, a sample sent by Hobbes a few months back. The qi was such that one doubted that it could possibly have came from the leaves- a profoundly powerful movement throughout the mind. So lets sit down and boil water in the ceramic brazer, and see if this tea can charge the mind like it did days before...

The dry leaves are rich, fruity, and tangy. Sweet frosted sugary smells have notes dwelling in a forested puerh tea base. The leaves are very down covered smallish-medium type that show many light white-green leaves in the mix with medium-greens. These leaves are put in a warm pot and rinsed.

The first infusion pours a slightly pale-cloudy opaque yellow. A subdued woody creamy initial flavour presents itself first with a very light, sweet, plum finish. There is almost a granola taste to this tea. A slight tingling of the lips occurs from drinking this tea- these lips soon become sticky. Inside the mouth it covers the cheeks and upper throat nicely. The aftertaste is of muted bubble gum florals and lingers nicely for quite some time. Woody tastes surface as well supplying ample depth to this light tea. This muted woody taste seems to underlay most of the profile of this tea. The qi immediately warms the body and is felt bearing down in the the lower body.

The second infusion is of woody bark tastes with creamy, fruity, floral sweetness in its initial taste. The flavour is complicated and full of enough depth but gives way to a plumy-gummy sugary returning sweetness that is felt gloopy in the mouth. The aftertaste is an extension of these plum-gum floral tastes which end up liking to linger for a while in the sticky mouthfeel that is mainly found on the tongue and lips. The qi starts off more on the mild side here- moderately warming the body.

The third and fourth infusions have a more woody-creamy initial taste with relatively less fruity taste but still lots of sweetness. The fruit notes return more in the aftertaste accompanying those nice long plum-gum florals and hiding wood notes. There is a noticed bitterness in the aftertaste as well. The mouthfeel is full even in the upper throat still pasty and gloopy.

The fifth infusion turns a corner and now offers a mild woody, barely sweet initial taste with mild woody returning sweetness. The subdued fruit flavours are pushed to the aftertaste and are muted by a plain woody taste. The qi is so mild it is almost unnoticeable here.

The sixth infusion has a mild creamy-woody initial taste that now turns more bland than sweet before turning to into wood again. The mouthfeel is thin here and coats mainly the front of the mouth- it has lost most of its stickiness.

The next handful of infusions pretty much just have a bland, bitter wood taste that sometimes shows hints of plum or chokecherries. Although the qi of this tea is barely noticed in the body it shakes the mind strongly. Later in the session the full effect of the qi has taken control of one's mind and puts it under a spell of twitchy, jittery, buzzing energy.

This tea was put to the test again a few days later- the same strong but slow evolving, mindshaking, chaqi seems to develop.

Link to Hobbes (The Half-Dipper) Tasting Notes

Peace

Korean Tea Classics Book Club- Dong Cha Song- Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea- 14

2011-09-18T18:18:00.002-07:00

"Drinking dew on clear nights, hands guided by meditation produce a wonderful fragrance"

from Dong Cha Song Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea translated in Korean Tea Classics

Peace

2011 Kim Shin Ho (Samtae) Hwagae Valley Saejak Green Tea

2011-09-14T17:28:00.006-07:00

Before we get into the mix with this tea one will mention right off the bat that it is currently available from Martin of Tea Mountain. One has often been criticized for blogging about great Korean teas that are unavailable to the western audience. On top of this post the next Korean green that one will be posting about in the coming weeks will also be available to western audiences. Do please check out the updated list of Online Korean Tea Vendors for those who are interested.

A 40g sealed package of this tea was gifted from generous Pedro of Dao Tea. This year he hooked Martin of Tea Mountain up with his 2011 Korean teas. When drinking this tea a conversation that was had with Pedro came to mind. It involved musing about how much year to year variance there is with Kim Shin Ho, Kim Jong Yeol, and other small Hadong area producers' teas. Actually, it is quite hard to recognize the personal nuances year after year with these small scale producers compared to the more consistent offerings of larger, older, and more well known and established producers such as Jukro and Ssang Kye which still manage to do things in the traditional way despite their size. The wide year to year variances sure make for exciting tea sampling though. As it turns out this tea would be quite different than the 2009 and 2010 Saejak from Kim Shin Ho. So let's heat up the water and see what his hands and lands have presented to us this year...

Immediately following the opening of the foil pack the smell of dusky, deep, and frosted notes turn nutty and roasted. These odours are deep in the nose where a soft, frosty sweetness develops from these medium sized saejak leaves.

The first infusion is prepared and pours a vibrant clear green with just a slight tone of yellow. The initial taste is very bright sweet floral honey that is as vibrant and clear as its liquor. There is a milkiness to it as well- in taste and in feel. The aftertaste is light, ethereal, sweet, and long with suggestions of forest that is barely noticed among this light, sweet notes which gracefully dominate the mouth. The mouthfeel is as if the mouth is covered in soft silk.

The second infusion presents with a soft light body with distinct creamy-milky-forested taste and a sweet buttery finish. The aftertaste is sweet and somewhat buttery and hints at wild florals under the surface. The mouthfeel is full and now develops a very sparse, soft, milky texture in the mouth. The qi of this tea is soft and cool on this very summery early September day. One's feet and legs feel cool to the touch and ones mind feels cheerful and somewhat relaxed.

The third infusion has an initial taste of soft, light, creamy, buttery sweetness with a relatively deeper forest finish. Now the aftertaste shows more signs of deeper forest tastes but remains predominantly sweet, light, and long as before. Creamy fruit suggestions even find there way out as the minutes go by between cups. The mouthfeel becomes thicker here. If one didn't know better and ignored the leaf size, would have thought this an ujeon grade.

The fourth infusion remains light and creamy but is now a touch woody and contains a cool-fresh taste with an energizing creamy sweetness. The aftertaste is barely woody and mainly creamy and sweet with a light forest feel. Fruity tastes are noticed minutes later. The mouthfeel is full and is now noticed at the top of the throat. The mouth develops a soft dry quality.

In the fifth infusion the soft woody notes start becoming more dominant than the creamy sweet notes. The aftertaste is becoming more dry and woody. It still has a large, creamy-fruity-sweet taste that lasts much longer than the woody aftertastes. These woody notes, like earlier infusions, drop off leaving subtler tastes in the mouth. The mouthfeel and throatfeel remain constant, very similar to the last infusion.

The sixth infusion contains a light, wood, sugary-floral initial taste. The initial tastes present lighter now but still full in the mouth. The aftertaste is smooth with sweet, fruity-creamy notes riding themselves out as before. The seventh is much the same with more wood notes developing here.

The eighth has woody and dry notes that are further developing as the mouthfeel becomes dry and loses some of its depth. Floral notes still remain long in the mouth.

Link to Michal Tallo's (Poetry in Tea) Tasting Notes

Peace

Korean Tea Classics Book Club- Dong Cha Song- Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea- 13

2011-09-11T21:54:00.002-07:00

"Wisdom dwells all round, every barrier falls.

Its divine roots are entrusted to Spirit Mountain."

from Dong Cha Song Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea translated in Korean Tea Classics

Peace

2011 Kim Jong Yeol (Butea) Hwagae Valley Ujeon Green Tea

2011-09-07T15:15:00.005-07:00

This sample was another that came from Pedro. With all the talk about a possible decrease quality in Hadong's ujeon grade, one hoped to get a better feel for things with this tea on this summery early September day.

The dry leaves are small and delicate and smell sugary and sweet with the subtle lingering scent of fragrant wild flowers in a very light, sweet, forested base. The tea placed in a warm pot and more green-foresty odours evolve.

The first infusion is watery, juicy, with subtle greeny-forest tastes which turn a slightly woody-bark taste. It is somewhat sweet in the aftertaste with forested hues. The mouthfeel turns a touch pasty.

The second infusion contains a soupy lime, barely sweet, forest green initial taste which turns to wood bark. Hints of tangy notes come out in the aftertaste as well as a soft sweetness that disappears as quickly and unnoticeably as it comes. The mouthfeel is thicker and chalky and coat the mouth in this heavier feel. The qi is contemplative and is felt soothing the temples on each side of the head.

The third and fourth infusions have the same inital taste but this time distant chalky-florals are found in the distance. These florals linger for a bit under a wood bark base flavour. This tea has an overall soupy-heaviness to it that isn't common in ujeon grade, which is usually light and ethereal. The mouthfeel is mainly in the mouth, not venturing into the throat.

The fifth starts very light, somewhat sugary sweet, before drifting to wood-bark-forest taste and finishing somewhat sugary sweet. It continues as dry bark wood in the mouth. The mouthfeel is dry now especially in the front of the mouth and tongue.

The sixth pot has indications of the bland tasting woody-bark profile of this tea taking over. There is some barely sweet finish with hiding florals surfacing later in the aftertaste. While the seventh is mainly just wood-bark-dry notes with a dry monotone mouthfeel.

Peace

Appreciation & Wear of Kim Kyoung Soo's Grey and White Style: The Teapot

2011-09-05T19:17:00.007-07:00

Hot water passes from the cooling bowl into the empty teapot to warm it, preparing it for leaves. Water rests in there briefly then is poured into the serving pot. The leaves are then added and, in time, cooled water embraces these leaves...

The knob of the lid feels glossy and smooth between the fingers. The side walls of the lid show the wear of the original clay and its constant interaction with liquid tea which has approached to close to the rim of the teapot.

The form of this grey and white teapot is simple enough not to be pretentious. The comfortable flat looped handle on the far end feels like shaking an old friends hand. It hugs one's slightly large fingers nicely. A cloudy white blotch adorns the handle. It acts to remind those preparing tea of the light hand, like that of a floating cloud, required to make a good pot of tea. Where the handle connects with the body of the pot there is some slight staining contrasting the white cloudy blotch nicely. Underneath the handle rests a somewhat hidden chop of Kim Kyoung Soo- the only one on this piece.

The spout at the other end of the pot sufficiently balances the handle, if not stretching your vision more to that end anyways. This slight emphasis is deliberate as energetics and concentration flow out this spout along with freshly infused tea liquor. The end of the spout is ridged so as to liberate the last drops of tea from the teapot- a patient but necessary moment in every pour. Done to ensure that no water is left over the delicate tea leaves.

The most stunning aspect of this pot's wear is the rustic-earthy staining that has occurred from the last drips of tea clinging to this spout, refusing to depart from its home. It forms an orange-brown stripe that makes its way from the tip to the exposed clay circle at the bottom of the pot's base. Its raw nature is appreciated. The exposed clay is at the very bottom of this pot, grounding it- a reminder of the earth it has come from.

The sides of the pot sport the ancient pictographs for moon and wind, yin and yang. These pictographs balance and remind us of the connection of nature to the process of steeping tea. The shinny grey sides of the pot are marked with some beautiful dimpling allowing the pot to take an extra deep breath while holding tea leaves and warm water inside. There is noted staining around the pots rim as well.

Peaking inside the pot, you can see a large white blob of glaze- the most bold marking on the pot. It is left for the leaves and water to enjoy or perhaps the keen and patient observer before and after the tea has been prepared. The crackling of the white blob is a measure of all the tea that has passed through this pot, passed through this mind.

Peace

Korean Tea Classics Book Club- Dong Cha Song- Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea- 12

2011-09-04T17:44:00.002-07:00

"With nine difficulties and four fragrances, tea is an extremely delicate affair."

from Dong Cha Song Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea translated in Korean Tea Classics

Peace

2011 Jukro Ujeon Hwagae Valley Green Tea

2011-09-01T14:28:00.005-07:00

This tea came with a eclectic mix of sealed 2011 Korean tea samples from Pedro of Dao Tea. Currently, he is not selling any 2011 tea, he claims that big changes are coming to his always changing tea company.

Ujeon looses its subtleties so fast- a point is made at consuming this grade first. It has been a few years since one had tried Jukro's ujeon grade so one took a nice summer afternoon to spend time with it. Upon admiring the dry leaves one noticed that they seem slightly slightly larger and stringier than usual. Perhaps its just been a while? The odour that these leaves carry is of soft wildflowers and roasted honey nut scents with a lingering odour of deep forest and suggestions of somewhat chalky chocolate in the near distance. This is a beautiful smell.

The first infusion is prepared in ceremony. A light, soft, sugar water and foresty initial taste shuffles to more forested depths before coming back with wildflower and subtle nut aftertastes. The mouthfeel in this light handed first infusion is thin and soft and coats the mouth, even thinner on the throat.

The second infusion is prepared just a slight bit stronger and is much more thick and presents first with a sweet, sugary, limey-forested-woody taste before fading into less woody but more rich forested tastes. The mouthfeel is still soft but is thicker with more goopy viscosity and nice stimulation in the mouth, a soft light stimulation of the throat.

The third infusion is more of a balance between the first and second infusion. Adjustments to the way it is prepared, neither too soft nor hard, is likely the cause. The result is a tea that is thick but watery with subtle sugary and forest inital tastes. These lighter tastes turn into deeper forest tastes and finish lighter with a sugary forest finish similar to the inital taste. The mouthfeel continues to be thick but soft. The qi is light and slightly cooling- filling ones lower body in a cool sensation. The mind is less effected.

In the fourth infusion the woody sweet sugary thick initial taste turns toward its forest tasting base. The forest taste is less leafy and green and is now starting to turn slightly wood and green. Nice wildflower depth comes out of this taste followed by a subtle sugary sweet aftertaste. There are lime and wood notes as well in the aftertaste that trail these sweeter softer tastes, adding depth in the mouth. It is a nice deep and full progression of tastes.

In the fifth infusion woody and lime notes start to crowd the sweeter softer tastes. A tangy edge develops perhaps as a result of this conflict. The once sugary and pure sweetness has gone and there is a more subtle sweetness there now. The mouthfeel remains full but is now becoming more brisk. The sweetness now is felt more in the end of the flavour profile along with modest wildflower like florals and wood tastes.

The sixth and seventh infusions are less thick and more watery with wood notes becoming more dominant. All other tastes seem to weaken a touch and converge into a tangy-wood that lingers in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel starts to become more drying.

The last, longer steeped, pots highlight wonderful watery floral tastes in a barely sweet wood base.

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

Peace

Hadong, South Korea- A Recognized Cittaslow, Hadong Tea- A Slow Food

2011-08-29T14:12:00.003-07:00

Hadong, South Korea is a special place. Unlike most places in Korea its pace is, well, a lot slower. Slow enough to be recognized as an official Cittaslow, a slow city, promoting the slow food and slow movement. It is special in a sense because it is the only recognized slow tea city in the world. The contrast in the pace of life is quite stark from the rest of the country with its speed trains, tech savy population, and fast pace lifestyle. As a reaction to this almost unavoidable pace of life, Korea has done much to support the slow food and slow movement and in 2009 five slow cities in South Korea were recognized by cittaslow including the Akyang village of Hadong.

When you think of it though, all villages throughout Asia that grow and drink tea in the traditional way are, in fact, slow cities. The problem is that almost all tea areas and cities have since mechanized and/or used some sort of fertilizers/ pesticides in at least some aspect of the tea production in the area or have lost some aspect of their traditional tea culture. This is what makes Hadong so special- it is really hard to find these unnatural (and obviously so much 'faster') ways of growing and producing tea. The slow tea movement of Hadong is essentially a modern revival and trendier renaming of what is traditional growing, producing, preparation, and consumption of tea- nothing more. What is sad is that a certification agency is needed to protect and promote these things and that they are not simply protected and promoted for their own sake.

Boseong is usually the tea producing area that first comes to mind for Koreans because of its relationship with Korean pop culture. Hadong is slowly gaining national and international notoriety for exactly the opposite reasons. Handong is setting a excellent example of how tea areas, towns, and cities throughout Asia can preserve and promote their traditional tea culture.

Peace

Thanks to Alex Zorach of Alex Zorach's Tea Blog and his post on "Tea as Slow Food" and to Gingko of Life In Teacup and her post on how to enjoy tea (or noodles) in the spirit of slow food. They motivated one to put these old notes jotted down years ago into a post. Please do have a look at thier great posts for more on the subject of slow food and tea.

Double Peace

Korean Tea Classics Book Club- Dong Cha Song- Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea- 11

2011-08-27T21:27:00.002-07:00

"I have a rock spring, so I brew Excellent Blue and A Hundred-Year Life.

How shall I offer some to Old Hae at the foot of Mongmyeok Mountain?"

from Dong Cha Song Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea translated in Korean Tea Classics

Peace

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Part 11- Pouring Technique

2011-08-20T18:23:00.006-07:00

This is a continuation of a discussion on pouring. See part 10- Pouring Method (here) before continuing...

Once the person making the tea decides on a boiling vessel (and type of ladle if applicable) then the next element of the pour that should be considered is the human element of the pour. There are four variables of the pouring technique that can dramatically influence the final cup of tea- the height of the pour, the forcefulness or vigor of the pour, the direction of the pour, and the intent or mindset of the person pouring the water.

The higher the pour, the more time water is in contact with air. In ancient times it was thought that the relatively heavier water would be infused with the light essence of the air thereby infusing lighter characteristics into the water. Today there is some talk of oxidizing the water, where more exposure to air imparts more oxygen into the water. Any scientists out there who want to explain this? One thing that is for sure is that as more surface area of hot water is exposed to air for a longer time, the more the water will cool in temperature. Due to these reasons a higher pour which gives the water a lighter and cooler quality naturally harmonizes better with lighter teas such as whites, greens, and greener oolong, a medium pour which moderately lightens and cools is best with Korean yellow tea and some well oxidized oolong, a low pour which retains the heat and heavier nature harmonizes best with darker, heavier teas such as red tea, and aged puerh tea.

The force and vigor of the pour will also impact the end product. This factor is often overlooked because it is not as obvious to the observer.

Extremely vigerous pour which violently jostles the leaves in the pot is thought to impart overly harsh characteristics. The resulting tea is often described as oversteeped, bitter/sour taste, and/ or harsh and choking mouthfeel. It also exhausts the leaves much faster over many infusions. On the other hand, a very gentle, trickling pour which barely stirs the leaves at all is thought to impart overly gentle/ passive characteristics. The resulting tea is often described as understeeped, watery taste, and absent mouthfeel. The person pouring water should always strive for the middle way pouring with just enough vigor to gently stirr and tumble the leaves in the teapot with the incoming stream of water. It should still be noted that deeper, heavier, darker teas harmonize best with somewhat more vigerous pouring and lighter, cooler, more subtle teas harmonize best with a relatively gentle pour. However, a very gentle pour does harmonize very nicely with the lightest most subtle teas- softly coaxing out the soft compexities and subtleties of pre qing ming dragonwell and ujeon grade green teas.

The direction of the pour should also be considered. For most cases the stream of water should be directed to the wall of the teapot (or other steeping vessel), when possible. This is to create a nice tumbling action of the leaves in the pot. When pouring directly over the leaves it can often be too harsh and bring out somewhat undesirable qualities. Pouring water directly over mellowed, aged teas such as aged puerh and black teas will not impact the final cup as much as fresher lighter teas. Still most of the time teamasters are in the habit of not pouring water directly over the leaves if the steeping vessel allows. A cooling bowl is also used from ladle to teapot to help control elements of the pour such as direction- you can see how this could be important when preparing, say a very light ujeon grade green tea.

The last, and most overlooked, element of the pour that should always be considered is the mindset of the person pouring the water, preparing the tea. Those with malicious intent, such as a tea shop owner who wishes to make one tea look better than another, will impart negative qualities into the tea whereas someone who has loving intent will make a much better tea. There are three mindsets that we will examine here- the malicious mindset, the unfocused/ or unaware mindset, and the mindful/ meditative mindset.

The malicious mindset is was mentioned above, people in this mindset also alter other elements of the method and pouring technique to bring out a bad cup of tea. This is different than someone who is maybe in a bad mood and is just not aware of it- this would fall into the second group, the unaware mindset. Whether in a good or bad mood, this is probably where most people are and so the internal environment of the person pouring the water (and preparing the tea) impacts the final product.

Truly amazing tea comes from those who have been honing their mindset for years. Often you hear stories about how a student following a teamaster for several years still cannot make the amazing pot of tea that his master can. The best teamasters go beyond just mindfulness and recite prayers, meditate, do some sort of energy manipulation, or dwell in a 'no-mind' state. These are often closely guarded secrets of teamasters that are rarely discussed but no doubt have a subtle effect on the cup of tea. Just starting with a mindful approach you will start noticing improvements in the tea you drink.

Happy pouring...

Peace

Harmonizing Water and Tea: Part 10- Pouring Method

2011-08-20T17:41:00.006-07:00

The method and technique of pouring water into the teapot is an important factor in harmonizing water and tea. The instance when water finally embraces dry leaves is one of the junctures in preparing tea where the elements converge- a very important moment in the energetic and chemical reaction of making tea. Most often attention is payed to water temperature and steeping time and occasionally how the steeping vessel (teapot) impacts the final cup of tea. However, very little attention is payed to the pouring method and technique- the focus of today's discussion. Even though pouring method and technique are not given the attention they deserve by most people preparing tea, they are rarely overlooked by keen teamasters. The pour can make the difference between a great cup of tea and an extrordinary cup of tea.

The first thing that should be considered are the mechanics of the pour that are dictated by the boiling vessel. Water is either poured directly from the boiling vessel into the teapot (or other steeping vessel) or scooped from the boiling vessel by a ladle then poured into the teapot. Both of these create subtle differences that should be considered when preparing tea.

Water that is poured directly from the spout of the kettle or tetsubin retains more of the unadulterated essence of the boiling vessel because it doesn't come in contact with anything but air between the kettle and teapot. As a result less heat is lost with this method. Pouring water directly from a kettle or tetsubin is best used for teas requiring high temperatures such as aged puerh, black tea, and red tea.

The purity of a silver pot is also retained by pouring it directly from the spout- which is especially good for lighter, more subtle teas such as early pick green tea, white tea, and green oolong. This method of pouring retains the pure essence of the water to ensure that these pure, soft tastes can be realized.

Using a ladle to scoop water from the boiling vessel and pour it into the teapot is a method that is occasionally found in Japan and Korea. Both of these nations use a different kind of ladle which subtlety impacts the water used for tea.

In Japan a ladle is made of bamboo called a hishaku is used. Water comes in contact with the bamboo and so the taste, feel, and qi of the water is influenced. A bamboo ladle harmonizes best with matcha and green teas. Booth green tea and bamboo have similar energetic properties- they are cold thermal nature, they are of the wood element, they are green in colour, they both help harmonize the body to spring season, they act to calm the mind, ect. So the use of a bamboo ladle to scoop water from a boiling vessel is said to enhance the energetic properties of green tea. It is no coincidence that this pouring technique is done in Japan where they almost exclusively drink green tea.

In Korea a gourd ladle called a pyo choo bak is used. Water comes in contact with the gourd and so the taste, feel, and qi of the water is influenced. A gourd ladle harmonizes best with later picked green teas and especially balhyocha (Korean yellow tea). Both balhyocha and pumpkin (gourds) share similar energetic properties- they are neutral thermal nature, they are of the earth element, they are yellow in colour, they both help harmonize the body to late fall and to changes of the season, they act to center the body and mind and are good for digestion, ect. So the use of a gourd ladle to scoop water from a boiling vessel is said to enhance the energetic properties of balhyocha. It is no wonder that these scoops are used in Korea where balhyocha is produced.

A continuation of this discussion is located in Part 11- Pouring Technique (here)...

Peace

Korean Tea Classics Book Club- Dong Cha Song- Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea- 10

2011-08-19T21:23:00.004-07:00

"Tea made in the Eastern Land is identical to the original.

In color, scent and taste it is granted the same high merit."

from Dong Cha Song Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea translated in Korean Tea Classics

Peace

2011 Mystery Korean Foil Bag Tea #1

2011-08-15T21:17:00.007-07:00

With this year's shipment of Korean tea came a few surprises. Two of these surprises were 80-100g unmarked, unopened foil bags each with a clip on one end. These bags are a common sight in Korea and are the standard packaging for any tea- really, it could be anything.

One is in a mood for some Korean green tea this afternoon, a need to be refreshed and revitalized on this sunny summer day, so let's take a chance on one of these foil bags. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe...

One scoops the boiling water from the tang gwan into the cooling pot, picks up the scissors, and snips open the bag...

Balhyocha!

The odour that emits from these medium dusty black-dark-brown leaves are unreal. Deep, very rich chocolately notes fill the air. The dark chocolate smell turns creamy and milky and are overwhelmingly coco with a very faint dusty odour also barely noted. Soon one is convinced that some Korean yellow tea (Balhyocha) is more appropriate than green- why resist destiny?

These leaves are placed in a warm pot and water is poured from the cooling bowl.

The first infusion pours a very crisp, clear yellow broth- extraordinarily clear and vibrant for balhyocha. The watery soup has distinct notes of coco that carry on into the long aftertaste. The mouthfeel is watery, smooth, and refreshing. It turns nutty on the breath.

The second infusion delivers a clear refreshing taste of milky coco. Strong nutty notes immerse themselves in this coco taste. The aftertaste is long nutty coco. This balhyocha is the extremely refreshing type- perfect on this summer day.

The third infusion is smooth and watery, now with the nutty taste delivering in the initial flavour burst encroaching coco which was once the more dominant coco notes. The mouthfeel is soft and pools in the back and mid throat. The qi of this tea is very renewing. The mind becomes tranquil, the body light and supple. This tea has very nice qi- no doubt a wild/ semi-wild Jirsan area balhyocha.

The fourth and fifth infusion sees woody tastes emerging in the initial flavour with distinctly nutty and chocolate notes being pushed more to the later taste profile and aftertaste. The mouthfeel is picking up strength with each infusion supplying a nice light coat for the mid throat and back of the mouth.

The sixth and seventh infusions become more juicy, very juicy, with more wood notes also noticed. By the seventh infusion the coco notes have almost disappeared. The aftertaste is sweet and nutty.

The eighth infusion is thick and malty with honey notes bringing strong apricot-pear taste to this tea. The aftertaste slowly transitions from these tastes to one that is nutty and chocolaty. The mouthfeel is still soft and round. This tea has stamina and could have probably been pushed further so one pours boiling water over it for one more 24hrs steeping.

(The overnight steeping was vibrant with a nice, rich, velvety, pear- apple fruit taste. This tea has great stamina- likely a sign of older growth.)

Peace

Korean Tea Classics Book Club- Dong Cha Song- Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea- 9

2011-08-12T19:05:00.003-07:00

"In his letter requesting tea, Master Dasan said (that the best times to drink tea were): "When the flowers begin to open early in the morning, when clouds float white in a clear sky, on waking after a daytime doze, when bright moonlight is reflected in a clear stream.""

from Dong Cha Song Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea translated in Korean Tea Classics

Peace

2011 Ssang Kye Saejak Semi Wild Handong Green Tea

2011-08-11T19:45:00.006-07:00

One had posted about the 2009 production a few years ago. The 2009 offering was of very high quality compared to previous years and other producers of the same year. With one's Korean tea order coming late summer, and considering the high price of Korean tea this season, only one box of saejak grade was purchased this season- this box from Ssang Kye.

Ssang Kye is one of only a few producers in Korea that has quite a long history and has proven themselves year after year. They process a tea that is deeper and richer than others in the region- something that retains its essence much longer than some of the more subtle saejak grades from nearby producers. The more subtle saejaks are best consumed immediately but for a mid- to late- summer tea, Ssang kye's seajak feels more appropriate.

Let's see how 2011 has treated Ssang kye...

The dry leaves smell of roasted pines, somewhat fresh and cool with a slight creamy-green back notes. There is a subtle hint of something spicy. When these leaves hit the warmed pot, notes of bread cereal and corn linger out as well as nice forested base.

The first infusion is prepared in ceremony and delivers a grassy, potato, forested taste with barely noticeable nutty-roasted notes hiding in there. The foresty taste lingers in the mouth with a light tangy-lime nuance hanging on. A sticky subtle bland note hangs in there as well. The front of the throat and most of the mouth is nicely stimulated.

The second infusion is more leafy forest, grass, and a touch of seaweed. These very green tea tastes emerge here. This tea is not so sweet with just a tiny touch of sweetness that courts bland tastes. It finishes barely nutty and roasted with deeper forested notes less represented. The mouth and throat feel remain solid.

The third infusion is full of bread, forest, and wood tastes with just a slight sweet-tangy lime finish. There are very faint nutty notes that now appear more in the initial taste than the aftertaste. The qi makes the body light and the mind calm.

The fourth infusion has woody barely nutty tastes which reside in the overall light forest base. The nut flavours turn to a very subtle hint of chocolate before fading away. The finish is barely sweet lime that lingers for a long, long while in the mouth afterwards.

The fifth infusion is prepared and has woody dry grass like tastes up front with faint roasted notes. The fresh forest base is giving way to a mainly woody profile. The aftertaste is mainly just this underlying dry wood profile with ghostly hints of the flavours of past infusions laying under a soft bland-sweet base.

The sixth infusion becomes more watery and woody with an aftertaste that is woody and nutty. The forest base has dropped off and wood notes have taken over. The sweet element of this tea floats around like a ghost in ones mouth.

The seventh is a roasted woody-nutty bland taste with nothing much holding it together. The mouthfeel is still satisfying so one drinks a few more pots before retiring this tea late morning.

Peace