Grandma's Stash: A Sampling of Handmade Korean Semi-Oxidized Tea

With some digestion problems the last few weeks one has been consuming a lot of older puerh and Korean oxidized teas. These teas act to settle the stomach with warm, soothing energy. When you feel a little ill what is more comforting than grandma's homemade remedy?

This tea sample was given to a friend who manages a local tea shop. He said that an old lady had dropped off this sample and that it was likely handmade from Jiri mountain. As one's stomach churns one instinctively reaches for grandma's remedy.

The dry leaves smell of fermented grapes or raisins, a smell that one would expect to come across when making wine not tea. The dry leaf lacks a 'roasted' smell, instead a prominent fruitiness is present. This batch of dry medicinal herb, the Camellia sinensis, displays long black leaves with a few outliers flaunting yellowish or brownish tones.

These leaves are placed in a pot as hot water comes to a boil and then infuses with the leaves. The medicine is prepared.

Unlike most herbal remedies this elixir is not bitter. The taste is almost Keemun and is black in body and flavour with an undertone of fresh greenishness that shows itself only to the keen observer. This tea is filled with fruity, mostly raison, sometimes orange, top notes that linger in the nose. The mouthfeel is juicy and watery at first but in later infusions it becomes tart and dry. This tea turns rater fast and looses its essence quite early before the dry tart, almost flavourless, mouthfeel dominates. Underneath all of this, a faint floral taste manages to subtly linger on the breath.

This tea's powerful qi is its high point. It truly energies the soul, the extremities feel warm, the mind and body feel whole. And most importantly, grandma's homemade remedy removed all discomfort. As one's stomach settles, so does one's mind.

Thanks grandma.

Peace