2011 Hankook "Jungsun" Jungjak Korean Green Tea

Is it Spring or still Winter? The movement of the seasons seems confused, this Winter, this day. Late afternoon snow falls on chilly cherry blossoms outside- a warm green tea seems just right.

This tea, a jungjak grade, comes gifted from Sam of Good Green Tea. The tea is Hankook Tea's standard jungjak (for more on Hankook Tea see here). Let's heat up the ol'hotplate and enjoy this tea as the sun sets between snow heavy clouds.

The longish dark green dry leaves emit a cereal-grassy odour and leave a trail of heavy floral sweetness behind it. These leaves are placed in the warmed teapot and the first infusion is prepared.

It offers very smooth deeper forest notes which turn to a creamy sweetness in the mouth. It has a creamy grassy-wood undertone to it, simple and smooth throughout. The mouthfeel is light and stimulates mainly the front of the mouth.

The second infusion presents prominent creamy-grass-wood notes along with a creamy-sweet taste that is hard to separate from the initial taste. There is a consistence about this smooth creamy taste that stabilizes the profile of this tea. The mouthfeel is now felt prominently on the front half of the tongue. The aftertaste is first of grassy-lime sweetness that traverses to a heavier, tangy, floral sweetness. This aftertaste is long and is felt between the teeth minutes later.

The third infusion has stronger, blander, wood notes which arrive first in the mouth. The grassy forest notes are suppressed by simple wood tastes. The aftertaste comes under these distinct and simple wood notes and reveals that tangy-lime floral quality. An underlying creaminess ties everything together. The qi is mild/weak on the body and mind.

The fourth infusion is basically the same as the last with perhaps a thicker, chalkier mouthfeel.

The fifth is dryer and woodier still a very simple woody forest taste. The creamy sweetness is no where to be found. A chalky-smooth tangy aftertaste lingers. Faint qi can be found pooling in the back of the skull. The sixth infusion is dry and unpalatable.

This tea is also available directly from Hankook in 100g size.

Peace