Disambiguation of Jiri Mountain (Chiri Mountain, Jirisan, Chirisan) Tea

Please check out this link (here) for a wonderful map of Jiri Mountain.

As you can see Jiri Mountain is not one peak but several in an area considered 'Jiri Mountain'.
Ssangyaesa (Ssangyae Temple) is located in Hwagae Valley.
Hadong is the county that includes Southern slopes of Jiri Mountain, Ssangyaesa, and Hwagae Valley.
Hadong is also the name of the town in Hadong County that is the hub of the tea business here.

Therefore tea from this area can be referred to as:

Jiri Mountain Tea- tea grown on the mountain
Hwagae Valley Tea- tea grown in Hwagae Valley
Hadong Tea- tea that is produced anywhere in Hadong's tea producing area (including Hwagae Valley and the Southern Jiri Mountians) and often shares a generic Hadong tea bag or box

Peace

Three Main Tea Producing Areas In Korea: Jiri Mountain

No matter where you go in Korea you will see mountains. You simply can't escape their omnipresent gaze. Out of the thousands of peaks that litter the landscape there are few holier and more, revered than the Jiri Mountains.

The Jiri mountains were deemed important feng shui points at which auspicious Buddist Temples and Pagodas were built. When Chan (Zen) Buddhism migrated from China, it found its home on the secluded slopes of Jiri Mountain. Some of these famous temples are still standing in the same spot they have stood for over a thousand years before.

As long as Zen temples have covered the lush mountain side, so has tea. If you wander the mountain peaks of Jiri Mountain you may just find tea trees that were born from the seeds of ancestors planted over 1200 years ago.

Historical Records of The Three Kingdoms (Samguk Sagi) documents how Kim Daeryum (Dae-Ryeom) smuggled some tea seeds from China. This Korean government official had sewn them into the seam of this garments. A daring attempt, considering the export of China's tea seed was illegal at that time. In 828 A.D., after careful consideration, King Heungdeok of the Shilla Dynasty ordered the tea seeds planted on the Southern slopes of Jiri Mountain.

The tea bushes thrived under the care of the prolific zen monk and teaist, Jingam (774-850) at Ssanggyesa Temple. During Jingam's time, the tea fields around the temple grew and many villages around the Ssanggyesa Temple began planting and producing tea all the way through Hwagae Valley. At that time, and for hundreds of years later, tea became used in all sorts of Religious and Royal ceremonies.

Over the last 500 hundred years, as hard times hit Korea, tea slowly slid into decline. As its use declined, tea plantations were abandoned for other crops, tea slowly continued to spread almost unnoticed, growing wild all over Jiri Mountain.

It wasn't until after the Korean war that tea on Jiri Mountain was "rediscovered". From that time on tea in Korea has experienced a renaissance. Its popularity has gone through the roof in the last few decades. The seeds from the wild plants, are now used to populate much of Handong county with tea plantations.

Most Korean teaists claim that the tea grown here is the only 'true' Korean tea. Most of it is organic and very little, if any, sprays are used. Almost all of the tea made here is done the traditional way, all by hand. Some even produce tea using the completely traditional wood burning method, which takes years of skill and intuition to prefect.

Every year in April and May, Confucian ceremonies are held for 'the Spirit of the Tea' in a spot where three stone monuments mark the area believed to be the place where Kim Daeryum planted seeds back in 828 A.D. Hadong county also hosts an annual Wild Green Tea Festival in May. During these times, these rolling tea hills speak of times long ago. If you listen close enough, you can hear them even in there silence.

Peace

Click on these links for:

Three Main Tea Producing Areas in Korea: Boseong

Three Main Tea Producing Areas in Korea: Jeju Island

One of Those Obscure, Mystery Farmer Teas: '2009 (No Label) Jiri Mountain Yellow Tea'

This is one of those mystery teas that tea lovers so appreciate. Some obscure, small scale production. No glits, nor glamor. No fancy packaging (which is pretty much a must in Korea). This tea simply came in an common tube, inside the tube a simple foil pack. Completely writing on either- no indications on the packaging as to what when it was picked and produced or who produced it. There is something about these teas that makes drinking it more intimate. Knowing that is was probably make perhaps with more care than say, a large production tea.

Considering the current tea market in Korea as discussed in a post a few days ago, one is thankful to have a try at some of this small production stuff. The friend who sent the tea simply referred to it as “2009 Jiri Mountain Yellow Tea”.

Its small, wiry, jet black leaves smell of rich deep pungent cherry. They fill much of the pot until warm water is added.

The first infusion pours a clear bold yellow. The taste is very juicy, salivatingly sweet with buttery, peppery, and spicy notes that follow. The mouth is left feeling very slippery and full of saliva. Upon first sip it is apparent that this tea is light and uplifting, nice cheer on this cloudy, rainy fall afternoon. The light body of this tea and bright yellow soup suggest less oxidization during production.

As the next few infusions pass on by, the mouth feel becomes more satisfying as it fills out a bit more but still largely remains slippery, juicy- a touch incomplete. Delicious, soft, sour vegital notes arrive within a deep interesting pool of light, juicy, sweet, spicy flavour. Even chocolate notes sometimes make a brief appearance in the complexity of these early infusions. One suspects possible, old, wild growth from the strong, pure qi that relaxes as well as alerts.

This tea is quite flavourful and is a good example of a tea containing the six flavours of Korean tea- sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, bland, and salty. It noticeably has all these in varying proportions.

Although the complex depth of this tea creeps away after the first few infusions, the mouthfeel and aftertaste pick up a bit of the slack. A balance of juicy sweet and sour notes hold on and finish in the mouth with a light dry sensation.

This fun yellow tea is stretched until mainly dry, woody, citrus, earthy tones are all that is left to savor. Even further along, the citrus and dryness drop off.

One drinks this tea in this way as it glows throughout- gently energizing ones soul.

Peace

2009 'Dan Seok' Emperor's Jiri Mountain Yellow Tea

This is a fall tradition.

The dry leaves smell of frosty mountain pines. Sweet, sour, citric almost like marmalade.

Although these leaves can handle hot water, one instead uses more leaf and lets the water temperature drop before pouring it into the pot.

The result is a smooth creamy, subtle chocolate soup, that is quite nutty. The mouth is covered in light silk, the breath is witness to its hidden chocolate and more overt nutty tones.

More infusions take place to round out its flavour. Making it fuller in the mouth, more nutty.

The energy of this tea is comforting as it warms the stomach and innards as one sits cross-legged in meditation on the floor. One is coated in the relaxing blanket of this tea, as cool autumn winds blow yellow leaves from the trees outside.

As infusions resume, hotter water is used which brings out more of the nutty profile. Faint chocolate is now long gone. The taste becomes more roasted.

Late into the session ones alert mind senses more woody, earthy tones. The finish in the mouth becomes more dry and more citric. This tea lightens up.

One lightens up.

Peace

Another Beautiful Autumnal Buncheong Style Tea Bowl By Uh Sang Myung

This bowl glows an earthy red- an autumn leaf about to change colour.
Its colour is its beauty. Dry, gritty, brownish red.

The outside wall of the bowl is darker and more vibrant on one side then the other. It is marked at the extreme by a burn blotch reaching over the lip of the bowl- an unpredictable scar from the fire in the kiln. Inside the bowl also reflects this imbalance- one side is darker, more colourful than the other. This is also the case as ones eyes move from the rim down on both the inside and outside of the bowl.

This effect is profound. It creates a feeling of fleeting warmth. A hazy red sunset that throws the most profound colours in the other end of the sky. Beautiful.

This feeling of calm is challenged slightly by the rough, exposed clay around the foot. A foot that exudes simplicity, and gentle ruggedness.

The globs of cloudy white gaze drip down the side and suggest slowness. They seem as if they are still slowly creeping down the sides of the bowl. They remind us to slow down.

If we cannot take the opportunity to slow down when drinking tea,
when else will we?
When watching the sun set?
When watching the seasons change?
When watching the autumn leaves turn?

Peace

Economics & Green Tea: Premium Green Tea In Korea This Year and The Story of the Small Scale Producer

Loose leaf Korean green tea is expensive. There are many things that result in the high price of Korean tea.

Firstly, there is not so many tea producing areas in Korea. Not so much tea is produced. Almost everything that is produced is consumed in Korea. In fact, most tea consumed in Korea, isn't even Korean tea but comes from China, Vietnam, or other neighbouring nations that can produce tea much more cost effectively.

Secondly, the labour cost of producing tea in Korea isn't cheap. Remember Korea is a G-20 nation, one of the most developed countries in the world. The cost of production is therefore much higher then that of neighbouring nations like China and Vietnam.

Thirdly, most loose leaf tea is produced by hand in Korea- a very labour intensive way to produce tea. The only tea in Korea that is produced almost entirely by machine is from O'sulloc Tea Company on Jeju Island. All other tea that is produced in Korea have some stage that requires human labour.

The tea produced from Jiri Mountain and surrounding area, is thought of as the best tea in Korea and is produced entirely by hand from the picking of the leaves to the bagging of the leaves. Except for those who live in that area, tea of this quality is a luxury.

This year one has gotten some signals of how tight economic times are effecting the market for premium Korean tea...

There is only one tea producing season in Korea- it is in the Spring, starting in early April and pretty much ending in early summer (although there are sometimes rare autumnal teas produced in the fall). Because the timing of the 'global economic crises', being that things really fell apart in the fall of 2008, the spring 2008 tea production went on as usual. As the crisis loomed, Koreans cut back. This resulted in less loose leaf tea being purchased and less high end tea being bought up.

With tea from the 2008 season still available for sale and with indicators that the demand for high end Korea tea just wasn't there, many small scale producers simply didn't produce tea this year. The ones that did perhaps chose to produce more Saejak (2nd flush) than the more labour intensive, expensive Ujeon (first flush) grades.

For instance, small producer 'Nok Ya Won' was planing on making a Seajak grade instead of Ujeon this year but instead decided to just sell off the remaining Ujeon from the 2008 production year and just produce a more cost effective semi-oxidized tea this spring.

Even one of the oldest companies in Korea, Jookro, is offering 80g boxes of Saejak grade as opposed to the 100g boxes offered last year.

The selection of teas this year just seems to lack the local farmers batches that are always interesting to have a spin at.

One is grateful to have, at least, a few of these teas to try out this year.

Note: check out this link to an older post on Economics and Ceramics in Korea.

Peace

2008 100% Lao Ban Zhang (Nada)

With a long haul of young puerh consumed over the last few weeks from the Yunnan Sourcing Tasting Event, one thought it a good time to try another. The label in this sample says simply, "100% Lao Ban Zhang".

This sample was sent a while back but was not forgotten. Its very dark brown dry leaves present sweet pungently deep odours. One sniffs away until water boils. A few light coloured furry tips induce curiosity.

Mmm... Creamy notes are suspended on the tongue for a while, a strong tobacco melts into a slight sweetness leaving a full feeling on tongue, roof, and cheeks. Qi swings through ones body. This tea is strong. Tobacco undertones become stronger when more leaf is added.

The next few infusions tingle on the lips, the throat is stimulated, the feel of this tea covers all bases. There is a subtle fruity taste that blips in only in some sessions. The tea finishes very cool. The tobacco notes infringe upon sweet during these infusions, pushing them into the aftertaste. The yellow of the liquid mirrors the tinny chrysanthemum next to it. The qi moves briskly- energizing, stimulating , then sedating.

As the sessions pushes onward the qi becomes stronger as the flavour becomes more gentle. The harsher tobacco edges smooth out and this tea becomes a lot lighter and enjoyable. The aftertaste, now shares most of the grit. The compounded affect of many back to back infusions can push the mouthfeel over the top, almost choaking one as one chokes back this delicious tea.

Because of such power this tea can be enjoyed through many, many, many infusions. Even when other teas would have turned into water this tea still gives birth to lively, light, sweet tea. The mouthfeel and qi push this one through.

Ones body surges with energy, almost making one ill. It's time to call it quits.

Peace