Tastes of a Real Korean Teamaster- Group Buy Kim Jong Yeol Balhyocha

I got an email recently that stated:

 Dear Tea Friend,

If you follow Morning Crane Tea on Facebook, you already know that I am making a very special tea offer.  Kim Jong Yeol is one of Korea’s finest artisan tea producers yet only two of his teas have ever been offered in the West.  To correct this, we made a special arrangement and are able, for this TeaBuy only, to offer six of his amazing teas at prices much lower than my normally discounted prices.  If you have tried his teas before, you know the exceptional quality of the teas he produces.  If not here is an unprecedented opportunity. 

Master Kim uses large nearly wild bushes organically grown with deep roots. They are hand plucked and hand processed by the master himself insuring outstanding quality.  This special offer ends December 9^th at midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST) in the USA.  Most teas will be shipped from the USA but If you are closer to Korea, we can ship directly to you.  Our goal is to get these teas to you in December.

If you are a tea company and want to purchase wholesale, these are our wholesale prices unless you buy by the kilo that would reduce the price slightly.

This is an unprecedented opportunity and another one of our tea offers from which we will make very little profit.  Morning Crane Tea is an educational enterprise not a tea company.

Please respond with your order to morningcranetea(at)sbcglobal.net.

Peace,

Arthur K. J. Park

Morning Crane Tea

I just wanted to re-iterate how epic Kim Jong Yeol’s Korean tea is and what a special opportunity this is to try Korean tea at prices below what you would actually pay in Korea.

If anyone out there is interested in what Kim Jong Yeol’s teas are all about please feel free to browse this stack of old posts on his teas that go back to his 2009 selection:

https://mattchasblog.blogspot.ca/2014/04/2013-kim-jong-yeol-butea-balhyocha.html

https://mattchasblog.blogspot.ca/2013/05/aged-korean-tea-reroasted-four-years.html

https://mattchasblog.blogspot.ca/2013/09/2013-kim-jong-yeol-butea-saejak-hwagae.html

https://mattchasblog.blogspot.ca/2012/08/2012-kim-jong-yeol-butea-saejak-hwagae.html

https://mattchasblog.blogspot.ca/2012/10/2012-kim-jong-yeol-butea-noeul-sunset.html

https://mattchasblog.blogspot.ca/2011/09/2011-kim-jong-yeol-butea-hwagae-valley.html

https://mattchasblog.blogspot.ca/2011/12/2011-kim-jong-yeol-butea-jungjak-hwagae.html

https://mattchasblog.blogspot.ca/2012/06/2011-kim-jong-yeol-butea-manri-hyans.html

https://mattchasblog.blogspot.ca/2011/10/2011-kim-jong-yeol-butea-saebyeok.html

https://mattchasblog.blogspot.ca/2010/04/2009-dao-tea-kim-jong-yeol-hwagae.html

https://mattchasblog.blogspot.ca/2010/10/dao-tea-tasting-event-20092010-kim-jong.html

https://mattchasblog.blogspot.ca/2010/11/dao-tea-tasting-event-2010-kim-jung.html

https://mattchasblog.blogspot.ca/2010/03/2009-daotea-kim-jong-yeol-hwagae-valley.html

https://mattchasblog.blogspot.ca/2010/11/dao-tea-tasting-event-2009-kim-jung.html

Or check out this recent video review at TeaDB:

https://teadb.org/morning-crane-tea-noeulhangki-balhyocha/

It is a false statement that only 2 of Kim Jong Yeol’s teas have been offered in the West as Pedro (formally of Daotea and currently of O5tea) has been selling various grades of both his green tea and balhyocha since 2009 and continues to do so.  If you are lucky enough to live in Vancouver you can even try Kim Jong Yeol’s teas out in person or walk out with a bag before ordering at 05Tea.

Peace

An Updated List of English Online Korean Tea Vendors And Their Korean Teas

The following is an updated list of all known English online vendors selling Korean loose leaf tea. Each vendor is divided by country and includes a link to their web page and a short write up about how/where they source their Korea tea. Following this is a link to their current Korean tea products. Other information is also included about the type of Korean tea produced, the Korean tea producing area, the grade of tea (if applicable). Also listed is any other vendors which sell the same tea for comparison. The names of the teas are taken from the vendor's web pages and additions are added in brackets.

Reviews and background on many of these teas and the producers who make them can be found by searching this blog.  In these posts are links to other blogs which have reviewed the same tea.

If you know of any others that are not mentioned, please leave a comment and they will be added to the list. This is not an endorsement of these teas, tea companies, or tea vendors, it is simply a list.

North American Online Korean Tea Vendors


United States of America:


Butiki Teas

This company offers one Korean tea. Currently, its source, production, harvest year, and grade are unknown.

Green Tea:

South Korean Green (sold out)


Detroit Zen Center

Currently they do not offer Korean teas for sale over the internet.


Fava Tea Company

This company offers one Korean tea. Currently, its source, production, harvest year, and grade are unknown.

Green Tea:

South Korean "Yun"


Good Green Tea

These guys are quickly becoming the most diverse Korean tea dealer in the West.  They carry teas from three of the oldest and most established Korean tea companies, Hankook Tea, Ssang Kye, and Jukro.  They price the tea at prices close to Korean shelf prices and offer free shipping. Ssang Kye tea is also stocked by Shan Shui Tea (below), Jukro tea is also stocked by CoreaColor (below), and (of course) Hankook Tea is stocked by Hankook (below).  They are also beginning to bring in limited number micro farmed teas as well under their brand ZeDa. Currently they have ZeDa and Jukro 2013 harvest green tea.

Green Tea:

Teuk Seon Green Tea (Late Saejak)

Jeong Seon Green Tea (Jungjak)

Ssangkye Premium Woojeon

Ssangkye Jakseol (Seajak)

Ssangkye Roasted Sajack

Ssangkye Jongno (Jungjak)

Jukro Green Tea Saejak

Jukro Green Tea Jungjak

Jukro Green Tea Daejak

ZeDa Sejak Green Tea (sold out)

Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized Tea):

Oolong Tea (same as Hankook's Hwang Tea (Yellow Tea))

Ssangkye Black Tea Sejack

(Ssang Kye) Chun Go Hyang- Hwang Cha Yellow Tea

ZeDa Hwang Cha/ Yellow Tea


Powdered Green Tea:

Gamnong Matcha (Powdered Green Tea)

Ssangkye Sejak Powdered Tea


Hancha Tea

Currently the region, grade, and harvest year of these Korean teas are unknown.  This site is currently down.

Green Tea:

Early Summer Jakseol

Lux Green

Misty Green

Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized Tea):

Amber Gold


Hankook Tea Company

The first Korean company to set up shop in the West. They produce their own tea from their own tea gardens most of which are around the Gwangju area.  They are picked by hand then machine produced. They carry two lines of tea- one carrying the highest Korean Organic certification and the other their traditional offering.

Green Tea:

Organic Gamnong Green Tea (Early Saejak)

Organic Chut Mool Green Tea (Late Saejak)

Organic Doo Mool Green Tea (Jungjak)

Ujeon Gamro Green Tea

Gamnong Green Tea (Early Saejak)

Teuk Seon Green Tea (Late Saejak)

Jeong Seon Green Tea (Jungjak)

Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized Tea):

Hwang Tea (Yellow Tea)

Powdered Green Tea:

Gamnong Matcha

Morning Crane Tea

These guys source their tea from famous tea producer Dong Cheon, a tea cooperative of 88 farmers in the Ssangkye tea producing area. The tea is picked by hand then standardized production methods are used including the Jung cha method. This tea is true semi-wild tea. These same teas are also offered by Phoenix Tea Shop. In late 2012 they started to source semi-wild and wild teas from small farms.   You can get a hold of them through the contact info on their blog.

Green Tea:

Saejak

Jungjak

Daejak

Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized Tea):

Dan-cha (hong cha)

2012 Jeong Jae Yeun Wild Jiri Moutain Hwang Cha

Phoenix Tea Shop

These guys source their tea from famous tea producer Dong Cheon, a tea cooperative of 88 farmers in the Ssangkye tea producing area. The tea is picked by hand then standardized production methods are used including the Jung cha method. This tea is true semi-wild tea. They currently offer 2011 teas. These same teas are also offered by Morning Crane Tea and Tea Trekker.

Green Tea:

Dong Cheon Sejak (sold out)

Dong Cheon Jungjak (sold out)

Dong Cheon Daejak (sold out)

Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized Tea):

Dong Cheon Red Tea (Dan-cha)


Republic Of Tea (formally Rare Tea Republic)

Republic of Tea recently took amalgamated its side company Rare Tea Republic.  This outfit sources their tea from a small cooperative in Hadong. It is all hand picked by farmers and hand produced by teamaster Lee Kyong Sook. They sell 2012 harvest.

Green Tea:

Ha Dong Sejak

Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized Tea):

Ha Dong Bohea Green Tea

Shan Shui Teas

These guys buy a variety of popular, reputable Hadong and Ssanggye area teas (such as Ssang Kye and Koryeo) from well known and established Korean producers and sell them for a mark-up on their site. Currently they have a nice selection of 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008 teas in stock.

Green Tea:

Tokpoom Goryeo (Premium Ujeon) (2012 is sold out, older harvest years still available)

Woojeon Goryeo (Ujeon) (2012 is sold out, older harvest years still available)

Saejak Goryeo (2012 is sold out, older harvest years still available)

Saejak Ssanggye

Joongjak Ssanggye (Jungjak)

Joongjak Goryeo (Jungjak)


Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized Tea):

Woojeon Cheongcha (Ujeon)

Teokseon Cheongcha Goryeo (premium Ujeon)


STASH Tea

This large tea company more famous for its teabags offers a loose Jeju green tea. Harvest year, production, grade, and source unknown.

Green Tea:

Jeju Korean Green


Tea Trekker

Their teas are from Hankook Tea (see above), the first Korean company to set up shop in the West. Hankook Tea's gardens are mostly located around the Gwangju area.  They are picked by hand then machine produced. Tea Trekker carry only 2012 teas.

Green Tea:

Jaksul Cha- Gamnong (Early Saejak)

Jaksul Cha- Teuksun (Late Saejak) (sold out)

Canada:

DavidsTea

This is one of Canada's "Big Three" tea chains- the first tea chain store to offer Korean Tea in North America. Their tea is sourced from a farmers co-op on Jeju Island where it is at least partially machine produced.

Green Tea:

Korean Sejak



O5Tea

They source semi-wild Hwagae Valley tea directly from teamaster Kim Jong Yeol (Butea).  All the tea available is from the 2012 harvest.  Kim Jong Yeol (Butea) is also available from Jiri Mountain Tea Company (below), Tea Mountain (below), and In The Mood For Tea (below).  They even source 2010 ddok cha coins from Bo Hyang Tea in the Boseong growing area.  They are the only western source for coin style ddok cha.

Green Tea:

Sejak (sold out)

Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized Tea):

Balhyocha Saebyok (ujeon grade)

Balhyocha Noeul (saejak grade) (sold out)

Balhyocha MHL(daejak grade)

Ddok Cha Coins (2010-Boseong)


European Online Korean Tea Vendors


Czech Republic:


Bily Jerab

They sell real semi-wild Jiri mountain tea produced by famous teamaster Shin Gwang-su. Currently one is unsure wether they take international orders. The harvest year of these teas are currently unknown.

Green Tea:

Shin Gwang-su Seikou

Shin Gwang-su Sumi

Shin Gwang-su Sunsumi (sold out)

Nokcha (grade and region unspecified) (sold out)


Dobra Cajovna

They source their tea from established producers in the Jiri Mountain area. They have two teahouses in the USA that carry these teas. They are currently sold out of all Korean tea.

Green Tea:

Nokcha (Jungjak- sold out)

Jookro Seajak (sold out)


Darjeeling.cz

They source Hadong, Ssanggye area tea right from small producers.  Currently, they have 2012 teas in stock.

Green Tea:

Ujeon Jakseolcha- Sparrow's Tongue (sold out)

Nokcha Sejak (sold out)

Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized Tea):

Hwang Cha- Yellow Tea


Tea Mountain

These guys carry 2011 teas from Hwagae Valley producers- Kim Jong Yeol (Butea) and Kim Shin Ho (Samtae). They also stock Jukro's cake "Tong E Cha" balhyocha.  Kim Jong Yeol (Butea) 2012 teas can also be purchased at O5tea (above), Jiri Mountain Tea Company (below), and In The Mood For Tea (below).

Green Tea:

Saejak Butea (Kim Jong Yeol)

Saejak Samtae (Kim Shin Ho)

Jungjak Butea (Kim Jong Yeol)

Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized Tea):

Balhyocha Saebyeok Hyanggi "Sunrise" (Kim Jong Yeol)

Balhyocha Noeul Hyanggi "Sunset" (Kim Jong Yeol)

Hwagae Uricha Tongecha (Jukro)


England:


East Teas

They source their tea from Dong Cheon,  a tea cooperative of 88 farmers in the Ssangkye tea producing area. The tea is picked by hand then standardized production methods are used. This green tea is true semi-wild tea produced using machine production and the jeung cha method.

Green Tea:

Sparrow's Tongue (Jiri Mountain, Ujeon)

Nokcha (Boseong, Saejak)

Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized Tea):

Hongcha (Region not specified)


Nothing But Tea

Green Tea:

Korean Green Tea FOP


Postcard Teas


They source their tea from Dong Cheon, a tea cooperative of 88 farmers in the Ssangkye tea producing area. The tea is picked by hand then standardized production methods are used. This green tea is true semi-wild tea produced using machine production and the jeung cha method.  Dong Cheon teas are also available from Morning Crane Tea (above), Pheonix Tea Shop (above), and East Teas (above).


Green Tea:

Sparrow's Tongue (Jiri Mountain, Ujeon) (sold out)

Nokcha (Boseong, Saejak)

Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized Tea):

Korean Breakfast (Dan Cha)

France:


CoreaColor

These guys buy a variety of popular, reputable Hadong and Ssanggye area teas (such as Jukro and Woon Sang) from well known and established Korean producers and sell them for prices comparable to the Korean shelf price.  Antique Alive (below) also stocks Woon Sang tea and Good Green Tea (above) stocks Jukro.  Le Palais Des Thes (below) also stocks Jukro's Uricha (balhyocha).

Green Tea:

Juk Woojeon 80 (Ujeon)

Juk Woojeon 40 (Ujeon) (sold out)

Woonsejak 80 (Saejak) (sold out)

Woonsejak 40 (Saejak)

Juk Jungjak

Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized Tea):

Uricha (sold out)

Gayacha


Le Palais Des Thes

This was probably the first online Westren tea vendor to sell Korean tea. They only carry one Korean tea, Jukro's balhyocha. They have been carrying this famous Korean yellow tea for years.  CoreaColor (above) also stocks this tea.

Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized Tea):

Jukro Black Tea (Balhyocha)


Germany:


Salacca

These guys offer tea from all of the three main production areas of Korea. From Jeju they offer a tea from O'Sulloc. From Boseong they offer a all hand produced Daejak grade tea. From Hwagae Valley they sell a first pick Ujeon, standard Ujeon, and a saejak- all hand picked and produced using traditional methods and semi-wild leaves. All their teas are believed to be from the 2011 harvest.

Green Tea:

Sulloc Cha Jaksul (Jeju)

Gisancha Daejack (Boseong)

Special Woojun (Hwagae, early Ujeon)

Sejak (Hwagae, Saejak)


Sweden:


House of Tea

This tea company sourced its 2011 Korean tea from a unique producing area, Sacheon. This location near the South Sea located about half way between more traditional tea growing regions of Hadong and Goseong.  Their 2012 Korean tea is from Hadong tea producing area.

Green Tea:

Nokcha Hadong Woojeon (sold out)

Nokcha Hadong Saejak

Nokcha Sacheon Woojeon Organic (sold out)


In the Mood for Tea

They source semi-wild Hwagae Valley tea directly from teamaster Kim Jong Yeol (Butea).  They carry 2012 harvest green tea and a balhyocha from the 2010 harvest.  Kim Jong Yeol (Butea) is also available from Jiri Mountain Tea Company (above), Tea Mountain (above), and O5tea (above).

Green Tea:

Ujeon Green Tea

Sejak Green Tea (sold out)

Jungjak Green Tea (sold out)

Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized tea):

Balhyocha Top Grade, Hwang-cha (seajak grade- sold out)

Balhyocha, Hwang-cha (jungjak grade)


Te-Centralen

These guys sell Jukro tea, a classic Hwagae Valley tea producer that produces all there tea by hand. Jukro green tea does not sell its tea in bulk so you always receive original packaging and freshness guaranteed. Jukro tea is also available from Good Green Tea (above) CoreaColor (above) Le Palais Des Thes (above). They currently sell 2012 harvest.

Green Tea:

Korea Hadong Woojeon

Korea Hadong Saejak

Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized tea):

Korean Hadong Black

Korea:

Antique Alive

These guys operate an exclusively web based store in Korea. They export a lot of Korean things. Some of these things are Jirisan and Hwagae Valley Korean green tea. They buy from famous producers (such as Woon Sang) and sell them at a markup. CoreaColor (above) also sells Woon Sang tea.

Green Tea:

Jirisan Ujeon

Jirisan Saejak

Jirisan Jungjak

Jirisan Daejak (sold out)

Hwagae Valley Ujeon (sold out)

Hwagae Vally Saejak

Jiri Mountain Daejak (sold out)

Jiri Mountain Tea Company

The owner sources tea from family ran farms in Hwagae. He is on the ground in Hwagae choosing only the teas that he feels are of quality. Therefore his exact source changes from year to year depending on the quality of the harvest. They are the first online vendor to offer 2013 Korean tea, a Ujeon by Lee Deok-Ju.  He still has stock of Saejak grade green tea from Oh Si Yeong and balhyocha by Yoon Ja-He and Kim Jong Yeol-Butea.

Green Tea:

2013 Jirisan (Hwagae Valley) Organic Ujeon Nokcha (1st Flush) (Lee Deok-ju)

2012 Jirisan "Hwagae Valley" Organic Saejak (Oh Si Yeong)

Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized Tea):

2012 Jirisan "Hwagae Valley" Organic Balhyocha (Saejak grade) (Yoon Ja-Hae)

2012 Jirisan "Hwagae Valley" Organic Balhyocha (Jungjak grade) (Kim Jong Yeol-Butea)

Korean Arts

Korean Arts, an exclusively internet based business, exports a bunch of different Korean stuff including boxes of O'sulloc tea (see below). The Se-jak that Korean Arts sells is an O'sulloc premium tea, the other three are generally sold at Korean supermarkets and are not available on the O'sulloc English webpage for purchase. Believe their stock is 2010.

Green Tea:

Se-jak (Se-jak grade) TG002S (Sejac, see below)

Jak-seol (Jung-jak grade) TG003O (Sulloc Jaksul Okrok)

Man-su (Dae-jak grade) TG004M (Sulloc Jaksul Dukgum)

Halla (Dae-jak grade) TG004H (Sulloc Jaksul Jeungjae)


O'sulloc

This is the largest tea producer in Korea and just recently started selling tea to International customers over the internet and apparently has now stopped. This tea is grown primarily grown on Jeju Island and is completely machine processed. Will leave the below names for reference although the links no longer work.

Green Tea:

Okro (shade Grown)

Ujeon

Sejac (Saejak)

Ouksujin (grade unspecified)




Balhyocha (Semi-oxidized Tea):

Seonhyang (lightly oxidized)

Woonhyang (medium oxidized)

Samdayeon (post fermented)


See these posts & comments for more information on the grading system of Korean tea (Ujeon, Saejak, Jungjak):

Categorizing Korean Green Teas: Why We Categorize

Satisfying Marshaln


See these posts for more information on the three main tea producing regions of Korea:

Three Main Tea Producing Areas In Korea: Boseong

Three Main Tea Producing Areas In Korea: Jeju Island

Three Main Tea Producing Areas In Korea: Jiri Mountain

Disambiguation of Jiri Mountain Tea

Edited on Nov 20/2012

Peace

(Finally) Good Outcomes with Aging Korean Balhyocha

Over the holidays I hosted some friends some of which knew a bit about Korean tea.  I decided to open a sealed airtight foil bag of 2013 Kim Jong Yeol Noeul balhyocha (aka Korean Yellow Tea) which was sealed by vendor Pedro at 05Tea shortly after production in 2013.  You can read my initial impression on this deeper roasted and more oxidized balhyocha tea here.  I had just read Cwyn N’s disappointing assessment of her favorite balhyocha, a 2017 Jeon Jae Yeun after 3 years of being aged in a sealed foil bag I do believe.  In that post titled "Never Too Soon" she implied that you probably want to drink up your favorite balhyocha fresh than age it out.  I was not feeling super optimistic but thought it would be fun to open a bag of this..

Although I have some very limited experience with aged Balhyocha I have never tried something this aged before.  To see a history of some thoughts on aging balhyocha, a tea that has no real history of being aged, see some of my previous posts here.

The experience I had with this aged 2013 Balhyocha was a good one… It had some mild coco or chocolate notes, not at all as robust as when fresh, but what was really notable and pretty amazing was the long lingering fruity floral finish which wasn’t there in my initial tasting notes.  It was quite good and the guests really enjoyed the experience and noted the long fruity aftertaste as being quite refined.  This was a bit of a surprise because my previous experience with a few years aged balhyocha wasn’t as exciting as this one and in some ways close in sentiment to Cwyn’s finding.  These are a few of the theories I’m floating as to why this 2013 Kim Jong Yeol Balhyocha Noeul (aka “Sunset”) Balhyocha seemed to age better…

First, this one was air tight sealed some of the others, I’m sure, were aged in Oongi (Korean Ceramics that are specifically used to ferment food).

Second, this balhyocha was more roasted and oxidized than most balhyocha.  Balhyocha is roasted and oxidized on a spectrum and this one is farther than most on the roasted and oxidized side.  The only other almost as old balhyocha which I sampled was this Zeda 2006 sampled in 2011 which was a much lighter oxidized and not roasted balhyocha that was probably aged in Ongii- the outcome is quite different.

Thirdly, this balhyocha has been aged longer potentially surpassing an awkward stage of aging.  I would guess this could be a factor as it often occurs with many aged tea such as hongcha and puerh between 3-5 years.  During this time you might be better off re-roasting balhyocha like this sample of 4 years aged and re-roasted Kim Jong Yeol Balhyocha.

Fourthly, this balhyocha uses mainly second and third flush leaves which might give it more depth In aging than a more delicate ujeon or first flush leaf such as its pair the 2013 Kim Jong Yeol “sunrise” balhyocha.

 Anyways, I have to post some more detailed notes on this balhyocha … but for now I would just like to float the idea that if you don’t consume all of your fresh balhyocha within 2 years, and the package is still sealed, you might be better off being a bit more patient and letting it age a handful more years before opening the foil pack and consuming.  Otherwise, you actually might be opening the package a bit too soon.

After all, you know how the saying goes…

Good things come to those who wait.

Peace

2011 Kim Jong Yeol (Butea) "Manri Hyans" Hwagae Valley Balhyocha

This balhyocha is from an experimental batch of tea made from Daejak or summer leaves. It should not be confused with the two other Kim Jong Yeol balhyocha, the saejak grade "saebyeok" (sunrise) and the jungjak grade "noeul" (sunset). This tea is 1 of 2 summer teas that Pedro recently gifted, the other being the 2011 Hankook Daejak grade Oolong.

On this cool rainy spring day a hardier tea such as this seems perfect. Wonder how it compares with the experimental oolong Kim Jong Yeol also produced from Daejak grade summer leaves? Let's find out as one's mind quiets down with this tea...

The large dry leaves emit subtle fruity-pumpkin notes with an even more faint forest-pungent odour.  They are placed in the warmed pot.

The first infusion presents watery, bright, distinctly creamy chocolate notes with long coco tastes that stretch over the taste profile. It is very uncomplicated but distinct and quite tasty. The mouthfeel is mild. The second infusion is much the same not changing in any noticeable way.

The third and fourth infusions see the simple but flavourful tea become just a bit more creamy and maybe lose just edges of its chocolate taste. A slight coolness in the mouth is noted. The qi of this tea is mild but softly warms the stomach and lightly strokes the mind. The taste of this tea is stable across many infusions and changes very little holding its stamina late into the session.

The sixth, seventh, and eighth infusions see much of the same with slight woody notes arriving with distinct chocolate under longer infusions using higher water temperatures. The ninth infusion sees some suggestions of fruit.

This tea is put into overnight infusions not because lack of stamina but simply in an attempt to push out some of those slight fruity notes that fail to arrive throughout the session.


Peace

2012 Kim Jong Yeol (Butea) "Noeul" (Sunset) Hwagae Valley Balhyocha

One did not get the opportunity to try this tea last year and instead sampled the ujeon/early saejak grade Saebyok "Sunrise". On a recent trip to O5tea one picked up a small bag of this "Noeul" (Sunset) balhyocha which was picked between May 10th-May 20th this year, a saejak grade. Pedro's new O5tea is not the only tea company in the West to carry Kim Jong Yeol's balhyocha but it is the only shop that carries all three grades from Kim Jong Yeol's Butea brand.

Let's sit down on the floor boil the water, and enjoy some tea on this rainy, cool autumn day...

Appreciating the dry leaves, a distinct and robust, creamy-milky-chocolate note arrives from the newly opened bag. The odour is a heavy, deep, monotone smell. In the warm pot deeper raisin and fruits are released.

The first infusion delivers light, juicy, coco-like taste over top of faint, indistinct fruit notes. This taste fades slowly into a light coco taste. The mouthfeel is very light moss especially coating the front tongue and teeth.

The second infusion has woody-sweet taste emerging initially then is intercepted by coco notes which stretch into the aftertaste. Minutes later there is a creamy-bread edge to these coco tastes. The mouthfeel slowly covers more ground.

The third infusion is sweet, watery, distinctly chocolate tastes that have a sharp, dry edge to it. There is a long, simple coco aftertaste with slight hints of dry wood. Underneath this lay almost unnoticeable raisin notes that try to push through into the aftertaste but skirt underneath instead letting coco tastes room to waft on the breath.

In the fourth infusion the sweet, water initial taste has less coco and more wood in it- the balance is almost 50/50 here. It develops a muted juicy fruit edge then falls off into faint mango and coco aftertastes. The mouthfeel is a faint moss which is mainly felt in the mouth and tongue but also faintly in the upper throat. Minutes later the after taste is a solitary simple dry wood.

The juicy fruit edge of last infusion cannot be seen in this fifth infusion. There is instead a sweet woody-coco taste. The aftertaste is a continuation of this taste with faint, sweet, fruits attempting to break through underneath. The middle throat opens up to the very faint, mossy mouthfeel that isn't even a touch drying.

The sixth infusion offers a sweet, distinctly woody but mainly chocolate taste which is simple and now spans the profile with some wood underneath. The coco taste continues in the aftertaste with just the slightest tangy fruit taste squeezing in as well. Subtle, peaceful qi sensation offers a soft warm sensation over the body.

The seventh and eighth infusions are still very flavourful and give out sweet-coco-wood followed by a wave of undulating, almost creamy, juicy, subtle mango fruit tastes. The fruit stretch with light wood and almost unnoticeable coco on to the breath.

The leaves are put through a few overnight infusions although they could have still underwent a few more minute long infusions, given the stamina of the leaves at this point. The first overnight infusion puts out distinct roasted coco notes with a honey finish in the mouth. The mouthfeel remains strong. The next overnight infusion reveals full nice date taste with a back flavour of coco.

Peace

How Should Someone Share Tea?

"Moreover, Subhuti, when a bodhisattva practices generosity, he does not rely on any object--that is to say he does not rely on any form, sound, smell, taste, tactile object, or dharma--to practice generosity. That, Subhuti, is the spirit in which a bodhisattva should practice generosity, not relying on signs. Why? If a bodhisattva practices generosity without relying on signs, the happiness that results cannot be conceived of or measured. Subhuti, do you think that the space in the Eastern Quarter can be measured?"

"No, World-Honored One."

"Subhuti, can space in the Western, Southern, and Northern Quarters, above and below be measured?"

"No, World-Honored One."

"Subhuti, if a bodhisattva does not rely on any concept when practicing generosity, then the happiness that results from that virtuous act is as great as space. It cannot be measured. Subhuti, the bodhisattvas should let their minds dwell in the teachings I have just given."

Chapter 4 of The Diamond Sutra translated on The Joygae Order Of Korean Buddhism homepage

Generosity for the sake of generosity. :)

With this in mind one would like to announce a free Dao Tea sample package to readers. Pedro of Dao Tea agreed to provide the samples and one will cover the shipping. Here is what's in the package:

5 g Kim Shin Ho 2009 saejak green tea
5 g Kim Shin Ho 2010 saejak green tea
5 g Kim Shin Ho 2009 jungjak green tea
5 g Kim Shin Ho 2009 Balhyo cha

5 g Kim Jung Yeol 2009 saejak green tea
5 g Kim Jung Yeol 2010 saejak green tea
5 g Kim Jung Yeol 2009 Balhyo cha

This generosity is not completely unattached though...

If you accept this free package you are expected to post your thoughts or tasting notes of the samples on MattCha's Blog. You will get about a months time to sample and reflect on them. After which a post will appear on MattCha's Blog on each of the teas in this package, simply leave your thoughts on that tea in the comment section of the posting. If you cannot commit to tasting the tea within a month and leaving you comments then please don't request the package.

This package should allow even someone with little or no experience with Korean teas a nice primer by allowing for cross comparisons between: producer styles, yearly trends (or the very least an idea of how Korean green tea degrades after aging), different grades, and different types of Korean tea (balhyo v.s green).

The first 10 people to leave comments on this post expressing their interest with their email address will receive the package. One will delete your comment and send you a confirmation email as soon as possible.

Pedro has also offered one sample of 2010 Ujeon green tea to 1 of the very lucky 10. A number will be drawn to see who will receive this extra sample.

Peace

2021 Kim Jong Yeol Saejak

 

It’s been a busy few months for me and my family … all good kind of busyness … but still so busy that it’s been at least a month since I’ve had given myself the time for a mindful gongfu session or an attentive evaluation session of tea.  It’s been years since I had such a long drought.  I assure you I am still throwing back lots of nice mug steepings and weeks long, a few steeps a day, sessions with some nice tea though.  Although I have naturally cut my caffeine/ tea intake in half, I feeling more alert and productive and not as stoned off of all that chaqi…. Hahaha…

One of my last nice gongfu sessions I had months ago was with an old favourite of mine- Kim Jong Yeol’s sejak.  I ended up purchasing some of this delicious stuff and a bunch of other Japanese green teas at the request of my better half while she is going through a green tea phase these days.  I ordered some from Pedro’s O5Tea outfit in Vancouver.

Me and Pedro go back a while so he kindly sent some complimentary samples of Japanese bancha free with my order.  Pedro knows I have a passion for traditionally/folk processed teas.  If you read the early blog entries you can see me exploring these in Korea at a time when those outside of Korea has never heard of such things.  However, I don’t have too much experience with Japanese bancha.  However, I always marvel at the deep and interesting tastes that come out of bancha. Pedro’s passion for Bancha is leading him to produce a documentary on traditional processed Japanese bancha.  If you are interested in this sort of thing you should contact him.

Anyways here is some brief but very satisfying notes on the 2021 Kim Jong Yeol Saejak...

Dry leaves have a deep sweet evergreen forest almost nutty edge.

The first infusion 30 seconds has a nutty sweet forest taste that goes into evergreen with a long expanding fresh nutty vibrant minty creamy sweetness.

2^nd has a sweet aqua cucumber forest green taste slight nutty finish with an evergreen like freshness.  Lingering sweet creamy evergreen forest in the mouth.  Nice clear alert and focused Qi.

3^rd infusion has a woodier onset with creamy sweet evergreen and more distinct roasted notes.  There is a subtle wood and cool aftertaste with an underlying roasted sweetness.

4^th is a woody and evergreeny with creamy woody creamy finish.  More of a cohesive together evergreen taste.

5^th has a more upfront vibrant green roast asparagus and evergreen sweetness.

The bag didn't last long in our house and was shared with friends...

The one thing that struck me the most with these sessions was how much ability I lost in evaluating Korean green tea with such a long absence from tasting.

If you don’t use it, you loose it.

Peace

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

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

Aged Korean Tea: A Reroasted Four Years Aged Kim Jong Yeol Balhyocha

The concept of aging Korean tea is a new one, even 8 years ago, you would be hard pressed to find a Korean tea shop owner or drinker that had even tasted aged Korean tea. Back then a few tea masters that one respected both said that ddokcha can and should be aged. Conversely they also claimed to have never tried a balhyocha (Korean yellow tea) that had improved tremendously with age. They had claimed that often people store balhyocha in oongi wear and some claim that balhyocha stored and aged in this way does, in fact, improve with age. Years ago one had stock piled many boxes of Jukro Uricha to age but, after aging experiments with 2 years old and 3 years old boxes. One had come to the same conclusion as those wise teamasters, it tastes much better consumed fresh within the first year or two. The high price of Jukro balhyocha (uricha) simply made it not worth the risk of storing and the boxes were easily consumed.


Enter Pedro of O5Tea. In 2009, Pedro acquired a large amount of Kim Jong Yeol's (Butea) balhyocha and sold it under the now defunct Dao Tea label. In many great conversations and tea meetings with Pedro that followed he decided not to order the 2010 balhyocha and instead sell off the leftover from 2009. If you ordered any balhyocha from Pedro in 2010 you, in fact, received balhyocha from the 2009 harvest year. This was done as the teamasters he consulted with recommended that balhyocha was certainly just as good if not better when left to age for a year. Many producers don't even release their balhyocha until a few years pass (see the comments in these posts on Jukro Balhyocha and Ssangkye Chun-Go-Hyang).


It just happens that Pedro had recently found a bunch of leftover 2009 Kim Jong Yeol (Butea) balhyocha. Walking though the door of this O5Tea shop in Vancouver a few months ago the air was filled with the scent of slow roasted balhyocha. That same balhyocha first sampled at the Victoria Tea Festival three years ago was in a frying pan on top a conduction heater set to very low heat and had been roasting for a hour or so. One picked up a bag of that tea and had let it mellow over the last few months. With the pot of water boiling... let us prepare some of this tea...

The leaves smell of distinct piercing dark chocolate they have a slight edge of buttery odours and faint woods under the distinctly chocolate smell.

The first infusion delivers a muted, very light, peach taste with slight creamy-soapy finish. There is even a slight spicy cinnamon edge to the taste. The mouthfeel is watery, very very light. Hotter water is needed to push this tea harder than a fresh balhyocha.

The second infusion is prepared with much hotter water and delivers a mellow, very soft fruity banana peach taste with almost unnoticeable suggestions of chocolate. The tea has a thin mouthfeel with saliva pooling somewhat in the back of the throat. The taste profile is simple, soft, and light. The qi is very relaxing-tranquil in the body. It is noticed especially in the head, softening it.

The third infusion gives the mouth malty, smooth, barely woody, mainly indistinct fruity taste. This light malty-fruit taste is terribly simple but nice. A woody note spans the taste profile.

The fourth infusion is a watery, flat-juicy-dry faint fruit taste. The mouthfeel is thin but coats the entire mouth, even the mid throat where the feeling is slightly dry. A gummy-raisin very faint aftertaste is found a few minutes after swallow.

Infusion number five is much the same simple profile as above now a bit more dry and woody. It slightly scratches the throat now. This tea delivers a very mellow qi. There is an almost licorice-wood finish minutes later on the breath.

The next handful of infusions deliver soft, fruity monotone wood and indistinct peachy-fruity taste. The thin all-coating mouthfeel becomes more dry. There is a lingering peachy aftertaste in the mouth minutes later. With each infusion, more flavour is lost until it becomes barely flavoured water.

It is put to an overnight infusion which gives off a tangy, flat wood taste.

Compare the above notes to the notes of the fresh 2009 balhyocha or to other tea bloggers notes on this fresh tea.

Peace