The Hype About Korean Boseong Green Tea These Days: Notes From 2008 Jungjak Organic Boseong Green Tea

Boseong Green Tea... seems to be the Belle of the Ball in the last few months with attention being lavished upon it from many directions.

At the start of May, Boseong Tea was finally awarded 'Organic' certification from Control Union World Group. This certification makes it organic in the eyes of The European Union, the US Department of Agriculture, and Japan Agricultural standards. The article in Korea's English Newspaper, the Chosun Ilbo, that covered this news was seemingly picked up by L.A. Times columnist, Hae-Jin Lee.

And a day later resulted in an article which touched on the history of Boseong tea before sending Hae-Jin Lee reminiscing about her time spent at this popular Korean tourist spot .

An article about where you can purchase Boseong Green Tea in Southern California soon followed .

It was Nerval's post about a 2008 Boseong Organic Jungjak Green Tea last month that seized ones attention. Why? Well one got a bag of that stuff last year after the completion of a Green Tea Marathon in Boseong. One gave most of it away but still had enough for a few more sessions...

The dry leaves are of Jungjak grade (technically sajak grade) produced on May 3 as indicated on the bag. They come from Boseong Tea, a cooperative that sells the mixed leaves from many tea fields from the Boseong Area. Boseong Tea has done much to bolster its reputation in Korea and is just starting to make inroads internationally. The leaves smell starchy like potatoes, salty like the sea, all hidden beneath a prominent roasted green.

These leaves emulate the serene area from where they grew up. They are a product of their origin and production. Their production is of the hand picked and likely machine produced variety. They have a pan roastiness to them that is a throwback to the old Korean way of producing tea but was likely produced by machine using some sort of steaming that has roots in Japan.

The result is a leaf that has a nice pan roasted odour and is natural looking, full, and voluminous as if the leaf just wilted and fell off the branch.

These thin, spacious, largish leaves are carefully stuffed into the buncheong pot until no more can squeeze in. Water waiting patiently, cooling in the cooling pot, trickles upon them.

The yellow-green, orange tinged liquid is sweet, salty, interesting. It coats the mouth in a thin sheath. It initially comes off tasting a bit like roasted barley tea (boricha) that is so common throughout Korea.

More hot water is put though the motions and the result is a juicy grassy-flowery notes that evolve on the tongue to nutty pine notes. Lime notes linger just below the surface waiting to be set free in later infusions.

And as more water runs through these leaves, these subtleties due appear. The grass-lime is noticeable under a just as gentle nutty pine and more prominent roasty cereal. The blanketing grainy taste is what truly characterizes Bosong green tea, the nutty-pine is typical of Korean greens, and the grassy-lime is perhaps a throw back to the Japanese.

This tea lacks bitterness, instead it coats the tongue in a slippery blandness that targets the tongue and lips. It is easy to brew but still requires the right touch if its nuances are to be fully appreciated.

As the lid is removed between infusions the smells, tastes, sounds of Boseong rush back before hotter water is added and the lid replaced once again.

The tea retains its taste for quite some time. The notes that give this tea its depth wither away slowly, evolving into something new, or just a bit different, infusion to infusion. For this, and the fact that this tea is quite inexpensive, commands deep respect.

After even more sessions, this tea's grassy-lime edge drops off completely leaving behind a solid mouthfeel and barely tea taste which allows its enjoyment to be prolonged.

The weak chaqi lingering in this tea is a touch refreshing as is the memories that trail from it. It tugs one into the past just enough to fully appreciate the present moment with this tea.

Peace

Another Tea Set By Lee Tae Ho

This is another gas fired set using a technique that mimics the look of wood fired pieces. The close up shots allow for better appreciation of this technique.

Which one do you prefer this set pictured above or this set from a previous post (link)? Why?

Peace

2008 Sinouk Champasak (Southern) Lao Organic Oolong

This was one of two very small bags of tea from Sinouk that one purchased while traveling throughout Lao. This Oolong was recommended by the Sinouk retailer. One is quite fond of the rather simple but interesting taste of the semi-oxidized tea from this Southern area of Lao that one posted about earlier this month.

These leaves are full, wiry, dark, and unbroken. The smell exudes that characteristic scent of Paxsong tea- a lingering coffee tone with hints of milky chocolate and overpowering raisin. Cue Salivation.

One puts three scoops of these space consuming leaves into the pot, water is added, then poured into a serving pot, then into ones cup. This cycle repeats itsself, mindlessly, mindfully.

The first sip of this tea is unforgettable as it really tastes quite different then most oolong. It has a rather unique woody-smooth, coffee-raisin taste that is a touch sweet and sometimes ending a touch bitter.

This tea has a slight roast to it. The nice roastiness of raisin and more slight bitter chocolate stay on the breath for sometime afterward.

Later infusions allow this tea to evolve slightly with raisin notes out pacing coffee and chocolate. Even some subtle soft, sour citrus notes can be noticed creating space and depth between sweet raisin and bitter-roasted coffee.

This tea becomes a touch smokey and throaty, or is it roasty and full? Sometimes it's really hard to tell with this tea. In the end this effect allows for somewhat of a fullness presenting mainly in the mouth that makes this one rather enjoyable. It seems to meld perfectly with the flavours of this tea.

It's chaqi is very noticeable but not distracting. Very similar in fact to the hong cha type of energy found in its semi-oxidized sibling.

As many sessions drag on with this oolong it develops flatter, vegital notes that sneak out under the dominating roasty- raisin and fading coffee. This tea can be enjoyed like this for a very long time as its stamina is quite good.

And so one enjoys it this way for quite some time.

Peace

Gas Fired Pieces By Lee Tae Ho

Peace

1985 Yiwu Tuo Cha Puerh

It was a bit of a chilly day so one took a bit of time digging for a nice old sample of Puerh and found one that Stephane from Teamasters had sent a while back. Taking a note from ol' Toki, one let this one breathe for a while before preparing.

Although this sample is quite small, it seems to overcome the other things in the room. It tugs at ones nose whenever in the vicinity. Ones nose, perhaps unconsciously, lavishes attention upon its woody, subtle, unidentifiable fruity smell.

The rumble of the boil. The sound of a quick rinse hitting the ceramic of the tea table. The smell of old puerh embracing hot water. Calm. These things bring immeasurable content.

This sample moves slowly and gracefully as one walks with it through the day and then through another.

It evolves slowly as if not to draw too much attention to itself. Small changes, infusion by infusion.

What was first dark thick brown is now an orangy- yellow red brown. What was once gritty is now smooth. The core flavours of crisp wood and subtle cherry have changed- rounded out, became more but less edgy. It's as if its peripheral charisma has all but worn off and now the true character shines with simple beauty.

It is still warming and kicks off some decent qi. The nice warm flavours and chaqi slows one down. As the morning turns into night, and day once more, things become slower in the act of exacerbating this puerh.

This slowness brings immeasurable content.

Peace

Sel Young Jin's Phenomenal Rustic Erabo Style Tea Cups, Part 2: A Mini 'Hal Gu Dae' Style Foot

There is some interesting points about the form of these amazing cups and how they influence the flavour of tea in the comments section of Part 1. Please do check it out.

This petite white cup is a touch smaller than the other, making it the smallest cup one currently uses. In fact it can even be stacked into the other.

It's form is similar to the 'snail foot' but still very individual. It makes up for its size by standing much more pronounced and confident than the other.

This little cup is far from arrogant though. This is partly because of its small stature, but also due to the myriad of interesting imperfections that can be found on this piece.

Its cracks seem finer with greater density than the other. The white glaze barely covers some aspects of this work. We can see the pinkish hues from the clay staring at us from underneath the thin gloss. In one spot on the outside wall of the cup, there is a large blotchy birthmark where the clay almost breaks through. There are so many tinny embedded rocks that stare out at you, only adding to its uniqueness.

But of all these elements, the foot of this piece is the kicker. It is a beauty. This type of foot is usually only found on 'Hal Gu Dae' style tea bowls.

The 'Hal Gu Dae' style, which originated in sixteenth century Korea, is a very difficult style to pull off and, perhaps for this reason, is rarely attempted by the master potters of today. It is characterized by its famous eye-catching foot and the balance that it creates with the main body of the bowl. The original 'Hal Gu Dae' foot has four protruding extensions forming a hollowed-out cross that can be seen on the very bottom of the foot if you flip the bowl over.

This style of foot has a inclination to overwhelm the grace and naturalness of a bowl. The challenge is to make such a monstrous and pompous foot look harmonious, natural, and more modest- not as easy as it sounds.

It is perhaps this very successful attempt at balance and slight standoffishness subdued by such natural imperfections found in Sel Young Jin's favorite 'Hal Gu Dae' style bowl that got Louis Vuitton's attention a few years ago (link doesn't show picture of this 'Hal Gu Dae' bowl but gives the deets on the story).

This mini version, a Sel Young Jin modification, only has three protrusions which seem to properly fit with the size and form of this little guy. The combination of rugged imperfections paired with the slight flashiness of this foot is what one values in the 'Hal Gu Dae' style. It goes without saying that this foot definitely makes a statement.

And as one fashionably sips tea from its innards in a room with old furniture and bare walls, one wonders if Louis Vuitton is doing the same in his big mansion somewhere.

Peace

Sel Young Jin's Phenomenal Rustic Erabo Style Tea Cups, Part One: 'Snail Foot'

It was Hobbes from The Half-Dipper that noticed this little guy in action with some young shang puerh a few posts ago. These three pieces were a gift from a close friend before one departed from Korea.

The care that master Sel Young Jin puts into his cups are beyond what most masters put into there pots and tea bowls. Every micro space of these pieces are beautiful.

Both of these cups are quite small (think small Chinese cup), this one is just a bit bigger than the other. It sits staunchly, its form cute and natural. Its white body resembling the white caps of mountains.

The outside and inside of this cup is riddled with cracks, holes, blotches, and other so perfect imperfections. When ones eyes climb over its lip and onto the inside wall, it is met by a latticework of large cracks. These cracks meet a ring of little holes when the inside starts to level out. One especially enjoys the sight of the lonely hole in the middle of the the cups shallow- as if the poor guy was trying to lend some symmetry to this eccentrically wabi-sabi piece.

The outside wall tells a similar story of cracks that reach down toward a spattering of teeny, tinny holes at the base of the foot.

Yes, this cup has a foot much in a way that a tea bowl (chawon) would have. The detail of it is astonishing.

This foots style is 'Dal Paeng E' style. 'Dal Paeng E' translates to 'snail' because of its obvious similarity to the swirling of a snails shell. Traditionally a nail, twig or whatever was with an arms length was used in clear moment of zen to create the swirl. Although never a perfect swirl, the 'snail foot' adds balance, symmetry, and finality as well as an obvious air of natural beauty. The rustic look of this 'snail foot' was probably made by such a device and imbues such a feeling. The foot has an unfinished feel to it with three exposed blotches of unglazed clay, a permanent marking, a badge of honour only eared in the kiln. Most pieces have these imperfections sanded off. One enjoys the fact that Sel Young Jin choose to leave them on. Perhaps an attempt to roughen the effect of the snail swirl, or perhaps a statement on change.

The change this little rugged cup has undergone doesn't stop after it is cooled from the kiln. It's important to note that this cup didn't look like this at all when first made, but acquired its appearance through ware. This cup was completely white like blanketing fresh shimmering snow when first used. Only as tea penetrated its barely viable imperfections did it acquire the look it does in these pictures.

And as one sips tea from it now, change continues. The snow melts from the mountain peeks that one views from big windows, tea penetrating its cracks and hollows. But for a microsecond everything is clear once more.

Peace