2011 Kim Jong Yeol's Jungjak Nokcha Butea

This sample was kindly sent along with my last order from Slovak shop Nomad.sk. It really made me happy – my previous encounters with Kim Jong Yeol's teas (such as this Balhyocha) were really an unusual experiences and of the four of his teas imported to Europe by Teamountain, this Jungjak (third picking) was the only green I haven't had a chance to try yet.

And since this sunny, windless day seemed ideal for such a tea, I have decided to give it a try now.

This tea originates in Yonggang-Ri, Hwagae-myeon, Gyeongnam – Hwagae Valley and was completely hand-picked and hand-made during the second week of May from 20 years old, wild tea trees.

The leaves are very good-looking; just slightly larger than those of Saejak (second picking) grade, curly and range from light, yellow-green to almost blueish in color. Their smell is very sweet, floral and, even quite a long time after the picking, still fresh. The preheated teapot enhances these sweet and pine-like fresh tones and reveals more, especially the roasted smell of bread.

The first infusion is light-green in color and just as light in taste, though, at the same time, very complex. Mainly dominated by gentle, flowery sweetness and tones of various fruit – pears and grapes, these notes are followed by once again very sweet, bread-like roastiness and pine-like freshness, which is, however, less vivid than in smell of the dry leaves. The aftertaste of this brew is mouth-filling, quite long and nutty-sweet.

The second infusion has a lively green color, is very clear and its most pronounced tone seems to be that of the roasted, sweet bread. Most of the former freshness is missing in this infusion, being replaced by complex, full tones of nuts, pears and berries. The following aftertaste is stronger than that of the previous infusion, once again quite roasty and bread-like, pleasantly remaining on tongue for a very long time.

The third and fourth infusions are somehow similar in character, being clear, lively green in color and still dominated by the sweet roasted tones of bread, which are now somehow finer than in the second infusion, where it reached the peak of its strength. These brews are creamy, nutty and complex, light and deep at the same time. Their aftertaste is moderately long, sweet and mouth-filling.

Few more brews are made of these leaves; gradually getting lighter, drier and less complex. Its main tones are nuts and bread, followed by remains of fruity sweetness and creaminess.

This tea, similarly to most of Korean green teas I've encountered so far, has a remarkable, almost meditative effect on my mind, putting it into a concentrated, but very calm state at the same time. This is one of the things I am most fond of in Korean teas and why I am always very glad to have a chance to try one.

So thanks again, for an opportunity to drink yet another of master Kim Jong Yeol's teas, which always seem to leave a memory of extraordinary session in my mind. Even now, when this green isn't in its freshest state anymore.

Early Sunset, Happy New Year

2011 Hwagae Uricha (Tongecha) at the Probuzeny Slon Teahouse

Visiting Brno, Czech republic, I'm once again sitting in one of my favorite tea-rooms here, mentioned several times on this blog – the Probuzeny Slon teahouse. At the moment, I am enjoying last infusions of a wonderful and unusual tea, one of those I wanted to try since the moment I first heard about it.

This tea is Hwagae Uricha (Tongecha), a Korean yellow tea produced by master Cho Yun Suk and imported by Teamountain. Quite an unusual Balhyocha for me, as it isn't loose – instead, this tea is pressed into the shape of a 100 gram ball and its appearance may be reminiscent of Pu-erh.

It's taste and smell is amazing – if someone would give me these dry leaves just to smell without seeing it, I would be tempted to say it's dark chocolate. Its taste is similar – wonderfully chocolate-like and sweet and it doesn't seem to get any bitterness even after long steeping times. As I gradually prepared numerous infusions, its smell and taste evolved, revealing more spicy tones, fruit, nuts, flowers and several other fragrances, making each infusion different.

Another thing worth mentioning – after a day of wandering through the winter city, this tea was exactly what I needed. As soon as I came to the teahouse and took the first sip, my body felt regenerated – and, immediately, warmed.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take a photo of its dry leaves, which were still in a pressed form. After the session, though, the leaves are beautiful – quite small, whole and ranging from dark-green to dark-brown in color.

This post isn't going to be any longer. I just felt the need to share this unusual tea-experience – at least like this.

2011 Kim Jong Yeol's Balhyocha Noeul Hyanggi “Sunset”

Today's weather isn't exactly green. The sky is cloudy, air quite breezy and it occasionally rains – somehow, it feels like this is the day I've been awaiting to open this special tea.

This season, Teamountain offers two yellow teas made by tea master Kim Jong Yeol (and it seems like one made by Kim Shin Ho is on the way as well), named poetically “Sunrise” and “Sunset”. I purchased Sunset on my visit to Brno's Sklenena Louka teahouse, owner of which also told me her impressions of these teas – while Sunrise is more chocolate-like and dark, Sunset is supposed to be more spicy and somehow reminiscent of Taiwanese Bai Hao oolong. While I haven't bought both of these teas and, therefore, will not be able to compare them in a similar way, I'd very much looked forward to trying Sunset on its own.

The origin of this fermented tea is Yonggang-Ri, Hwagae-myeon, Gyeongnam, it was picked during the second week of May and is made of wild, approximately 20 years old tea bushes.

This simple, yet beautiful packaging is opened and immediately releases intensive, deep smell of meadow flowers, honey and cinnamon. In terms of appearance, Wuyi Yancha is the first thing that comes to my mind; these leaves are dark with shades of black and brown, curly and mostly unbroken. When placed into the preheated teapot, their aroma intensifies even more, now being even sweeter and revealing a slightly roasty, bread-like note.

The first infusion is brewed with freshly boiled water and is orange-golden in color, still retaining the deep smell of dry leaves. Its taste is equally deep and sweet, offering countless tones, both those already revealed in smell as well as many new – dried fruit, particularly apricots, honey, flowers, cinnamon-like spiciness and very subtle, refined roast. Immediately after the first sip, this tea feels strong – not in a way of being over-brewed or too harsh (the exact opposite is true – this tea is very mild and noble), but it seems to have strong, warming and yet calming energy, which is impossible not to notice. This infusion also has expectably long and vivid aftertaste, filling the throat with subtle deep sweetness.

The second infusion is slightly darker orange in color, very transparent and very aromatic. Honey, fruit, meadow flowers and cinnamon remain the main tones, though they now seem to have a bit different mouthfeel – even deeper and smoother. There isn't a single trace of bitterness in this brew, instead, it fills mouth with various tones of ripe and dried fruit, seemingly alternating and complementing each other. The aftertaste of this infusion is more pronounced and even warmer than that of the first brew, evolving over time and becoming sweeter and sweeter.

The third infusion returns to the lighter orange-golden color of the first one, though its taste remains similar to the second brew, being very fruity, sweet and slightly spicy, now revealing a new tone as well – citrus-like juiciness, which overtakes the aftertaste as well – a bit like warm orange or lime with honey.

This citrus-like note gradually becomes dominant in the fourth, fifth and sixth infusions, though most of the other fruity and sweet tones remain present as well – just not as dominant as before, now they seem to be hidden under the main citrusey nuances. All of these brews retain the significantly warm, calming energy, detectable primarily in the long aftertaste.

With its clear, deep character and warm, remarkably soothing energy, this Balhyocha makes a simple session feel like a very special, important occasion. Its lyrical name Sunset seems to be very well chosen – it really has power to create the atmosphere of a calm, silent evening on a meadow inside a wild forest, watching the sun going down slowly; all that in a single cup, even in the heart of a city.

New Companion

This is the little Black Magda kyusu made by Petr Novak I've talked about in my previous post. It holds about 120ml of water and I intend to use it mostly for Korean tea. And, after the first recently finished session with Gyeun Farm Saejak, I can already tell that this pot seems to fit these teas wonderfully, just as I imagined.

One Afternoon at Brno's Glass Meadow

Staying in Brno, Czech republic for a while now again, I met with some friends and visited yet another of the city's amazing teahouses - one called Sklenena Louka ("Glass Meadow"), or, in shortened and simplified version, just Sklenenka.

sorry for the blurry photos - taken by phone camera

This teahouse sources its teas from two of my most favorite Czech vendors, LongFeng and Teamountain. This time, I was especially aimed for a group of particular teas, recently imported by Martin Spimr's Teamountain - fresh Korean teas made by two famous teamasters, Kim Jong Yeol and Kim Shin Ho.

I ordered Kim Shin Ho's Saejak Samtae, tea which exceeded the high expectations I had for it. Sweet, smooth, fresh and almost impossible to over-brew, this green tea had an amazing effect on body, harmonizing it in a way that left my mind calm, clear and yet sharp.

Originally, I was planning to buy two different Korean teas made by Kim Jong Yeol for my home consumption as well; this idea was, however, quickly dismissed when I saw brand new pieces of Petr Novak's pottery unladen on a nearby table. Among these pots was a little Black Magda-glazed kyusu, completely fitting the idea of my dream-teapot for Korean teas... and I suddenly knew one of the teas will have to wait.

In the end, I was leaving this magical place with new teapot, a pack of fresh Balhyocha and the aftertaste of Kim Shin Ho's Saejak still present in my throat. All this together with the opportunity to chat with some long-unseen dear friends over a cup of great tea - beautiful day.

2011 Hadong Gyeun Farm Saejak Nokcha

Another post about Korean tea? Yes. Unexpectedly, it seems like this season is going to be quite Korean for me – there are more interesting fresh teas from this country on Czech and Slovak market than ever before.

This particular Saejak was purchased on my last visit to Teatrade.sk's store. It cannot be found on their website nor in their regular offering, but, along with two other Korean teas mentioned below, can be tasted in their neighboring teahouse “U veseleho slona”.

This exact same tea can, however, be purchased on Darjeeling.cz – this year, they offer three different Hadong teas, one Ujeon, this Saejak and one Yellow tea. All of these teas come in the generous Hadong packaging (see Matt's very informative post here), but, at least for this one, there is a sticker on the back of its box – mostly in Korean, the only exception being web address of Gyeun Farm, which I suppose is the producer. It originates in Ssangye area and is, according to the Darjeeling website, completely hand-picked and hand-processed from wild tea bushes.

Since it was purchased, I've enjoyed this Saejak quite a lot of times, always discovering something new and liking the tea more and more – it really grew on me.

These leaves are quite uniform, small and a bit curly with very pleasant sweet, deep and, again, forest-like smell. As they are placed into the preheated Shiboridashi, this smell intensifies and new nuances come out, reminding me of various things – sweet pastry or bread among them.

Always using just a slightly hotter water than I did for the previous brew, several infusions are made of this tea, as its character gradually evolves, changes and becomes interestingly different in each and every one of them – generally, these brews are quite light, yet very aromatic at the same time. The taste is mainly soft, bread-like, bit roasted, sweet and fresh; it embraces all the deepness found in its smell and even more, fruity tones reminiscent of sweet young pears and something I would call “mountain forest air” and the sensation of breathing it. The aftertaste is mild and sweet, being noticeable for a very long time and seems to carry different main tone after each infusion – nutty sweetness after the first one, fruity freshness after the second, almost vanilla-like creaminess after the third and so on.

This tea reaches its peak around third or fourth brew, when it is strongest and most intensive in taste, smell and aftertaste. After that, it still produces more than enjoyable infusions – gradually, these are just less deep, a bit more sharp and spicy and have smaller scale of tones, most persistent of which is probably the roasted bread-like taste and nuttiness.

One of the most amazing things about this tea is the almost spiritual-like, peaceful state of mind it leaves me in after the session – the need to just quietly sit and breathe, still sensing this tea, not only on the tongue.

I feel like taking this tea on a trip with me and enjoying it in the nature – hopefully, I really will, before I completely run out of it.

Tea and Time: Two Different 2010 Saejak Nokcha Teas

This lovely sunny day called for something special. And since I started it by watching Kim Ki-duk's highly praised film "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring", I've decided to continue in a similar Korean spirit – by drinking two teas I've had at home for more than a week already.

Samples of these two Korean greens, along with two other yellow teas were kindly sent to me from French CoreaColor. Both of them are of Saejak grade and were picked before the end of April 2010. I'm not sure about the exact area of origin of these teas, but, considering information found on CoreaColor website, my guess would be Jiri Mountain (correct me if I'm wrong).

Originally, these samples were labeled by stickers with numbers 1 and 4, but, unfortunately, these glued off on their way here – therefore, I will use letters “A” and “B” to distinguish them, preparing both teas at the same time.

left: A, right: B

The first obvious difference can be spotted on the dry leaf – these two Saejaks come from two different family companies and thus, the leaves are quite different from each other with A being smaller and more curled than B (though not that much smaller as it may seem in the picture – I wasn't able to take both photos from the exact same distance and angle). Smell of both teas is already clearly affected by their age - more than one year after harvest, most of the freshness these teas definitely used to possess is already gone. Even so, I can still sense remains of the typical scent I personally tend to associate with Korean greens, something “forest-like” and nutty. Naturally, there is a difference between these two teas – A is a bit more intensive and slightly acidic while B seems to smell more humble, deeper and nuttier. After being placed into the preheated Shiboridashi pots, smell of both teas significantly changes – as if the heat retrieved more of its original fresh character.

top: A, bottom: B

Being infused many times, more differences between these teas gradually reveal – both teas have very transparent, clear brew, though A is more yellowish in color than B, which is more of a light green. Taste is very similar to dry leaf's smell in many aspects – A is less nutty, more intensive and somehow “sour” - though it isn't exactly the most annoying kind of sourness, I believe it wasn't present when this tea was fresh. B, on the other hand, is lighter and nuttier in taste with still noticeable creamy sweetness. Very similar results can be found in all infusions as well as their aftertastes, which are generally stronger and more acidic for A and sweeter and more humble for B. I stopped brewing A after the third infusion, as I no longer found it interesting – B, on the other hand, was still able to produce a few more enjoyable brews.

left: A, right: B

Personally, I've enjoyed B more than A. The result might have been different if these teas were in their fresh state – but like this, I think B did better job in withstanding the effects of time, preserving more of its former beauty.

This can also be seen on the spare leaves – B seems greener and somehow more lively than the light-yellowish A. Drinking these teas indeed was an interesting experience – both as a study of time's effects on different green teas as well as the general broadening of my Korean tea experience. Thanks, once again.

2010 “unspecified” Hadong Yellow Tea

As the days continue to get colder and colder and it already had been some time since I last saw something green outside, my demand of “darker” teas increases as well. This seems like a great opportunity to try the sample kindly given to me by Daniel Klasek of Darjeeling.cz – Korean yellow tea from Hadong. Daniel recently started importing more Hadong teas – apart from this one, he currently also offers two picks of Nokcha - Saejak and Daejak. He also sells some Korean ware and “The Korean Way of Tea” book – overall, this makes him the biggest Korean-tea-related merchant on Czech and Slovak market nowadays.

I've never drank this type of tea so far – I probably wouldn't even know there I something like Balhyocha, if not for Mattcha's Blog. This handmade tea comes in a generic Hadong packaging, which doesn't provide us with any info on producer, just marking that it possibly comes from smaller production.

The leaves are dark, curly, quite uniform and generally seem to be very nicely processed. Their unusual smell immediately hits my nose – vivid tones of honey, fruit, citrus, spices and countless others fragrances. In a way it reminds me of autumnal Darjeelings, though it definitely doesn't smell like one – in this case, it seems like the “Darjeeling-like smell” is just one of the numerous nuances found in this tea.

The first infusion, golden-yellow in color, offers as many – if not more - notes as the smell, being smooth, citrous, juicy, spicy and a bit like ripe apples and peaches without any trace of bitterness. It also completely lacks roasted notes which I initially expected, leaving long, yet gentle aftertaste which is a bit sour, bit sweet and very juicy and fruity.

The color seems to be a bit more brownish-yellow and deeper in the second infusion, which follows the first one in its smoothness, being sweeter, even more fruity and less citrous and refreshing. The aftertaste is drier, warmer and seems to be dominated by apples and pears.

even the sky was curious what's on the tray today

The third brew proves that this tea doesn't get any bitter even after longer brewing with water just under the boiling point, once again being brownish-yellow in color and delivering up tones of ripe fruit, honey and sweet juiciness, being generally more intense than the second infusion though also lacking the citrus tones found in the first brew. Strangely, this strong, pleasant citrus odor can still be found in the smell of leaves after the third and latter infusions, though it can not be felt on tongue.

This tea is also taken into fourth, fifth and sixth infusions, quite uniform in character with warm, fruity character with leftovers of sweetness, juiciness and dry aftertaste.

My first experience with Korean Balhyocha and I already want to try more. This tea is like no other I've drank so far; it reminds me of so much and yet is a complete original in its own way.

4th tasting event: Darjeeling, Nepal & surprise

Once again, I attended tea tasting organized by Teatrade.sk in the same teahouse as before. This time, the tasting took place inside the teahouse, instead of its garden, as the weather outside was extremely hot and sunny, so we preferred the cool air which, thanks to this teahouse being located in old, historical house with thick walls was still present inside, even without air conditioner.

This time, the theme was Darjeeling and Nepal teas from 2010 First, Second and 2009 Autumnal Flush.

We drank these teas:

Nepal Kuwapani FF SFTGFOP 1,
BIO Darjeeling Tukdah FF FTGFOP 1,
2 lots of Darjeeling Jungpana FF FTGFOP.
Darjeeling Goomtee FF FTGFOP 1,
Darjeeling Goomte SF FTGFOP 1,
Dajeeling Goomtee AF FTGFOP 1 2009.
Darjeeling Jungpana SF FTGFOP 1 a
Nepal Jun Chiabary AF SFTGFOP 1 2009.

Then came the pleasant surprise - 2010 Saejak Hadong Nokcha.

And it really is as pleasant as i imagined it to be.

Korean green tea and home-made Matcha cookies, what a combination!

Next tasting - of Marukyu Koyamaen Matchas - is going to take place on 24 June in the same teahouse.

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All photos were taken by main organizer, not me, as I haven't took any photos this time.

2010 Jung jak Jukro Nok cha

I ran across this tea almost by accident. Visiting one of numerous teahouses in Czech Republic’s second largest city Brno, I saw “fresh Nokcha” on their menu. As the package later revealed, this tea was on 1st of May – which is already an early Jung jak or third flush.

This actual tea is from Jukro Tea Company. I remember drinking one of their teas last year, but it was obviously of lower grade than this one - leaves weren't so alike and smell was more harsh, if my mind isn't lying to me once again. Still, it was a very pleasant tea.

After opening the golden package, I found… another package, this time transparent. Finally, after opening this one, incredibly fresh, green, sweet and deep smell hits my nose and attacks my senses. This is one of those teas smell of which can already persuade you of its wonderful quality.

This tea is prepared in stoneware houbin made by Czech potter Karel Zila and drunk from cup made by Jan Jansky, because it somehow just goes well with it.

First infusion is prepared with quite tepid water, bringing out most satisfying result – creamy sweetness, milky and even with some gentle tones of pears and apples. There is also a very refined spiciness, however not rising above other characteristics of this tea. Everything seems to be well-balanced, just as I would expect of tea of this high quality.

I gradually used hotter and hotter water for further infusions, all of which were similarly satisfying, soft and harmonizing. In the end, this tea gave me six tasty infusions and harmony in mind.

Half an hour after finishing the session, pleasant aftertaste of this tea still lingers on my tongue and reminds me of the wonderful taste itself.

I am not going to eat or drink anything else for a while; just because I don’t want it to vanish so fast.

From dry leaves to aftertaste, this tea is beautiful.

2009 Lao Shan Cha (“Korea type”)

Shandong Province of China is quite close to South Korea, being separated just by small part of Yellow Sea. Laoshan District, part of this province is even closer – and that’s where this tea is from.

Having a large Korean minority and similar geographical conditions to South Korea, Shandong is, as far as I know, the northernmost place in China to produce tea. It thus is no wonder that these teas are said to be really similar to Korean teas, being often even labeled as “Korean type” and other names that have something to do with this neighbouring country.

When you consider all these factors, this tea can be accused of being another cheap, Chinese fake of product far more expensive – can be, but it’s not so accurate, as most similarities end in point of geographical location and appearance of the leaves.

This sample was thankfully received as a small curiosity to try. I was really curious; wouldn't it be nice to have a cheap tea, similar to much more expensive Korean greens for everyday drinking?

First surprise comes after opening the package, as dry leaves smell similar to Vietnamese green teas rather than Korean. It’s a bit rough, somehow sour scent; it’s also evident that this tea already isn’t fresh.

This character continues and deepens in first infusion, which is quite spicy and muggy in taste and even more sour in smell. There is also quite strong bitterness; not that noble, desired bitterness, but something not so pleasant and even disturbing in some way. I’m in a strong need to eat something sweet after drinking this tea.

Second infusion is absolutely the same, not bringing out anything new or interesting.

So is the third infusion.

I made just three infusions; the tea hasn’t impressed me. Maybe it’s because I expected something completely different, but there was nothing that special in this tea. Or maybe my taste buds are too spoiled. I'm not telling that it's absolutely bad, but...

Next review is finally going to be real Korean green tea, specifically 2010 Jungjak Nokcha by Jukro Tea Company. I can already say that it’s incredibly wonderful.

Saturday morning with Korean green

Today, I decided to spend my morning with this unspecified Nokcha from 2009 harvest I've got as a gift some time ago.

Formerly, I used to prepare this tea in Gaiwan and drink it from small Gong-fu cha cups, but I later found out that I prefer using my little kyusu - it somehow moves this tea to another dimension, making the pear-like taste and smell in first two infusions even more vivid.

This cup was made by Czech potter Karel Žíla. There is a small spiral-like pattern on it's bottom. I really enjoy using it, especially for fresh green teas.

After the fifth infusion, the tea started to loose it's smell and taste very quickly and I knew it's the end of my small morning session. I tossed the leaves out of the pot, unfolded them on the tray.

And ate some, because I always do, if I enjoyed the tea in it's infusions.