Korean Black 2023

£9.50£12.95

A delicious and unusual hand-picked black tea grown in Hwagae Valley made using the tender spring leaves of old semi-wild tea tree stock from Chirisan Mountain. It is grown and processed by Dong Cheon for a co-operative of 88 farmers dedicated to natural farming with no pesticides or artificial fertilisers

Dong Cheon decided to call this tea ‘dancha’ (literally ‘cinnabar’ tea) rather than the usual hongcha in reference to the meditative term ‘dantian’. This is an elegant, well structured black tea with a honeyed sweetness and notes of walnut, sweet potato and milk chocolate. Although it has similarities to some Chinese black teas it is not so explosive aromatically, instead it has a gentle, calming nature and exceptional balance that lasts through many infusions despite the shifting flavour. We recommend brewing this tea with a high leaf/water ratio and enjoying over short, multiple infusions.

Note: When these leaves are processed as a green tea they make our Sparrow’s Tongue.

ORIGIN
88 Small Farmers, Dong Cheon, Hwagae Valley, Korea

SIZE OF FARMS
0.5 acres (average)

PLANTS AND PROCESSING
Camellia Sinensis Sinensis, semi-wild Hadong cultivars. Sejak grade – Harvested Spring 2023.

BREWING
95°C, 4g per 150ml. 4 infusions.

PLEASE NOTE
Caddy and 100g Refill options are only available online or via ‘Collect from Postcard Teas’ for shop collection, two working days after purchase.

SKU: 9950463636 Categories: , , , ,

Description

We have known and worked with many of our tea farmers for over a decade. It was 13 or 14 years ago that we first met Mr Il-Nam Ha and visited his small farm in Bosong. Since then he has moved the heart of ancient Korea tea culture in Hwagae and Jirishan where he started a factory that processes tea from over 80 small farmers with on average just half an acre each. Like at his previous farm, all the farmers he works with farm without chemicals but unlike his old farm many of the trees are several hundred years old and descended from the first tea trees grown in Korea.

The tea fields are the uniform tea fields usually found in east Asia. They are much more rocky and natural, like some of the planting you find in the Wuyi mountains.

Additional information

Weight 0.07 kg