Sparrow’s Tongue 2023

£9.50£40.00

An outstanding Korean hand-picked sejak 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 traditional methods and natural farming who use no pesticides or artificial fertilisers.

This is Dong Cheon’s sejak grade of tea, the second highest grade of tea of the year in the Korean grading system based on the lunar calendar.  Dong Cheon’s high standards combine some of the best qualities of both Chinese and Japanese green teas. The dry leaf aroma is fresh and vegetal, while the brewed tea is soft in texture with a long-lasting nut kernel sweetness. This year the tea has a green sweet character with a subtle toasted note. The liquor has a rich texture with a subtle sweetness similar to toasted rye combined with a wonderful freshness similar to samphire.

We recommend brewing this at a lower temperature, around 75°C, with a high ratio of leaf/water to bring out the umami and sweetness in the tea.

Note: When these leaves are processed as a black tea they make our Korean Black, and the later summer tea is our Nokcha.

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. Pan-fired. Sejak grade – Harvested Spring 2023.

BREWING
75°C, 4-5g per 100ml. 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: 458458358 Categories: , , , ,

Description

We have known and worked with many of our tea farmers for over a decade. It was 15 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