These teas were part of the sampler arranged by Matt and the owner of Dao tea, and it has been rather amazing getting to try all of these, though I still have several more to try.
2009 Kim Jong Yeol Balhyocha.
This tea was loaded with lots of malt aroma, with a good bit of honey. It honestly has been awhile since I've had a any hong cha, which is really what this reminds me of. As its got that characteristic aroma which I want to describe as a malt and fruits sort of mixed together.
That being said I enjoyed this tea, but somehow I felt like it was highly restrained. so I guess I am going to agree with Brett at the Tea Goober on his view on this tea. Especially in regards to the fact that it seemed to have lost the kick it probably had when fresher.
2009(2010?) Kim Shin Ho Balhyocha
I am unsure of the year, as the packet it came in had the year 2009 on it, but on the letter that came with the samples it lists the year for this one as 2010.
Aroma after rinse: Hints of oak, malt and raspberries.
This tea was full of malt, and raspberries, all throughout, with a nice earthy sweetness in the finish.
This tea was much like the other one, and again it was enjoyable.
I am not sure how I can give a completely unbiased opinion of these two teas. As while they were enjoyable, they seemed to be enjoyable in the sense that they are unlike anything I have regularly. But that being said there is a reason I do not drink much hong cha, simply because the combination of flavors that occur do not really wow me, personally.
6 comments:
Hey Adam,
While I liked these teas I find it hard to stomach the price. As you know Korean teas in general are kinda pricey and no matter how much effort is put into promoting them I don't see it going anywhere unless the price can come down to a reasonable level. As delicious as the Ujeon is, it's just too expensive. For almost the same price you could get a lb. of some really good Chinese green tea. $60.00 for 33 gms of tea? Yeah right! At that price it would never be anything more than the very ocassional treat for me.
Hey Bret,
While I agree all of these teas are possibly a bit over priced, I certainly still enjoy all the Korean teas. Part of the explanation behind their price, for me seems to be the fact that there are so few places it is available, which probably means it itself is somewhat hard to find.
That being said the prices asked for Ujeon from tea trekker are actually not that outrageous on the Chinese market for green teas. On Teachat there is a post about Shi Feng Long Jing, which had a price quoted of basically 120 US dollars for 50 grams. And that price was quoted by someone shopping in Malaysia.
I certainly do feel that a lot of us tea drinkers are always looking for that deal, where we get amazing tea for a price a lot less than we would be willing to pay. But sometimes it feels nice to know you have solid choices which you can always go back to and buy good tea.
Hello,
I liked reading through your take on these two teas. I was also lucky enough to receive one of the ten sample packs and so far I must say I have actually been most impressed with these two teas--particularly the one in your first review.
I am curious what sort of water-leaf ratio you used for your brewing. After reading the review on Tea Goober I decided to use my small 60mL gaiwan...even though it doesn't quite mesh with the style perhaps, I think the higher ratio (compared to korean type teaware) might have given me some extra flavor.
As for the price, I think it is very important to note that the prices for all of these vendors do not seem to be the same as the prices found in Korea. I feel that with the popularity of Chinese and Japanese greens and the power to buy directly from the countries, vendors are able to price the tea at levels more similar to those found domestically (just a hunch).
However, with the tea trekker teas, for example, I have a feeling that they purchased the tea from dongcheon directly, so the tea needed to be marked up in order to turn a profit.
I just ordered the dong cheon ujeon from the Korean website and I noticed that the price for the same tea that was listed on tea trekker was the same--but for what seems to be two canisters instead of one.
Nothing wrong with that at all, as it is important for them to be able to remain profitable, but I think its important to remember that perhaps its not only the high price of the teas themselves, but also the increased price that is the result of not having direct purchasing power that is available from sites like o-cha.
Nathaniel,
I have no problems with mark ups, and I highly understand why they exist. And while these teas a much different than just about all Korean that I have had a chance to try.
But my personal feeling about these two teas are they are much more like a Hong cha than I would like.
$120.00 for 50 gms of Long Jing? Now that's just crazy. As much as I love Long Jing....it's not that damned good.
Scarcity in and of itself doesn't equal more worth (to me ) just because something is rare doesn't make it taste any better.
As far as my reasoning go's if I had the option to buy 33 gms of Ujeon or 1 Lb. of say... Tea Trekkers Long Ding....I,d take the Long Ding without batting an eye. It's every bit as good a quality as the Ujeon, just as handpicked just as lovingly produced and just as tasty.
Adam,
These are both 2009 Balhyocha. Over the next few months Pedro will receive the 2010 Balhyocha which ferments in ceramic pots from when it was picked in the spring until the fall.
Peace
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