Since I had a wonderful Korean red tea (in a teabag even!) some years ago, after a very nice meal in a Korean restaurant (before the kimchi etc were “hot” here!), I´m always eager to try Korean teas. So, when I ordered from P&T and saw they offered a Korean tea, I just needed to include a pouch in my order.
From P&T´s website :
Kim Ki-duk’s vivid depiction of the eternal cycle of seasons, ‘Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring’, could well have inspired this outstanding Korean black tea rarity. Plucked and processed entirely by hand in the stunning setting of the Hadong Mountains, this one-of-a-kind specialty yields an incredible five steeps – each as rich and full-bodied as the first. In order to achieve such aromatic longevity, the leaves undergo a prolonged, double oxidation kick-started by fresh, early-morning dew. A vigorous roasting rounds off its complex flavor with booming notes of hearty malt. Subtle whiffs of wild greens and vanilla and its soft cocoa finish make this black tea a delicacy to be savored time and time again.
Bizarre but true : while they do specify the 5 infusions – indicated in text above – on the pouch, online they only recommend 2 infusions of 2 minutes each. I followed the information on the pouch and I believe this tea can indeed be steeped five times each and every time resulting in a nice cup…of a very elegant tea. But the smoky umami flavours they also mention on the pouch seem a bit far fetched to me.
Dry, the loose leaves have delicate aroma´s where the malty heart dominates but is far from overwhelming. The “earthy” notes of cacao come through, in a subtle way though. Once steeped, the tea is lighter than expected, the malty backbone has made place for a wider spectrum of tastes, where the more bitter notes (from the cocoa) are well balanced with sweeter notes, but I wouldn´t associate these with caramel as it stays very light and subtle.
This being said, for me it´s a very nice afternoon tea; as I like my morning tea quite strong, I prefer other black teas. I might try the 2 steep method indicated online to see if the tea then shows its strong character.
Flavors: Cocoa, Malt, Smoke, Tea
Preparation
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Ooh..this sounds very nice!
@gmathis : on the pouch it says this is the ideal tea “for fine cuisine”. Not sure how to interprete this (I wouldn´t think of cooking with it) ;-) but to enjoy it little by little is really nice indeed!
One little preposition makes a difference, doesn’t it? I think I would have said with fine cuisine! ;)
Yes, Korean teas are nice, though hard to find. If TeaBento still exists, you should check out their Jiri Horse, which is another smooth, chocolatey Korean tea.
@gmathis : indeed!
@Leafhopper : do you know whether there is a sort of “standard” Korean tea? I had a wonderful red tea, but since then I discovered great black and even a green tea (not especially my favourite type of tea, but I just loved that one), so I might be just lucky. A friend of mine with Korean link (her ex was Korean and they met in Japan) couldn´t help me either, so I think I will need to plan a visit myself (and do loads of shopping there ;-) ).
I’m not too familiar with Korean teas. I know What-Cha carried some pricy Korean greens a while ago, as did Teavana back in the day. I’ve seen Korean black tea called Balhyocha, which has malt and chocolate notes. I believe Camellia Sinensis carries one at the moment. I’ve never heard of Korean red tea, though in Chinese culture, black tea is sometimes called red to distinguish it from heicha. It could also be a ginseng tisane.
@Leafhopper : You seem far more familiar or knowledgeable at least with/about Korean teas than me, and thanks for the info. The red tea I spoke about was real tea (no tisane), and the Korean waitress in the restaurant told me it was “traditional Korean red tea”, w/o being able to give me more information about it. A shame really, because restaurants shouldn´t only be able to boast about the food they serve, I think. Anyway, maybe because I don´t see a lot of Korean teas around, the ones I have tried are always really good quality, so they stand out. It´s so interesting to learn more about the fascinating world of teas :-D
Did it kind of taste like licorice? If so, it might have been one of those ginseng teas. :)
I agree, most of the Korean teas I’ve tried have been really good, and I’m always trying to find more!
Ooh..this sounds very nice!
@gmathis : on the pouch it says this is the ideal tea “for fine cuisine”. Not sure how to interprete this (I wouldn´t think of cooking with it) ;-) but to enjoy it little by little is really nice indeed!
One little preposition makes a difference, doesn’t it? I think I would have said with fine cuisine! ;)
Yes, Korean teas are nice, though hard to find. If TeaBento still exists, you should check out their Jiri Horse, which is another smooth, chocolatey Korean tea.
@gmathis : indeed!
@Leafhopper : do you know whether there is a sort of “standard” Korean tea? I had a wonderful red tea, but since then I discovered great black and even a green tea (not especially my favourite type of tea, but I just loved that one), so I might be just lucky. A friend of mine with Korean link (her ex was Korean and they met in Japan) couldn´t help me either, so I think I will need to plan a visit myself (and do loads of shopping there ;-) ).
I’m not too familiar with Korean teas. I know What-Cha carried some pricy Korean greens a while ago, as did Teavana back in the day. I’ve seen Korean black tea called Balhyocha, which has malt and chocolate notes. I believe Camellia Sinensis carries one at the moment. I’ve never heard of Korean red tea, though in Chinese culture, black tea is sometimes called red to distinguish it from heicha. It could also be a ginseng tisane.
@Leafhopper : You seem far more familiar or knowledgeable at least with/about Korean teas than me, and thanks for the info. The red tea I spoke about was real tea (no tisane), and the Korean waitress in the restaurant told me it was “traditional Korean red tea”, w/o being able to give me more information about it. A shame really, because restaurants shouldn´t only be able to boast about the food they serve, I think. Anyway, maybe because I don´t see a lot of Korean teas around, the ones I have tried are always really good quality, so they stand out. It´s so interesting to learn more about the fascinating world of teas :-D
Did it kind of taste like licorice? If so, it might have been one of those ginseng teas. :)
I agree, most of the Korean teas I’ve tried have been really good, and I’m always trying to find more!