Korea Dong Cheon Sejak Dancha Semi-wild Black Tea

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Black Tea
Flavors
Astringent, Black Raspberry, Chocolate, Grass, Licorice Root, Malt, Wood, Raisins, Sweet
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Cameron B.
Average preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 0 sec 3 g 9 oz / 259 ml

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5 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Sipdown prompt: Your oldest tea Well, actually I am not sure if this is the oldest tea in my books; but rough look in my black tea box says it is at least from blacks. And I also decided to finish...” Read full tasting note
  • “April 2016 harvest. Dry leaf smells like rich chocolate syrup with undertones of black raspberry and faint wood. I went for the maximum recommended brewing parameters since it’s old: 2tsp (3g),...” Read full tasting note
  • “Backlog that is 4 years old…I finished this one really quickly. It took me a minute to get used to the dry qualities combined with the sweater ones, but I really liked it in the end. This tea...” Read full tasting note
    92
  • “I had wanted to become more familiar with Korean tea when I placed my last What-cha order so I grabbed a few including this one since I’ve never had a Korean black tea. Opening the package the...” Read full tasting note
    87

From What-Cha

An extremely rare Sejak (second picking of the year) Korean black tea featuring a brilliant chocolate raisin aroma coupled with a smooth sweet raisin taste with a light citrus finish and subtle background chocolate notes.

A very unusual tea which is worth experimenting with both high and low water temperatures to find what works best to one’s own individual tastes.

Sourced direct from Dong Cheon, a co-operative of 88 small farmers with the goal of maintaining Korea’s rich history of tea.

Tasting Notes:
- Brilliant chocolate raisin aroma
- Smooth sweet raisin taste with a light lingering citrus finish
- Background chocolate notes

Harvest: Sejak (Spring), 27-30th April 2016

Origin: Dong Cheon a co-operative of small farmers, Hwagae Valley, Jirisan, Hadong, Korea
Organic: Certified organic
Cultivar: Hadong (Descendants of the first tea brought in to Korea roughly 1,200 years ago)

Sourced: Direct from Il-nam Ha the president of Dong Cheon
Percentage of price going back to Dong Cheon: 40%+

Brewing Advice:
- Heat water to roughly 80°C/176°F
- Use 1-2 teaspoons per cup/small teapot
- Brew for 30-45 seconds

Packaging: Resealable ziplock bag

About What-Cha View company

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5 Tasting Notes

1837 tasting notes

Sipdown prompt: Your oldest tea
Well, actually I am not sure if this is the oldest tea in my books; but rough look in my black tea box says it is at least from blacks. And I also decided to finish those last single session teas worth amounts; so those 3 grams from derk and White Antlers definitely passes that one too.

This tea I was afraid to prepare. Don’t ask me why… but definitely I have been storing it for longer time than it needs. Definitely old one and I had it for longer time as well. Maybe it was 176 F, or 30-45 sec. on the label? Well… I just set the temperature on the kettle for requested temperature. It’s not that strange temperature at all!

Steeped for 45 sec and it was indeed a bit too short as derk notices so, I did right after the 2-3 minute one (included the first one) and I got nice, cocoa notes, but sadly, in the flavour it is rather woody. I guess it’s because the age.

It reminds me a Wooricha from Dobrá čajovna, but that’s definitely possible as it is a cousin of this tea. That one is also a Korean black tea, sadly, I just haven’t found any more information but it’s from Mr. Cho garden. This one is rather a co-op tea and that effort is good for me as well.

Kept without a rating as it’s old. If I get a fresh batch, I would gladly rate it.

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 2 min, 45 sec 3 g 10 OZ / 300 ML

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1557 tasting notes

April 2016 harvest.

Dry leaf smells like rich chocolate syrup with undertones of black raspberry and faint wood. I went for the maximum recommended brewing parameters since it’s old: 2tsp (3g), 300mL, 180F, 45s

Steep 1, 45s: thin and watery with a hint of licorice root. Let’s go longer.
Steep 1.1, 90s: brisk with faint wood and malt. Let’s go longer.
Steep 1.2, 180s: fuller body, brisk, mostly wood, a little bit more malt, fleeting grass, hints of black raspberry and chocolate, lightly cooling. Aroma is noticeable now, with chocolate and black raspberry undertone like the dry leaf. I think I’ll stop here.

This was my first Korean black tea and I have no reference with which to compare. It reminds me a bit of Japanese black teas. Based on my limited experience with Korean green teas and tisanes, I would’ve expected a simple warm and roasty flavor profile. It has nailed simple; I’m guessing age hasn’t favored this tea. I’d be interested in trying a fresh harvest.

Thank you, White Antlers, for the opportunity :)

Flavors: Astringent, Black Raspberry, Chocolate, Grass, Licorice Root, Malt, Wood

Preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 0 sec 3 g 10 OZ / 300 ML

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92
1704 tasting notes

Backlog that is 4 years old…I finished this one really quickly. It took me a minute to get used to the dry qualities combined with the sweater ones, but I really liked it in the end. This tea introduced me to Korean Blacks, which I actually prefer slightly to some Chinese and Japanese blacks. It was this tea that established for me that Korean blacks have a grainy, carob quality. Sometimes they can be a little bit too sweet for me, but I am still very into them. I’ve just been pre-occupied with Taiwanese blacks and Fujian ones as of late.

Leafhopper

I’ve had only one Korean black tea (Jiri Horse from Teabento), and it was full of grainy, chocolate notes as you describe. I was going to get the Korean oolong that What-Cha is carrying right now, but I forgot about it when I placed my order.

Daylon R Thomas

Same from the last order. I targeted my sight on the Rohini Honey Oolong because it looked promising. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be too roasty or not for me.

Leafhopper

I briefly looked at that one as well, but I’m never sure about “experimental” teas from India. Also, 25 g is a lot of tea to get through Western style. If only What-Cha still offered samples!

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87
101 tasting notes

I had wanted to become more familiar with Korean tea when I placed my last What-cha order so I grabbed a few including this one since I’ve never had a Korean black tea.

Opening the package the first think I notice is the small thin delicate tea leaves. They smell a bit like chocolate, and dark raisins, and…Corn Pops? I spent a few minutes trying to inhale the bag, but it was uncannily just like the Corn Pops cereal.

1st steep: ~35 seconds at around 175 F
Brews orange gold. Smells like raisins and tastes like raisins. It very much like the sweet water left over from soaking raisins which I’ve tried many times from baking something or other. It also had a bit of a corny cereal flavor like fresh ground whole grain corn meal. The texture had just a bit of silky come out.

2nd steep: ~1 min 175F
Brewed to a deeper orange color. Now tasting more (I guess anything) like a black tea with a bit of brisk astringency that coats the mouth. There’s a malty sweet taste to it and also a mint like mouth tingle thing going on.

3rd steep: ~160F lost track of time switching over laundry.
This was so Corn Pops.

Subsequent steeps were much lighter and sweet flavored. I think I did up to six with increasing time and temps. I rather liked trying this tea as it was pretty unique to anything I’ve had previously. I’m glad I got only 10g though because I can’t see myself drinking such a sweet tea on a regular basis. I rather prefer blacks with more of a punch or greens that balance out any sweet flavors with bitter. I’ll probably use the rest of it in trying a cold/ice brew and maybe a cup with a longer initial steep time.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIFqqGEDq2o/?taken-by=gooseberryspoon

Flavors: Malt, Raisins, Sweet

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 0 min, 30 sec 2 tsp 6 OZ / 177 ML

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