This episode, James and Denny bring on an old favorite from a years back, Morning Crane Tea’s Korean Hwangcha (Balhyocha), different from Chinese Yellow Tea. With very small buds, this is a complex, delicate, floral tea!
This episode, James and Denny bring on an old favorite from a years back, Morning Crane Tea’s Korean Hwangcha (Balhyocha), different from Chinese Yellow Tea. With very small buds, this is a complex, delicate, floral tea!
11 responses to “Morning Crane Tea Korean Hwangcha [Episode 214]”
You guys might consider trying some yellow tea from Mengding Mountain sometime. It’s really delicious, but from what it sounds like the Korean version of yellow tea is much different, especially if it gives off some black tea characteristics. Its amazing how different the same style of tea can be from different regions. Terroir and the large number of varietals is so complex/diverse.
Korean yellow teas and Chinese yellow teas are alike in name only – hwangcha meaning yellow. The oxidation level is far different. I prefer the term balhyocha for Korean oxidized teas. In particular this balhyocha is a “ban” balhyocha meaning it was oxidized or fermented between 15% and 85% essentially similar to oolongs but using different processes. Balhyochas deserve their own category. Because Morning Crane Tea is a tea service and educational site rather than a for profit tea company we have annual tea buys not an online tea shop. By chance TeaBuy Korea 2017 is happening now but will end very soon. if interested look for those terms. Because I am educational, I have a blog post explaining balhyocha terms.
http://teaatmorningcranetea.blogspot.com/2015/03/balhyocha-revisited-embracing-korean.html
“Halmoni” in Korean means grandma, so it sounds like the bag is labeled as “Grandmother Tea”, :).
Halmonicha does mean Grandmother tea. The producer Jeong Jae Yeon is a grandmother and this is the name she gives her tea. In her late 60’s, she works primarily alone with just a little assistance picking her tea leaves. She learned how to make tea from her grandmother and this particular process has been handed down for generations.
When she was growing up, the family made it just for the family and some friends for medicinal purposes as was the original custom for many teas.
A passing monk discovered it and told the teaware potter Park Jong Il who told me. So I started offering it. I think it has become one of the most talked about Korean balhyochas out there and I have seen comparisons in German with another balhyocha made by an illustrious teamaster.
If you want to try some search for me or her or us together on the web. Thanks for your interest.
Thanks for the teas Arthur. We’ve got a couple more episodes coming!
Best tea ever!
Nice tea indeed. Cheers!
Whoops! I misspoke there. Thanks for the correction.
I saw this tea on TeaDB a few years ago and bought it. Since then, I confess I have purchased a ridiculous amount of this balhyocha, a hoarding amount. It is the tea I serve to guests (they won’t like pu anyway). The first time I served it to my sister, she stopped mid-sentence and said “I think this is the best tea I have ever had.” I even gave a package to my cat’s vet. It’s a tea that most people will love. I am terrified that any year now Jeong Jae Yeun will not be able to make this and we will forever be without it. I buy as much as I can afford.
I serve with a light Mediterranean style snack plate, like goat cheese with crackers or bread, tomato bruschetta spread, grapes and olives.
Good to see you guys covering Arthur Park’s teas. He’s a really nice guy who also makes some excellent tea ware!
I’ve been to the tea areas near Jiri Mountain in South Korea and found their teas to be somewhere in between some mao feng teas and sencha. If you’re ever passing though Manhattan, stop by Francia, a Korean tea house and vegan restaurant. Their sejak green tea is excellent.
Indeed! Arthur is a very nice guy and he offers some of the more unique teas out there to the west.