Your day in tea

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tjkdubya
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Wed Jul 14, 2021 1:06 am

@baisao @debunix that halmonicha aka grandma tea is one we've quite enjoyed in the past. Lovely clean ("깔큼한" as a Korean would say) experience.
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Baisao
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Wed Jul 14, 2021 1:36 am

@debunix & @tjkdubya how do the two of you normally prepare this tea?

I feel like I hit it but if there are some Korean parameters used for these teas then I would like to know what they are.
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tjkdubya
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Wed Jul 14, 2021 4:15 am

It's been a long while but I remember it being very unfussy tea to enjoy a number of different ways. A tea like this with not a lot to tweak away, medium ratio gaiwan, silver, or porcelain pot brew, north of 90C...?

Whatever it happens to lack in body, I think it's just a part of this tea's personality, and not something I'd be pressed to try to "correct."
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LeoFox
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Wed Jul 14, 2021 6:51 am

https://teaepicure.com/south-korean-balhyocha-hwangcha/
The processing of Balhyocha typically follows these steps: Withering -> Rolling -> Heaping -> Drying

Some tea merchants selling the same product will call it hwangcha and some will call it balhyocha. There seems to be no single definition of either of these tea terms and even more disconcerting, neither fits cleanly into standard tea classifications


Hwangcha is similar to yellow tea in that it has a heaping process and the resulting infusion is yellow. But hwangcha does not go through a kill-green process like traditional yellow tea. This is the only major difference. The drying process technically functions as a kill-green here, but this is done last.

Hwangcha is similar to oolong in that it is semi-oxidized. But that’s it. hwangcha isn’t bruised repeatedly like an oolong, and Hwangcha doesn’t go through a kill-green process like oolong. Also, oolong does not have a heaping process.

Hwangcha is similar to black tea if we call the heaping phase oxidation. Because there is no kill-green when it comes to hwangcha, it is safe to say that oxidation is occuring during heaping.  Black tea is withered, rolled, oxidized, and dried.  The only problem here is that hwangcha is not typically as oxidized as a black tea, but because of the similarities between the processes, hwangcha can be considered a “lightly oxidized” black tea
Given this description, I wonder how it compares to first flush darjeeling. Some also have this fruity vinegary smell, in my experience....and some smelled a little like formaldehyde, which was not appetizing.
Ethan Kurland
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Wed Jul 14, 2021 8:25 am

tjkdubya wrote:
Wed Jul 14, 2021 4:15 am
Whatever it happens to lack in body, I think it's just a part of this tea's personality, and not something I'd be pressed to try to "correct."
+1 I don't know the tea but thank you for reminding us that not everything negative or lacking in a tea needs to be "corrected". (Same can be said for people etc.)
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tjkdubya
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Wed Jul 14, 2021 9:01 am

🙏

Sometimes with tea it's too easy to get lost bending every little thing to our (pre-existing) liking. Not that that should not be a big part of our enjoyment.

Always this tension (hopefully a creative and generative one) between understanding just what it is that is in front of us, and what we'd like it to be...
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Baisao
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Wed Jul 14, 2021 9:43 am

tjkdubya wrote:
Wed Jul 14, 2021 9:01 am
🙏

Sometimes with tea it's too easy to get lost bending every little thing to our (pre-existing) liking. Not that that should not be a big part of our enjoyment.

Always this tension (hopefully a creative and generative one) between understanding just what it is that is in front of us, and what we'd like it to be...
I agree. This is why I have been focusing more on appreciating teas within their context.

In this case the thin body is probably variable year to year as pectin level correlates with the microclimate the tea is grown in. Not necessarily something to correct but something that is variable.
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Baisao
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Wed Jul 14, 2021 9:46 am

LeoFox wrote:
Wed Jul 14, 2021 6:51 am
https://teaepicure.com/south-korean-balhyocha-hwangcha/
The processing of Balhyocha typically follows these steps: Withering -> Rolling -> Heaping -> Drying

Some tea merchants selling the same product will call it hwangcha and some will call it balhyocha. There seems to be no single definition of either of these tea terms and even more disconcerting, neither fits cleanly into standard tea classifications


Hwangcha is similar to yellow tea in that it has a heaping process and the resulting infusion is yellow. But hwangcha does not go through a kill-green process like traditional yellow tea. This is the only major difference. The drying process technically functions as a kill-green here, but this is done last.

Hwangcha is similar to oolong in that it is semi-oxidized. But that’s it. hwangcha isn’t bruised repeatedly like an oolong, and Hwangcha doesn’t go through a kill-green process like oolong. Also, oolong does not have a heaping process.

Hwangcha is similar to black tea if we call the heaping phase oxidation. Because there is no kill-green when it comes to hwangcha, it is safe to say that oxidation is occuring during heaping.  Black tea is withered, rolled, oxidized, and dried.  The only problem here is that hwangcha is not typically as oxidized as a black tea, but because of the similarities between the processes, hwangcha can be considered a “lightly oxidized” black tea
Given this description, I wonder how it compares to first flush darjeeling. Some also have this fruity vinegary smell, in my experience....and some smelled a little like formaldehyde, which was not appetizing.
This is useful info and helps explain @Bok's experience with some Taiwanese white teas having this profile since the kill green only happens during drying.
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debunix
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Thu Jul 15, 2021 10:36 am

Baisao wrote:
Wed Jul 14, 2021 1:36 am
debunix & tjkdubya how do the two of you normally prepare this tea?

I feel like I hit it but if there are some Korean parameters used for these teas then I would like to know what they are.
I can only describe random Los Angeles parameters for prepping this tea: water just off the boil, and....everything else is flexible. I rarely pack the pot/gaiwan, because I rarely do that with any tea, and it is so good that a little goes a long way. How much I use has more to do with how much tea I want and how long the session will be--more leaf to infuse more times for longer/more tea, less leaf for shorter/less tea. And I infuse to taste, adjusting the time for the next infusion by the taste of this one.

I love it from my Petr Novak tree bark pot, or started hot and infused cold and made sparkling; a thermos full of hot balhyocha is reassuring at the start of a long day away from my tea table. It's enjoyment is not diminished by any of these different preparations--and that is a key part of why I love these teas so. Whatever the temperature, whim, available teaware, time for session, or distractions guaranteed to disrupt a sequence of flash infusions.....these are teas guaranteed to satisfy. And I love the mix of earthy, fruity, spicy, no one thing absolutely dominant, and the variability infusion after infusion, or hour by hour in the thermos brewing.

Not many other teas are so versatile. For me, Puerh and most traditional roast oolong needs at least a 'neutral' temperature before I want to drink it--in air conditioned work space during the summer, yes, or spring/fall/winter at home. Some of these--shou puerh, many oolongs--can do well in the thermos but not chilled. Greens usually do well chilled and hot but not in the thermos.
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Baisao
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Thu Jul 15, 2021 1:00 pm

debunix wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 10:36 am
Baisao wrote:
Wed Jul 14, 2021 1:36 am
debunix & tjkdubya how do the two of you normally prepare this tea?

I feel like I hit it but if there are some Korean parameters used for these teas then I would like to know what they are.
I can only describe random Los Angeles parameters for prepping this tea: water just off the boil, and....everything else is flexible. I rarely pack the pot/gaiwan, because I rarely do that with any tea, and it is so good that a little goes a long way. How much I use has more to do with how much tea I want and how long the session will be--more leaf to infuse more times for longer/more tea, less leaf for shorter/less tea. And I infuse to taste, adjusting the time for the next infusion by the taste of this one.

I love it from my Petr Novak tree bark pot, or started hot and infused cold and made sparkling; a thermos full of hot balhyocha is reassuring at the start of a long day away from my tea table. It's enjoyment is not diminished by any of these different preparations--and that is a key part of why I love these teas so. Whatever the temperature, whim, available teaware, time for session, or distractions guaranteed to disrupt a sequence of flash infusions.....these are teas guaranteed to satisfy. And I love the mix of earthy, fruity, spicy, no one thing absolutely dominant, and the variability infusion after infusion, or hour by hour in the thermos brewing.

Not many other teas are so versatile. For me, Puerh and most traditional roast oolong needs at least a 'neutral' temperature before I want to drink it--in air conditioned work space during the summer, yes, or spring/fall/winter at home. Some of these--shou puerh, many oolongs--can do well in the thermos but not chilled. Greens usually do well chilled and hot but not in the thermos.
Thank you for elaborating on how you prepare this tea and for what end.

I think forgiving, versatile teas like this need more praise than they get. There's certainly a place for them.

Your comment, "no one thing absolutely dominant", reminds me why I don't drink gaoshan much anymore. It's a fine tea but the dominant floral aspect makes it a bit dull to drink every day. I think this is why there is a general trend among oolong fans to start green and go towards darker ones.
faj
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Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:16 pm

Baisao wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 1:00 pm
It's a fine tea but the dominant floral aspect makes it a bit dull to drink every day. I think this is why there is a general trend among oolong fans to start green and go towards darker ones.
I can't really say about moving to darker oolongs specifically because I do not have enough experience to really tell in my own case, but I certainly agree with the general idea, and I, too, have found very floral oolongs to be something I would not want to have frequently although the first few times I had one it made an impression on me.

Driving a high-end Ferrari surely is an impressive experience, I assume (not that I have ever come close to one, mind you), but it probably is not the car you want to drive around every day. A gargantuan feast is probably not what will make you feel good if it is a daily habit. Maybe the ideal life partner is not the most over-the-top, exciting person to spend a wild evening with. It would stand to reason that a tea that has a dominant characteristic may not be the one you want to have on your daily rotation, although it can stand out when first tasted, or as an occasional thing.
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Baisao
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Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:40 pm

faj wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:16 pm
Baisao wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 1:00 pm
It's a fine tea but the dominant floral aspect makes it a bit dull to drink every day. I think this is why there is a general trend among oolong fans to start green and go towards darker ones.
I can't really say about moving to darker oolongs specifically because I do not have enough experience to really tell in my own case, but I certainly agree with the general idea, and I, too, have found very floral oolongs to be something I would not want to have frequently although the first few times I had one it made an impression on me.

Driving a high-end Ferrari surely is an impressive experience, I assume (not that I have ever come close to one, mind you), but it probably is not the car you want to drive around every day. A gargantuan feast is probably not what will make you feel good if it is a daily habit. Maybe the ideal life partner is not the most over-the-top, exciting person to spend a wild evening with. It would stand to reason that a tea that has a dominant characteristic may not be the one you want to have on your daily rotation, although it can stand out when first tasted, or as an occasional thing.
I think your Ferrari analogy is apt. But if I am going to go for an every day tea then it still needs to be tasty, well made, and not have and unpleasant feeling. I feel like there are a lot more of these teas around than the high end teas. And yet, a very old dong ding can be an every day tea.
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LeoFox
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Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:41 pm

Some are seasonal drinkers like me. The dark stuff just does not sit well on hot days.
faj
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Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:57 pm

Baisao wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:40 pm
I think your Ferrari analogy is apt. But if I am going to go for an every day tea then it still needs to be tasty, well made, and not have and unpleasant feeling.
I certainly agree. I think, in many cases, things that are best for frequent consumption are well-balanced, subtle, pleasant. To me, those are not characteristics of bland tea, rather the opposite. In many cases, it seems to me moving up the price ladder brings teas that have those characteristics, often at the expense of sheer strength.
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debunix
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Fri Jul 16, 2021 9:59 am

Baisao wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 1:00 pm
Your comment, "no one thing absolutely dominant", reminds me why I don't drink gaoshan much anymore. It's a fine tea but the dominant floral aspect makes it a bit dull to drink every day. I think this is why there is a general trend among oolong fans to start green and go towards darker ones.
I spent a lot of years drinking only one tea, when I drank tea at all, and that was the traditional roast Sea Dyke Red Label tinned Ti Kuan Yin. But now that I know there is so much else out there, I crave variety, and would never ask one tea to carry the load like that for more than a few days on the road. No one tea needs to be perfect for all occasions--but I can still celebrate the ones that can work any time I want tea.
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