Hwang Cha (Partially Oxidized Tea)

I received this – and two other Korean green tea samples – directly from Hankook several months back. What took me so long to get to them? Um…unicorns? (I have no good reason.)

Hwang Cha instantly held my fascination because it was dubbed a “yellow” tea. However, it was not to be confused with Chinese yellow tea – Huang Ya. I’m not sure how this one is classified. Is it an oolong? Is it a black tea? I have no clue.

Point is, it’s a beast unto itself. It’s nutty, it’s sweet, it’s slightly smoky…it’s hard to classify. As are Korean green teas.

Full [fictional] write-up here: http://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/2012/09/06/everybody-hwang-cha-tonight-gamnong-style/

This is an easy tea to drink. It’s mellow, smooth, no bitterness and no astringency. It’s good, but it’s also kind of boring, which is why I like drinking it at work. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything by sipping on this thoughtlessly.

Fairly easy to brew, even in the strainer + cup thing I have at work. Even though I usually do lots of leaves + short infusion time, this seems to be better with fewer leaves and longer infusion time. Doing it with too much leaves doesn’t really accomplish anything other than wasting leaves.

Because it can’t technically be categorized as a “oolong”, it should not be tasted like one. The most significant difference is that this tea is not good more multiple steepings (like a traditional oolong would be).

The first steeping has a very smooth texture. The taste notes that can be picked up are fruity, nutty, roasted and (my favorite) chocolatey!

Because this tea is made with first flush leaves, the leaves are very small and delicate. As with all delicate tea, one must be very careful about the temperature of the water and the steep time. To get that chocolate flavor, one must especially pay close attention to these factors.

I love drinking a hot infusion of this tea with a piece of dark chocolate – heaven in my mouth!

The taste drops drastically in the second steeping.
I would describe it as becoming more “sharp” in flavor – the smoothness and roundness of the texture are pretty much gone. Preferring the smooth texture, I usually only steep it once or twice. The loose version is fairly pricey (especially if I only drink the first couple infusions). I go for the teabags, which works just as well. :)

This is fairly pricey like most Korean teas, apparently due to rarity with most being consumed inside Korea.

The leaves are dark, small, twisted, with toasty and fruity odors. When added to the prewarmed gaiwan, 2.5 g per 75mL/2.5 oz water, the odor is stronger, mostly fruity and tart.

The first 30 second infusion with water several minutes off the boil (probably about 180 degrees) yields an amber infusion, tasted like dilute black tea—touch of fruit, bit of toasty, but very little of the floral and earthy notes I expect from my chinese oolongs.

2nd infusion at 170 degrees (thought it was a bit warmer, surprised when it was so cool in the cup), also abotu 30 seconds, again tastes strongly of….well…black tea. A little fruity, very tea-like, a little hint of caramel.

For the 4th infusion, I put water just off the boil for 20 seconds, and a little more sweetness comes out. It reminds me a bit of the Yunnan Oriental Beauty I got from Yunnan Sourcing: tastes strongly oxidized, like a black tea, but without any of the bitterness that makes most of them intolerable to me.

The leaves are broken, curled, dark after infusion, and again, has a strong tea scent. (‘Tea scent’ here is code for smells like lipton, but that seems like a bad word to use describing a pleasant mild tea.)

It is easy and pleasant, but not that special for the price.

Same review on my web site, with photos (no ads):

http://www.well.com/user/debunix/recipes/2009HankookOolong.html