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“Gongfu! This Korean black tea is smooth and full-bodied with a rich, round-feeling liquor that perfectly compliments the darker, complex flavour of the tea. Most steeps have an indulgent, velvety...” Read full tasting note
“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...” Read full tasting note
“Not bad but not exactly ahem my cup of tea. Raw cocoa powder, cacao nibs and dark chocolate are very much present, without bitterness or excessive sweetness. These are followed by toasted sesame,...” Read full tasting note
Pure black tea with a strong chocolate and peanut note
cocoa, peanut, caramel, sesame, earthy
Hadong, South Korea
No. Infusions 5
Amount (tsp. / ml) 1 ½ / 250
Temperature 80-90 °C
Straight from Korea’s Jiri Mountains, this black tea specialty relies on a unique double oxidation, rounded off by intensive roasting, for its sweetly, smoky umami flavors. The resulting tea’s strong character and special aroma make it particularly suited for fine cuisine.
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 Jiri 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.
NOTES
cocoa, peanut, caramel, sesame, earthy
INGREDIENTS
Pure black tea
CERTIFICATION
EU Standard
Company description not available.
Gongfu!
This Korean black tea is smooth and full-bodied with a rich, round-feeling liquor that perfectly compliments the darker, complex flavour of the tea. Most steeps have an indulgent, velvety flavour of chocolate ganache and malt backed by a gently toasty note of roasted peanuts, black sesame paste, caramelized sugar and aromatic whisps of black cherry and leather. So satisfying! In fact, this maaayy be my new favourite tea from Paper & Tea!! It went very well with the delicate sweetness of the figs I was eating with it.Tea Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJcqCAcS72Q/?img_index=1
Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjcC-5s7jk8&ab_channel=TheHowl%26TheHum-Topic
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
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!
Not bad but not exactly ahem my cup of tea. Raw cocoa powder, cacao nibs and dark chocolate are very much present, without bitterness or excessive sweetness. These are followed by toasted sesame, salted roasted peanuts, Korean barley tea. Leaves a rather long salty and chocolaty taste. Weird stuff.
Flavors: Cacao, Caramel, Cocoa, Peanut, Roasted Barley, Roasted Nuts, Salty
Well, that seems it is very similar to Wooricha by Dobra Tea. Good to know, as this one is rare to get. I may place an order soon-ish here.