Ice Ice Baby! Yeah, we are covered in a nice coating of ice, freezing rain has been coating the world since late yesterday, and it looks so beautiful. My only problem with this wintry beauty is poor Ben is out delivering pizzas in it, which of course has me worried. Luckily between deliveries he is texting me and letting me know all is well, which is immensely considerate of him! On the one hand I love the weather when it is like this, on the other, I do not like my perpetual fear of cars to have any justification for being a logical phobia, illogical fear of cars is best I think.
My random phobias (phobi?) aside, it is time for tea, and I have a special one today: Wooree Tea’s Imperial Blend Hadong Green Tea. Why is this particular tea special you might be asking, because it is Korean, and I have a bit of an addiction to Korean tea, an addiction and a perpetual lack of it in my stash. See Korean tea is not impossible to get a hold of, but it is certainly a pain and not at all cheap, especially for the amount I drink when I have it in my collection. Some expensive teas I can drink in moderation, others I just find myself gorging on and then running out super quickly…and I have never met a tea from Korea that I did not do that with! This particular green tea comes from Hadong, Wooree Tea says this is the best and oldest growing region in South Korea, and checking in one of my books on Korean Tea (specifically The Book of Korean Tea) it seems this area is famous for wild growing tea trees in the mountains, which sounds quite beautiful. The aroma of the curly leaves is delightful! Notes of sesame seeds, rice crackers (I believe they are called Arare, and I will inhale them given the chance) peanuts, toasted nori, and an underlying sweetness of sesame butter and a touch of corn silk. This tea is delightfully nutty, and the green notes come from a seaweed quality, which I am sure you all know by now I find delicious.
Into my shiboridashi (it totally counts) the tea goes! The aroma of the plump olive green leaves is so nutty and umami, notes of sesame and peanuts mix with rice crackers, kelp, toasted nori, edamame, and a finish of miso. These leaves smell like food! The liquid blends green and sweet with a touch of savory quite well, with notes of gentle sesame seeds and kelp, sweet freshly cut hay, fresh grass, and a finish of edamame and roasted peanuts.
The thing I really like most about Korean green teas is their crisp, brightness, it is just such a refreshing mouthfeel. Tasting the tea, it starts out savory, with fresh grass and kelp, this moves to toasted nori, rice crackers, peanuts, and a touch of sesame seed sweetness. The finish is a blend of miso and edamame, with a mineral quality at the very tail end that lingers as the aftertaste.
For this steeping, the aroma is nuttier, lots of sesame seeds and roasted peanuts, with rice crackers and just a gentle touch of kelp at the finish. The mouthfeel is crisp and bright, it almost borders on brisk, but it does have a smoothness to it so I would not go as far as to call it brisk. This steep brings out more of the green from the green tea, it starts with notes of spinach and fresh seaweed (like that oh so yummy seaweed salad) and fades to fresh grass and a finish of sweet sesame seeds and rice crackers. The sweetness at the finish lingers for a bit.
Onward to the third steep, fresh notes of kelp and edamame mix with sesame seeds and roasted peanuts. The finish is a savory and sweet blend of rice crackers and a touch of miso. Like the previous steeps, this tea has a crisp and refreshing mouthfeel, I appreciate how it is so crisp but not drying, it is like biting into a juicy veggie. And speaking of veggies, I was greeted by a note of fresh bell pepper along with spinach and edamame at the front. The finish is a blend of rice crackers and sesame, with a sweet, gentle honey finish. This tea has staying power, I got several more steeps out of it before it finished with a mineral green quality.
For blog and photos: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2015/11/wooree-tea-imperial-blend-hadong-green.html
