Description
Boseong Daejak Nokcha (보성군 대작 녹차) is an organic green tea from the Choi family plantation located in the famous Boseong County of South Jeolla Province. The summer Daejak (대작) grade is harvested in June and is machine picked and processed. The name Daejak Nokcha refers both to the flush of this tea and the fact that it is a green tea, or nokcha (녹차). This tea has full organic certification, was picked in June 2021 and is sourced by us directly from the Choi family.
You may be interested in other teas we currently offer from the Choi Family Garden.
The Choi family plantation produces some classic teas that all have their own unique characters but maintain a distinctive ‘Korean’ taste. The family has owned this plantation for 3 generations and the tea making knowledge passes down from one generation to the next. They take great care in growing and producing their organic teas that showcase wonderful traditional Korean tea flavours. The Choi family also run tea making workshops for local schools, passing down their tea knowledge and promoting local agricultural work. Most children of farmers around the area are keen on moving to big cities for study and work, so their work is essential in ensuring the future of Korean tea.
Korean teas are distinguished by having a clear classification system of flushes. The first flush Ujeon (우전) is the most prized one, which is the ‘pre-rain’ picking of the tea leaves. This is followed by Sejak (세작) ‘thin sparrow’, Jungjak (중작) ‘medium sparrow’ and Daejak (대작) ‘big sparrow’ flushes. These names refer to the shape and size of the leaves and their resemblance to sparrow tongues. Finally the Yeopcha (엽차) grade is the last picking of the season representing a coarse grade that is suitable for everyday drinking. The earlier the harvest, the more expensive the tea is. Earlier harvests also have more intense characteristics and heavily feature dominant green, savoury and umami flavours.
Boseong Daejak Nokcha is from the fourth Daejak flush and is processed as a green tea. Unlike the first Ujeon harvest that is pan-fried in order to stop the oxidations process, this Nokcha undergoes steaming. This method of halting oxidation is more prevalent in Japan and it produces green teas that have bold profiles and flavours that have strong savoury and umami flavours. Steaming does happen to be a very popular processing methodology in Korea as well.
This Boseong Daejak Nokcha has larger, coarser leaf with a fresh vegetal aroma. It produces a slightly opaque green-yellow liquor with an aroma of herbs and cooked corn. The taste is light, smooth, predominately vegetal and herbaceous with notes of parsley and raw almonds. It has a lovely creamy note and mouthfeel, making the flavour softer and smoother. The aftertaste is clean, refreshing and lightly tangy. This is an excellent everyday green tea.
It is best brewed at 80c for around 2-3 minutes and can be re-brewed multiple times.
This tea was first featured in our March 2022 Curious Tea Subscription Boxes.