Dong Cheon Daejak Nokcha

New 2023 harvest is expected in summer 2023.

Dong Cheon Daejak Nokcha is a lovely summer green tea from Dong Cheon co-operative of farmers in Jirisan. Picked from semi-wild trees, it has a light liquor with an unusual aroma of toasted corn. The smooth taste is subtly vegetal and sweet with creamy and herbaceous notes.

Brewing guide: 2.5g in 250ml water at 70°C for 1min

£3.50£12.00

(10-50g)

View wishlist
Origin:Hwagae Valley, Hadong County, South Korea
Elevation:Jirisan - 200-600m
Cultivar:Hadong
Harvest time:May 2020
Sourcing:Direct from Dong Cheon

Description

Dong Cheon Daejak Nokcha (동천 대작 녹차) is a lovely green tea from the Dong Cheon co-operative of farmers. A Daejak (대작) grade is plucked in summer and is the final flush of the season. It is also normally the flush when the largest leaves are plucked from the trees. While earlier flushes are more prized, they also attract very high prices due to small scale of tea production in the country. This Dong Cheon Daejak Nokcha green tea by contrast has a great balance between great quality, unusual character and a reasonable price. It has full organic certification and was picked in May 2020.

Although Korean teas may look similar green teas from other countries, their taste can be quite unusual due to quite different production methods. This particular tea is produced using the Jeong-cha production method where the freshly hand plucked leaves are plunged into near boiling water. After this hot bath they are shaped and dried in a hot iron cauldron until finished. The result carries a stronger, bolder and deeper flavour that is quite distinctive.

Dong Cheon Daejak Nokcha is a semi-wild green tea, which means that the trees are from an ancient cultivar from Hadong Province that used to grow wild. This cultivar is thought to have been brought from China by buddhist monks over 1,200 years ago and many temples around Jirisan (지리산) still grow their own tea. So the majority of tea from Hadong comes from the descendants of those original tea plants. Presently the tea plants of this ancient Hadong cultivar are normally planted by the farmers but are then basically left to grow on their own as they are grown organically without pesticides or herbicides.

Dong Cheon Tea Field, Jirisan, Hwagae Valley, Hadong County, South Korea
Dong Cheon Tea Field in Jirisan, Hwagae Valley

The dry leaves of this Daejak tea are dark green and have a faint grassy and toasty aroma. The liquor is refreshing and has an aroma of toasted corn with a subtle grassy and sweet taste. The herbaceous profile has a vegetal flavour with some more roasted notes coming through that are reminiscent of toasted corn. The smooth taste has a creamy and sweet quality that leads to a pleasantly soft finish with minimal astringency or dryness.

It is best brewed at 70°C for 1 minute or less according to your taste. This tea should definitely be brewed multiple times to enjoy the different flavours from each brew.

We have an extensive range of teas from Dong Cheon, so why not try our any of the three other teas that we offer: Sejak Hwangcha (second flush balhyocha) and Sejak Nokcha (second flush green), Jungjak Nokcha (third flush green).

This Korean Organic Dong Cheon Daejak green tea was last featured in our December 2020 Curious Tea Subscription Boxes.