Dong Cheon Sejak Nokcha

New 2023 harvest is expected in summer 2023.

Dong Cheon Sejak Nokcha is a complex spring green tea from Dong Cheon co-operative of farmers in Jirisan. Picked from semi-wild trees, it has a light liquor with a savoury grassy aroma. The taste is clean, grassy and vegetal with umami and seaweed notes and a slightly sweet aftertaste.

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

£5.50£19.00

(10-50g)

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

Description

Dong Cheon Sejak Nokcha (동천 세작 녹차) is a supreme grade green tea from the Dong Cheon co-operative of farmers. A Sejak (세작) grade is plucked earlier in spring and is the second flush of the season, picked in late April to very early May. Earlier flushes (Ujeon, first and Sejak, second) are more prized, attracting very high prices due to small scale of tea production in the country. This Dong Cheon Sejak Nokcha green tea has full organic certification and was picked in late April 2020.

This tea is also sometimes referred to as Jakseol (작설), or ‘sparrow tongue’. This is due to the leaves being plucked for this tea being about the size of a sparrow’s tongue. Dong Cheon Sejak 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 tea are dark green, small, neat and wiry and have a sweet grassy aroma. The liquor is crisp and very clean and has a savoury vegetal aroma. The taste is quite grassy and vegetal, having quite a classic green tea profile. This Sejak has a savoury profile, with umami and seaweed flavours and a sweet aftertaste. When compared to the Jungjak and Daejak grades from Dong Cheon, this Sejak tea clearly exhibits a profile that is much more classic green tea in taste akin to best Chinese and Japanese green teas.

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), Jungjak Nokcha (third flush green) and Daejak Nokcha (summer flush green).