Sunday, June 2, 2013

2013 ZeDa Saejak Semi-wild Hwagae Valley Green Tea



This 2013 ZeDa Saejak was produced by the same monk that had produced last year's 2012 ZeDa Saejak. Those interested can see this post on the background details behind this tea. Sam has pledged to donate 100% of the money paid for this tea to Unicef's Clean Water Project used to build clean water pumps in Africa. So don't hesitate, buy this tea, and help out a good cause!


The dry leaves kick off a very light, sweet-dew like odour. There is a whiff of sugary candy-apple like odour. The smell is very light, smooth, and sweet.  Sam of Good Green Tea has conceded that this tea is a late saejak pick rather than last years early saejak. The leaves however seem noticeably smaller than last years' which were more stemy.



The first infusion delivers a soft very floral creamy taste which fades in the mouth. The taste is simple, distinct, and pure. There is just a weak, slight pasty-bland, aftertaste of muted creamy sweetness. The mouthfeel is a touch sticky and is mainly located on the tongue and front of the mouth.







The second infusion delivers another pure buttery-creamy-floral taste. The initial taste is vibrant and fresh- very delicate. There seems to be no base flavours to prop up these ethereal tastes. A flash of grassy-fresh forest peeks in quickly, then out. The aftertaste is a simple bland-cream taste that is left in the mouth. The mouthfeel fills out the mouth with a thin coating.

The third infusion delivers much the same of these very distinct, pure, floral tastes. The floral tastes are strong, something more attributed to a fresh green oolong. There is a slight fruity grapey-muscatel edge to this infusion which develops after the initial taste begins to fade. This grape taste was apparent in the last infusion but much more obvious now. The taste doesn't linger too long before a soft, creamy-bland aftertaste is left in the mouth. The mouthfeel is thin and slightly sticky in the mouth. The qi sensation is very soft and smooth in the body.


The fourth infusion delivers much the same as the third. The high notes only fade just a little here.


The fifth infusion still has the initial taste of floral tastes. These florals seems a touch more perfumey now, heavier floral. When this taste fades there seems to be not much else which to grasp. The qi now starts pressing on the stomach just lightly. The sixth is a nice floral tasting water.


4 comments:

Hector Konomi said...

Beautiful pictures, as always!

Matt said...

Hektor Konomi,

It was a bright day out there!

Thanks H

Peace

Bret said...

A late pick Sejak? Maybe that would explain why I think of it as being a richer, fuller tasting tea than the Jukro. Although maybe lacking some of the delicacy and complexity of Jukro,s Sejak.

The other day I was brewing some of Zeda,s Sejak and had substituted a different spring water than what I normally use. What a difference it made in the teas flavor. Much flatter and bland. But this is a topic we are all familiar with. Water quality, brewing parameters makes tea reviews in some ways meaningless.

BTW, Sam said that he is going to try and bring some of Jukro,s Yellow tea when he returns from Korea. I,m really looking forward to that.

Bret

Matt said...

Bret,

Like to think of this ZeDa seajak as more of a freshly pick tea leaf with little adulteration. The qi even resembles that of tea consumed just days out of the iron cauldron and is even a touch harsh on the stomach. It is very light, fresh and pure tasting. The Jukro is very different and is a deeper, richer, fuller nuanced tea. This is impart due to the difference in production where the ZeDa is minimally roasted and the Jukro is more roasted.

Found it interesting when reading your tasting notes on the Jukro Saejak. You had mentioned a "grain" taste being not so obvious in this tea. This flavour was completely non-existent in ones tasting notes. The next day a different glass kettle was used and it had a few cups of tap water that had sat in there for a day. One filled the rest of the kettle with spring water, as not to waste. The resulting two infusions tasted of that subtle grain flavour.

Then after the first few infusions, one switched to the clay tang gwan with only spring water and the grain taste completely disappeared. Water and the boiling vessel are so important.

Thanks for your thoughts and notes on these teas Bret. Juko's Yellow tea is always a good one- looking forward to this as well.

Peace