Three Levels of Tea Drinking: The Flavour Level, The Sense Level, and The Qi Level

There are three different levels of drinking and appreciating tea.

The most superficial and probably the most common way of drinking tea is by simply enjoying the taste of tea. Tea is a beverage, people drink beverages for their taste. This level can be enjoyed without too much thought or energy- tea for what it is, a delicious beverage. Thousands of people around the world enjoy tea in this way everyday without much thought. This is the first level of tea- the enjoyment of its taste.

The secondary level of drinking and appreciating tea is through the use of all senses. At this level people rely on their sense of smell more robustly. They also rely on their sense of hearing, seeing, touch, and of course taste, to enhance their experience with tea. Tea is enjoyed as a result of the interplay of all these senses. Besides the taste of the tea, those who drink tea with all their senses generally value the smell of the dry leaves, the smell of the liquor, the smell left behind in the cup (or the aroma cup), the mouthfeel of the tea, the look of the dry leaf, the colour of the liquor, the look of the wet leaves, and, although not directly connected with the tea itself- the sound of the boiling water, and the pouring of tea and water. Those who drink tea at this sensory level often wish to enhance their sensory experience with the use of specific teaware and techniques which allow for the honing of the full sensory experience with tea. This is the way that most bloggers, connoisseurs, and experts of tea drink it. This is the second level of tea appreciation, the sum of our sensory experience with it.

The deepest and least common way of drinking tea is by sensing it energetic qi level. At this level people go beyond their five senses and touch the deep level of the tea's qi, the chaqi. At this level tea is enjoyed as a result of its vibration within the body and mind, and the affects it imposes on them. Those who drink tea at this level often meditate with it to better sense its nature, movement, and affect on the body and mind. Because not everyone has sharpened such abilities, most people don't drink tea at this level, but everyone is capable at doing so.

Peace

2009 Fall (mid Sept) Teamasters Hung Shui Oolong, Feng Huang, Taiwan

Stephane kindly sent this sample, this wonderful sample...

Directing them into yixing, the dry leaves smell a roasted sweet grain- first suggestion of roasting. Boiling water is left to cool just for a bit before it awakens these roasted pearls.

The first infusion is a touch chalky with notes of light creamy hay sweetness- honey sweetness. Immediately this first light brew feels very harmonious in the mouth, in the soul.

The second infusion brings with it bitter but smooth flavours of roasted honey with the softest faint fleeting floral taste that brightens the nose.

The roast of this tea is what harmonizes it, makes it feel so whole, so complete. It brings out the flavour without drawing attention to its 'roasted' character.

The third infusion has a smooth un-offending bland nuance to it which plays with sweet tones of sweet grainy honey. Soft roasted barley lingers on the breath.

The cha qi is warm and soothing as it reassures ones active mind. The roasting of autumnal oolong does much to harmonize its energy. If an optimal roast is achieved, this tea being a prime example, the energy of the tea becomes more complete. Ascending and descending energies complement not only the flavour but also the qi.

In the fourth infusion this tea's flavour starts to become sneakier, its thick, viscus feel in the mouth is still quite satisfying.

The fifth and sixth infusion bring only grainy, rough, earthy tones with very little sweet notes to be found. A few faint, gritty honey tastes break through.

The seventh infusion is left overnight. One awakes to thick, oily, yummy, honey water. An earthy floral taste makes its last attempt in this cool cup of tea.

One enjoys the cool tea in this way, admiring the brilliantly roasted wet leaves so early in the morning.

Peace

The Crane Ib Hak Style Tea Bowl: An Example By Kim Jeong Oak

The crane is an auspicious bird. The crane is a symbol of immortality. Taoists believe that cranes are the vehicles that morals take to heaven, transporting them to the realm of immortality.

The characteristics that make up Ib Hak style bowls capture and transform this feeling into clay.
Into a bowl for which tea is drank.
Into a feeling of ascending into heaven.
Into the crane.

The most obvious features of these bowls is the image of a crane found on the side wall. The cranes on Ib Hak style bowls all look extremely familiar- white tip beak, black neck and head, white body and legs, black tail feathers, black feet.

The less obvious imagery of the crane is found in other characteristics of Ib Hak style bowls. If we look at the 'tong hyeong' style body of the bowl it too, represents the crane.

The bottom of the bowl bulges out a bit. This bulge is found in many bowls as the inside bulges outward conforming to the bulbous shape of the tea whisks fine bamboo thines. This shape is said to be conducive to making the best matcha as it allows for the smooth motion of the whisk when the tea is whipped up. It causes the tea to be exposed to the right amount of oxygen as it splashes up against the lower sides of the bowl.

Besides this of topic technical aspect, the bottom bulge looks like the body of the crane, the concave sides resemble the crane's neck, and the 'eui ban' style protruding lip looks like the crane's beak.

If we turn a Ib Hak style bowl over we can see its 'ja ren' style foot. This foot has 3 wide protrusions (the number 3 is also auspicious) that give the feeling of hooking in and anchoring down. A crane's foot has three pronounced toes. When hunting and walking the crane stands on only one foot, yet is completely in balance. In this way the foot of Ib Hak style bowls is the foot of the crane standing in balance.

Overall, the shape of bowl exudes a feeling of upward movement or ascending. Specifically how the sides of the bowl curve out ascending gently towards the 'eui ban' style lip which gracefully slopes toward the heavens.

Unlike most styles of Korean tea bowls, it stands quite tall. The height of the bowls 'tong hyeong' shape creates a feeling of ascending, of swooping upwards- a crane in flight.

This bowl is the crane.
As frothy matcha slopes over the lip sliding tea over our tongue, we too, perhaps just for a while, are carried away to a heavenly place.
Transcending time, transcending mortality.

Peace

Disambiguation of Jiri Mountain (Chiri Mountain, Jirisan, Chirisan) Tea

Please check out this link (here) for a wonderful map of Jiri Mountain.

As you can see Jiri Mountain is not one peak but several in an area considered 'Jiri Mountain'.
Ssangyaesa (Ssangyae Temple) is located in Hwagae Valley.
Hadong is the county that includes Southern slopes of Jiri Mountain, Ssangyaesa, and Hwagae Valley.
Hadong is also the name of the town in Hadong County that is the hub of the tea business here.

Therefore tea from this area can be referred to as:

Jiri Mountain Tea- tea grown on the mountain
Hwagae Valley Tea- tea grown in Hwagae Valley
Hadong Tea- tea that is produced anywhere in Hadong's tea producing area (including Hwagae Valley and the Southern Jiri Mountians) and often shares a generic Hadong tea bag or box

Peace

Three Main Tea Producing Areas In Korea: Jiri Mountain

No matter where you go in Korea you will see mountains. You simply can't escape their omnipresent gaze. Out of the thousands of peaks that litter the landscape there are few holier and more, revered than the Jiri Mountains.

The Jiri mountains were deemed important feng shui points at which auspicious Buddist Temples and Pagodas were built. When Chan (Zen) Buddhism migrated from China, it found its home on the secluded slopes of Jiri Mountain. Some of these famous temples are still standing in the same spot they have stood for over a thousand years before.

As long as Zen temples have covered the lush mountain side, so has tea. If you wander the mountain peaks of Jiri Mountain you may just find tea trees that were born from the seeds of ancestors planted over 1200 years ago.

Historical Records of The Three Kingdoms (Samguk Sagi) documents how Kim Daeryum (Dae-Ryeom) smuggled some tea seeds from China. This Korean government official had sewn them into the seam of this garments. A daring attempt, considering the export of China's tea seed was illegal at that time. In 828 A.D., after careful consideration, King Heungdeok of the Shilla Dynasty ordered the tea seeds planted on the Southern slopes of Jiri Mountain.

The tea bushes thrived under the care of the prolific zen monk and teaist, Jingam (774-850) at Ssanggyesa Temple. During Jingam's time, the tea fields around the temple grew and many villages around the Ssanggyesa Temple began planting and producing tea all the way through Hwagae Valley. At that time, and for hundreds of years later, tea became used in all sorts of Religious and Royal ceremonies.

Over the last 500 hundred years, as hard times hit Korea, tea slowly slid into decline. As its use declined, tea plantations were abandoned for other crops, tea slowly continued to spread almost unnoticed, growing wild all over Jiri Mountain.

It wasn't until after the Korean war that tea on Jiri Mountain was "rediscovered". From that time on tea in Korea has experienced a renaissance. Its popularity has gone through the roof in the last few decades. The seeds from the wild plants, are now used to populate much of Handong county with tea plantations.

Most Korean teaists claim that the tea grown here is the only 'true' Korean tea. Most of it is organic and very little, if any, sprays are used. Almost all of the tea made here is done the traditional way, all by hand. Some even produce tea using the completely traditional wood burning method, which takes years of skill and intuition to prefect.

Every year in April and May, Confucian ceremonies are held for 'the Spirit of the Tea' in a spot where three stone monuments mark the area believed to be the place where Kim Daeryum planted seeds back in 828 A.D. Hadong county also hosts an annual Wild Green Tea Festival in May. During these times, these rolling tea hills speak of times long ago. If you listen close enough, you can hear them even in there silence.

Peace

Click on these links for:

Three Main Tea Producing Areas in Korea: Boseong

Three Main Tea Producing Areas in Korea: Jeju Island

One of Those Obscure, Mystery Farmer Teas: '2009 (No Label) Jiri Mountain Yellow Tea'

This is one of those mystery teas that tea lovers so appreciate. Some obscure, small scale production. No glits, nor glamor. No fancy packaging (which is pretty much a must in Korea). This tea simply came in an common tube, inside the tube a simple foil pack. Completely writing on either- no indications on the packaging as to what when it was picked and produced or who produced it. There is something about these teas that makes drinking it more intimate. Knowing that is was probably make perhaps with more care than say, a large production tea.

Considering the current tea market in Korea as discussed in a post a few days ago, one is thankful to have a try at some of this small production stuff. The friend who sent the tea simply referred to it as “2009 Jiri Mountain Yellow Tea”.

Its small, wiry, jet black leaves smell of rich deep pungent cherry. They fill much of the pot until warm water is added.

The first infusion pours a clear bold yellow. The taste is very juicy, salivatingly sweet with buttery, peppery, and spicy notes that follow. The mouth is left feeling very slippery and full of saliva. Upon first sip it is apparent that this tea is light and uplifting, nice cheer on this cloudy, rainy fall afternoon. The light body of this tea and bright yellow soup suggest less oxidization during production.

As the next few infusions pass on by, the mouth feel becomes more satisfying as it fills out a bit more but still largely remains slippery, juicy- a touch incomplete. Delicious, soft, sour vegital notes arrive within a deep interesting pool of light, juicy, sweet, spicy flavour. Even chocolate notes sometimes make a brief appearance in the complexity of these early infusions. One suspects possible, old, wild growth from the strong, pure qi that relaxes as well as alerts.

This tea is quite flavourful and is a good example of a tea containing the six flavours of Korean tea- sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, bland, and salty. It noticeably has all these in varying proportions.

Although the complex depth of this tea creeps away after the first few infusions, the mouthfeel and aftertaste pick up a bit of the slack. A balance of juicy sweet and sour notes hold on and finish in the mouth with a light dry sensation.

This fun yellow tea is stretched until mainly dry, woody, citrus, earthy tones are all that is left to savor. Even further along, the citrus and dryness drop off.

One drinks this tea in this way as it glows throughout- gently energizing ones soul.

Peace

2009 'Dan Seok' Emperor's Jiri Mountain Yellow Tea

This is a fall tradition.

The dry leaves smell of frosty mountain pines. Sweet, sour, citric almost like marmalade.

Although these leaves can handle hot water, one instead uses more leaf and lets the water temperature drop before pouring it into the pot.

The result is a smooth creamy, subtle chocolate soup, that is quite nutty. The mouth is covered in light silk, the breath is witness to its hidden chocolate and more overt nutty tones.

More infusions take place to round out its flavour. Making it fuller in the mouth, more nutty.

The energy of this tea is comforting as it warms the stomach and innards as one sits cross-legged in meditation on the floor. One is coated in the relaxing blanket of this tea, as cool autumn winds blow yellow leaves from the trees outside.

As infusions resume, hotter water is used which brings out more of the nutty profile. Faint chocolate is now long gone. The taste becomes more roasted.

Late into the session ones alert mind senses more woody, earthy tones. The finish in the mouth becomes more dry and more citric. This tea lightens up.

One lightens up.

Peace