LKL is delighted to hear of a new venture specialising in bringing the best 녹차 to Britain. Kevin Church, the man behind the venture, introduces White Mountain Tea Company.
If you’ve read Philip’s article on his trip to Hadong Tea Festival, you’ll already know a bit about the history of tea in Korea, how it’s made, and most importantly, that regular consumption will turn you into a Taoist hermit with superpowers.
Want to know where to get hold of some of this wonderful Hadong tea? Luckily, Philip has kindly allowed me a bit of space on the blog to let you know about my online tea store, White Mountain Tea Company. As far as I’m aware, it’s the only tea retailer in the UK focusing specifically on Korean tea.
Things are starting out small – there are currently only three teas from two different producers in stock, but as the business grows, the plan is to increase the range of teas available. I’m ultimately hoping to offer a range of teas from Hadong, Boseong and Jeju, in addition to a range of traditional Korean tisanes.
For those unfamiliar with the grading of Korean green tea, there are four pickings – Ujeon (우전), Sejak (세작), Jungjak (중작) and Daejak (대작). The tiny Ujeon leaves are picked in small quantities and are very highly prized (and correspondingly expensive). As you go through the picking season, the leaves are larger, in more plentiful supply, and less expensive.
Currently in stock are Sejak and Daejak teas from Dongcheon Tea, along with Jukro Tea’s Jungjak. Jukro’s competition grade teas regularly pick up prizes in tea contests – at least one of their teas has won a prize at the World Green Tea Contest held in Shizuoka, Japan, every year since 2008. All teas are this year’s harvest, of course!
For those looking for something with a lovely sweet and smooth taste, either Dongcheon’s Sejak or Jukro’s Jungjak are well worth a try. They’re an excellent introduction to high grade Korean teas, and an ideal choice when you want something a bit special, without the Ujeon price tag. And while connoisseurs might not get too excited over a Daejak tea, my personal opinion is that it makes an excellent everyday choice – a lower price and a pleasant taste, combined with the knowledge that it comes from a region where the environment is well cared for and agricultural chemicals are shunned, make it well worthy of consideration.
So, if you’d like to give some Korean tea a try, or replenish a depleted stock, please do visit the online store at http://whitemountaintea.co.uk. Feel free to get in touch either via the comments below or [email protected] if you have any questions, requests or anything else to say.
P.S. Just in case any trading standards officers are reading this, I should point out that it hasn’t been scientifically proven to turn you into a Taoist hermit with superpowers. Yet.