The interest in this rare tea in the bloging community seemed to crest a few months back when a reputable bloger (sorry no link, my memory evades me once more) rallied high praise upon a piece of aged 'Korean Puerh' (that was most likely ddok cha). So the story goes, he had received it from a friend who in turn received it from a monk that had produced it high up in the mountains. This is one of may stories of myth and legend that surround this Korean gem.
And so motivated with the curiosity and encouragement of Toki and you other tea enthusiasts, I went out in search for aged ddok cha. I hit up the seven most popular teahouses and suppliers that occupy the city. This is what I found...
Most tea houses mistakingly thought I was saying 'nok cha' (Korean for green tea) and tried to sell me on the many wonderful varieties that they stocked.
Many retailers flatly denied any knowledge of ddok cha and instead tried to sell me aged Chinese varieties. Claiming that Korea makes green tea, the shopkeepers claimed that if you want the more oxidized tea, you must want Chinese tea.
Other more informative shopkeepers told me that ddok cha is an extremely uncommon traditional tea that is almost exclusively made for personal use.
Mr. Kim, the owner of Nok Ya Won whom I purchased the 2007 Hadong ddok cha from, was the most knowledgeable about the subject. In fact, he showed me his first attempt at producing ddok cha. He pulled out five small densely packed cakes of crushed leaves that could each fit in the palm of your hand. They were produced in 2006 and, to my dismay, weren't for sale. Mr. Kim was running an ongoing aging experiment on them.
He also told me that a friend of his, a local university professor, has a stash of ddok cha that's ten years old!
And so I went home empty handed, the mystery unsolved. I continue to search to no avail as this mission has only added to the mystique surrounding this tea.
Peace
Taken from http://mattchasblog.blogspot.com/
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