This Balhyocha by Master Kim Jeong-yeol is quite a tea to taste. This tea is certainly an Oolong. Master Kim uses traditional Chinese methods, thus he prefers to use the terms Oolong and Hongcha rather than Balhyocha.
Master Kim gives his teas a poetic name that he feels portrays the essence of the tea. Noelhangki can be translated to “The Scent of Sunset.”
The aroma of the dry leaves is divine! One could even go as far as to say that, ‘Chocolate Mint’ is a very accurate descriptor. Quite dark for an Oolong in both soup and taste, it’s even darker than many Heicha. However, this tea is in no way fermented and does not have that earthy taste.