Jangguncha Yeong

There is an ancient legend that a princess from India sailed to Korea and married the King of Gaya. The year was 42. With her, among other things, were tea bushes that were planted in the mountains near Gimhae. In my tea travels, we have met many tea masters. At a special tea ceremony in Daegu not far from Gimhae, I asked if the tea bushes in Daegu were the same as those used in Gimhae. The answer was, “No, the tea bushes used in Gimhae come from India. We use the same tea bushes that they use in Hadong." While I can’t say for certain that the tea bushes used by Jangguncha Dawan are actually historically from India, I can say that many refer to these bushes as "large leaf" and that some tea masters believe they are from India.

Their green tteokeumcha is wonderful and their balhyocha is one of my favorites. Their teas sell very quickly in Korea but they reserve a few bags for us. Will you claim yours?

The story of the Princess from India is readily available on the web. Is it true? I'll let you decide but thousands of Koreans claim they are descendants from this queen.