Browsing the archives for the tea tag
Seems like it’s been ages since I’ve posted any book reviews here on the blog. But last month I scored a passel of books from Seoul Selection Online Bookshop for a bit of light reading over winter vacation. Not to get to promotional here (and no, I’m not getting paid for this), but if you’re [...]
Continued from Part 1… If you’re shopping for gifts or personal mementos in Korea, there are a lot of options. You could get something functional, like a hand-made tea pot or a brass ware dinner set. Or, if you’re searching for something ornamental, take a look at the calligraphy scrolls or hand-carved wood work. The [...]
Christmas time is just a few months away, which means (for a lot of folks in my country anyways) that it’s time to start shopping for presents. Korea offers some very unique and interesting gift options for folks back home and I’m not just talking about the kimchi chocolate or plastic fans that you can [...]
As we’ve been on the topic of tea lately, I figure it’s about time that I post on Ah Sa Ga Tea House (아사가찻집). Ah Sa Ga is in the middle of Gyeongju’s downtown shopping district, on Bonhwang-ro Culture Street (봉황로). It’s been open for almost a decade, though I only discovered it a little [...]
By Don Baumhart Continued from Part 1… Harvesting Tea Unlike the powdered tea used in the Japanese tea ceremonies, the Korean ceremonies use loose leaf green tea. Traditionally, this tea is referred to as “Jakseol-cha” (작설차) which literally means as “sparrow’s tongue tea,” as the small curled leaves resemble the tongues of sparrows. This “sparrow’s [...]
Perched on the ridge of Mt. Tohamsan (토함산) , looking East over the Churyeong (추령) Pass is one of the best kept secrets of Gyeongju: the Beak Nyeon Cha Jip (백년찻집) or “100 Years Tea House”. Whether you’re a dedicated tea aficionado or you need a break on the trip over to the East Sea [...]
By Don Baumhart If you want a glimpse into the soul of traditional Korean culture, you should try to experience grace and charm of the Korean tea ceremony. Like its Japanese counterpart, the Korean tea ceremony is meditation in motion. Each slow and mindful movement is carefully choreographed from start to finish. As in meditation, [...]
