There is something compelling about tea that goes far beyond the ordinary. Each morning I sit with a Korean tea cup, small, no handle, subtle in color and form, fitting my hand like no other. It is filled with Korean green tea - picked early in the spring - warm to both the hand and heart. Those moments take me away from the blur of daily life to peace and clarity. For me, that is ‘tea’.
I suppose each of us has their moment of ‘tea’ or we would not be interested in this web site. We have discovered the compelling nature of tea. For me that time comes from that perfect joining of Korean tea and Korean tea cup.
We just returned from a tour to Korea where we traveled into the mountains near Gangjin and sat with a monk who served us an aged ‘red’ tea in cake form, made only at his temple - a rediscovery of the tea made there during the Koryo Dynasty.
Koreans and Japanese have long known about Korean tea but Korean tea is little known in the Western world. Few books on tea contain any information on Korean tea*. However, knowledgeable tea connoisseurs have reported that handpicked and processed Korean green teas are among the best green teas in the world. It is said of Korean green tea that it has both the taste of Luan tea and the healing-powers of Mengshan tea*.
At the same time, knowledgeable tea ware connoisseurs have reported that hand formed Korean tea bowls are historically the finest tea bowls in the world. Even today, many tea ware connoisseurs from around the world, but principally from Japan, travel to Korea to find outstanding tea bowls. They have been known to pay enormous prices for new Korean tea bowls and present prestigious awards to Korean tea ware potters. Most books that include information on tea bowls include long descriptions of selected Korean examples. The famous book An Unknown Craftsman: a Japanese Insight Into Beauty by Japan’s famous aesthetician Soetsu Yanagi includes an entire chapter on one very humble Korean teabowl.
The discrepancy between the appreciation of Korean tea and Korean tea ware is enormous. We hope this tour will begin to pave the way toward a greater appreciation for Korean tea so that one day the two worlds of Korean tea, tea ware and tea, will both be greatly appreciated.
On my first trip to Korea, now more than thirty years ago, a friend took me to visit a potter. The potter’s work was very Korean, made of porcelain and at first glance simple, humble and plain - quiet in its subtle beauty. As we sat, the potter’s daughter, dressed in a simple white hanbok, walked slowly into the room carrying a tray on which were works by her father. Quietly she placed the tray on the low table and sat on the floor. It was fascinating to watch her first warm the bowl and cups with hot water and then with graceful fluid movements simply prepare tea. I had never experienced tea like that before. The flavor was so profound, the poetic moment unforgettable. It was not a ceremony, but it was the Korean way of tea.
In their book The Korean Way of Tea Brother Anthony of Taize and Hong Kyeong-Hee write:
‘Sitting in a traditional Korean house, with doors and windows open to the early morning sunshine, the taste of the first cup of tea, made with water that is far below boiling point, on a palate freshly awakened, is so intense, so indescribably fragrant, that from that day on the only question can be: ‘When shall I be able to go back and drink that tea again?’
That too is the Korean way of tea.
While researching this tour, we traveled high into the mountains near Gyeongju, the capitol of Silla at the time when tea was first introduced into Korea. There we visited a potter who had made his home and teahouse from raw clay he dig nearby and from trees hewn from the mountain. With his simple natural tea ware, lightly glazed or just kissed by the now melted fly ash during the firing, we sat as he prepared tea. First powdered tea, using his tea bowls, was presented. Then, in another area, prepared by his wife, infused tea (possibly from hand picked and processed wild tea) was presented using his teapot, pouring bowl and cups. It was a tea ware spiritual awakening. That too is the Korean way of tea.
On our first Tea Tour Korea in spring 2011, we visited a tea lady we had met a year earlier. She led us to a quiet hermitage, home of a group of female monks. In a quiet room we sat with the head of this hermitage and watched as she prepared hwamcha. This hwamcha or yellow tea was freshly made, but she felt that this hwamcha needed a little more maturing. Patiently she re-roasted it slowly turning over the leaves so that the small flame could awaken the flavor. This too is the Korean way of tea.
It is these experiences and more that have guided us to offer you another rare opportunity to experience the Korean way of tea.
This is not a commercial tea tour highlighting the Korean movies filmed at one of Bosong’s tea plantations. Your tour will be in-depth and will highlight both quality tea and quality tea ware.
The tour will begin in Seoul with an introduction to Korean tea presented by Brother Anthony of Taize, co-author (along with Hong Kyeong-Hee) of the book The Korean Way of Tea. Then it will travel to the International Mungyeong Tea Bowl Festival where you will see the work of international and local tea ware artists. Mungyeong has a thousand year history of producing tea ware. Three ceramic Human Cultural Treasures live in Mungyeong among many other excellent tea ware artists. This is one of the sites where Hideoshi’s army camped during the Imjin or “Pottery War”. Many potters were taken from this area in that historic war. They helped lay the foundation for Japan’s pottery today.
Although we are beginning at a festival we usually like to avoid crowds and travel to out of the way places. The tour becomes much quieter and spiritual as we trace both the history of Korean tea ceramics and the history and processing of Korean tea.
Again, Brother Anthony of Taize is helping to plan and will participate in the Jerisan tea portion of this tour. As mentioned, he will introduce the tour and join us when we enter the tea area of Jirisan. This mountain is famous as the area that produces the “best tea in Korea”. It is here where tea was first planted in Korea. After touring several tea plantations, Br. Anthony will take us to the beautiful temple of Hwaeom-sa*, famous for its ancient wild tea. There you will experience temple life or you may choose to rest at a nearby hotel. The following morning, Br. Anthony and the Venerable Duk Chae “tea monk” of the hermitage will guide you through the experience of picking and processing your own Korean green tea.
The tea portion of the tour will allow you to witness several tea plantations in various areas of Korea but focusing on Jirisan the “holy mountain of Korean Tea. Among other stops are both Bosong famous for the Korean movies filmed there and Gangjin. Gangjin is famous for its celadon. The Goryeo Dynasty, the era of celadon ceramics, witnessed the height of Korean tea. But it is not celadon that makes Gangjin an historic stop for Korean tea connoisseurs. Gangjin also produces some fine teas and was the home of the Venerable Cho-Ui Korea’s famous historical Tea monk.
We, with the help of Chung Yang-mo, foremost authority on Korean ceramics, are planning the tea ware portion of the tour. We have more than 40 years of Korean ceramic research experience and have selected some of Korea’s more interesting tea ware artists. They include a potter considered by some Japanese and Korean authorities to produce the finest teabowls in Asia. You will visit Human Cultural treasures of various ceramic styles and the humble potter whose raw clay home sits high in the mountains near Gyeongju.
We simply want to introduce you to the Korean way of tea. Our hope is that on this tour, with guests including tea connoisseurs, tea ware artists and others, you experience at least one moment when you will not only witness the Korean way of tea but will feel it deeply. “To read is to know, to experience is to understand.”
The tour took years of planning. You will go with a small group of others, to out of the way places seldom seen by Korean travelers let alone “tourists”. You will enter the exclusive world of Korean Tea and unlock the secrets that make both Korean tea and Korean tea ware worthy of the search.
We have a companion blog that is specific to the next tea tour. There you will find current information. To reserve your spot on this unprecedented tour, without obligation, and to learn more about the experiences that await you on Tea Tour Korea please register. Space is limited for this remarkable journey.
Morning Earth Korea’s tours are priced below other Korean tours of similar length. The goal of Morning Earth Korea is simply to introduce you to the richness and depth of Korean arts and culture. Touch the heart of Korean Tea.
