The Park Jong Il Teacup Sale

There is something compelling about tea that goes beyond the ordinary.  Each morning I sit with a Korean teacup, small, no handle, subtle in color and form, fitting my hand and gently conveying the warmth of tea.  It is most often 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”.

One of My Park Jong Il Morning Tea Cups

Often that cup is one made by Park Jong Il.  When I drink from one of his cups, I am reminded of his studio that we watched being built from raw clay and trees hewn nearby.  It reminds me of the view from his mountaintop home – down across the valley.  The cup reminds me of the firing of his kiln and the wood fly ash touching the cup as it reaches its mature temperature.  It reminds me of his wonderful family - his wife Shin In-Suk and daughter Park Seo-Ryeon.  It must be very difficult living so far from a city.  It must be fantastic living so far from a city.

Drinking from his cup also reminds me of a memorable Korean Tea ceremony held especially for one of our tours just outside his studio.  It was wonderful witnessing the full range of Park Jong Il’s tea ware being used as they should be.

A Korean Tea Ceremony Using Park Jong Il's Teaware

  

It is for these reasons that Morning Crane Tea was formed.  Simply to bring you a little closer to the wonderful tea ware artists like Park Jong Il and fine organic Korean teas to fill those special teapots and cups.

I hesitated posting any sale on this particular blog.  This blog is an information blog, a place to introduce artists and sometimes a little tea.  But, this blog also has more followers and more ‘hits’ than any of my other blogs with the possible exception of Dawan Chawan Chassabal - that will never see a sale.  So in an attempt to make Morning Crane Tea more visible we are posting these two sales.  The first on tea, the second on tea ware.  In the future any sales will be on our Morning Crane Tea Ware blog that will get more interesting throughout the year and a new tea blog dedicated to the teas we offer.  That blog will be coming after the spring tea harvest.  We will have more teas to offer and by then our technical difficulties may be solved allowing us to work on our web sites again.  Please publicly join our Tea Ware blog as we will introduce new tea ware artists there, each with a limited quantity sale.  Bear in mind we are primarily a wholesale distributor not a regular on-line retail teashop.  If you have a legitimate retail store and are interested in handling any of our teas or tea ware contact us.

I have had to separate Park Jong Il’s offerings into two parts:  Teapots and Teacups.

So that you too may be able to sit some mornings with a Park Jong Il cup - warming both your heart and hand, I would like to introduce his current cup offerings.

Park Jong Il’s cups sell for as much as $30 in the West and deservedly so.

Park Jong Il's 'Chatchan'

To contact us to reserve your cup or cup set, click on the number associated with your choice.  Click on the photos to enlarge them for a better view .

 

1 Porcelain Cup Set: $45.00 SOLD

I really like the purity of porcelain against tea.  For many years I made Dagi Sets 다기 or tea sets with cups, mine with un-matching forms.  I had studied with a Japanese porcelain cultural treasure, an amazing experience, but one in which he had me make every cup exactly alike – two hundred a day.  While I value greatly those skills, I came to believe in cups like chawan - as individual servants of tea.  I suppose it is the Korean in me.  In any case when you have a variety of cup forms you usually don’t have to say, “Which cup is mine?”

How do I look at 'matching tea sets'?  They are like ones waiters or waitresses, dressed the same, but each with their own individual personality.  

These cups measure approx. 1.75" H by 2.25 D and 1.50 H by 2.75" D.  A great pair.

2 Stoneware 3 Cup Set:  $70.00 SOLD

This wonderful stoneware 3 cup set is perfect for any collection.  Neutral in color they will complement any tea.  They are  a set but upon closer inspection their individuality emerges.  Their form, one of my favorite forms, mimics many Korean chawan.  Subtle and beautiful. 

These cups are larger, measuring between  1.8" and 2" H and 3.25" and 3.5" D.  A beautiful set, flashed by the fire, the photo does not do them justice.

3 Single Stoneware Cup: $22.50 SOLD

This is a very ‘warm’ cup and one that will fit your hand beautifully as you savor your morning or evening tea.  It too mimics many Korean chawan.  I am enamored with tea ware that shows the process of the production of the piece.  The single drip is charming.  The cup - warm and inviting.

This cup measures  1.75" H and 3" D.  One of my favorites.

4 A ‘Gqey-yl’ Cup Set:  $67.50 SOLD

A rare buncheong ‘gqey yl’ or brushed slip set from Mr. Park.  Each cup stands as an individual and together reminding me of many historical moments in Korean ceramic history.  I’m currently preparing a post on an older buncheong chawan.  Watch for it on one of my other blogs.  Buncheong decorating processes are among my favorite processes.  These are made beautifully.  If you don’t have a buncheong ‘gqey yl’ set in your collection.  Here is your opportunity.

These cups measure between 1.3" and 1.6" H and 2.48 and 2.75 D.   One of my favorite groups.

5 A ‘Tum-bung-mun’ Individual Cup: $22.50 SOLD

This beautifully calming cup is decorated with another buncheong decorating process called ‘tum bung mun’ in Korean.  In this case the cup is dipped into white slip before the bisque firing then glazed partially with a clear glaze and fired in his wood kiln.  It is made beautifully.  If you don’t have a buncheong ‘tum bung mun’ cup in you collection.  Here is your opportunity.
This cup measures 2" H and 3.12" D.

6 A ‘Gqey-yl’ Individual Cup:  $22.50 SOLD

This cups is similar to the cups in ‘4’ above but larger.  Warm in color it will fit your hand beautifully.  It is wonderfully made with superb 'flashing' on the clay body.  If you don’t have a buncheong ‘gqey yl’ cup in you collection.  Here is a great opportunity.
This cup measures 2" H and 3.25" D.  You will enjoy this cup.

7 A ‘Tum-bung-mun’ Individual Cup: $25.00 SOLD

Like 5 above, this beautiful cup is decorated with the buncheong decorating process called ‘tum bung mun’ in Korean.  In this case the cup is dipped into white slip before the bisque firing then glazed partially with a clear glaze and fired in his wood kiln.  But this cup has an added feature that, like the cup in my collection that opened this post, illustrates a rare kiln phenomenon - reduction-oxidation spotting.  This occurs when during the firing the cup captures both the reduction gray and oxidation white in random patterns.  Thank you ‘orumgama’.  If you don’t have a buncheong ‘tum bung mun’ cup with these rare spots in you collection, here is your opportunity.  It is made beautifully and is one of my favorites.  Perhaps I should have put it up for bids.
This cup measures 2" H and 3.2" D. 

To view a selection of Park Jong Il's teapots click here.
 

Do we have a 'Tea Special' for those who purchase a Park Jong Il cup at these sale prices?  We do!  It is $2.00 off any of the sale prices on our tea seen at the now ended tea sale. 

Do we have special 'public blog follower' prices for these cups?  Of course, but you will have to contact me to find out what they are.

Go To Next Park Jong Il Post

Morning Crane Teapot Sale - Park Jong Il

It seems appropriate to begin our first ever tea ware sale with the work of Park Jong Il whose work I have reviewed most often on this site.  Two years ago, January 2010, I introduced Park Jong Il with a post on his Tea Gallery and showroom that he had built with trees hewn nearby and raw clay also from his environment.  That was followed by how he handled water and his ch'at gi or teapots.  Then I wrote about his chatchan or teacups and chawan.  I completed that series of posts with Park's kiln and a post on his family.  I suspect that I will not present another artist in the same depth that I have presented Park Jong Il - but you never know.  In any case, it is obviously appropriate to begin our first Morning Crane Tea blog sale with the work of Park Jong Il.

 Park Jong Il Serving Tea

With this sale we are offering Park Jong Il's ch'at gi - teapots and chatchan - teacups.  We have both teapots and teacups in stock here in the USA.  If you are interested in any other work he does, that can also be arranged.  Contact us for details.  Since Morning Crane Tea is primarily a wholesale distributor,  we are hoping that legitimate tea retail stores will contact us for wholesale prices of Park Jong Il's work.     

All prices for this sale are discounted below retail outlets of Park Jong Il's work available from Western sources.  If you are serious, we can make inquiries about Park Jong Il's  other significant work such as his "boat and ocean" (the name he gives to the work he devised to handle water) and his chawan.  However, this sale is limited to no more than 10 teapots of the two styles you see displayed below plus selected teacups.  So if you are interested, contact us now to reserve the teapot or cups you want.   

Once the tea sale is finished we will have tea ware available at regular retail prices.

About the Teapots

 

Click on Images to Enlarge

We have available basically two types of Park Jong Il's teapots.  Those made with an iron rich clay body and those made with a porcelain clay body.  Both are fired to what we in the West call 'stoneware' temperatures.  In keeping with old Korean tradition, neither is glazed on the inside.  The porcelain teapots are glazed on the outside and are meant primarily for green tea.   The dark clay body is unglazed and obtains its surface color from the reduction wood firing and fly ash 'kissing' the surface of the pot.  Both come with different knob styles.  Plain knobs as you see above and figurative knobs as you see below.

By Western standards, these teapots are small.  The  darker teapots average 4" in height including the knob and 3.25" in diameter across the thickest part of the body.  The  porcelain teapots are 3.75" in height including the knob and about 3" in diameter across the thickest part of the body.  They are perfect for Korean style brewing.

We'll look at the teapots with selected cups first and then look at the individual teacups. All tea cups are approximately 3" in diameter and 2" tall unless otherwise noted.  Now lets look at what we have available.   Click the name of the item to contact us to reserve that teapot. You must supply your name email address and the number of the item(s).

Dark Clay Natural Wood fired Teapots and Cups

Click on Images to Enlarge 

  

 Teapot 1A - R and L Sides  $160.00 SOLD

Like all of Park Jong Il's teapots this iron rich wood fired teapot has all the characteristics of an exceptional Korean style teapot.  Each of his teapot forms,  including bodies, handles, spouts and lids, are beautifully balanced throughout and their surfaces, particularly on the dark clay, reflect the fire beautifully.  These iron rich teapots are also robust and when  presented to the whims of the fire emerge naturally kissed by the flame and flying wood ash.  You can feel how the fire touched each of these teapots differently. 

Since this is a sale, I have to discuss prices.  With the sale price of $160, you save $20.00 off the Western retail price of $180.00.  In addition, for a limited time, we will include a free 50g bag of Dong Cheon's Daejak green tea with each purchase.  Add $5.00 more for Jungak, $10.00 more for Sejak or Dan-cha.   But that is not all.

Suggested cups for 1A SOLD

Park Jong Il's iron rich teapots do not come with matching teacups.  Park Jong Il explains that while the teapot is unglazed, the teacups must be glazed for sanitary health reasons.  It is a philosophy of practicality in tune with nature. 

Since this sale is to introduce tea ware we have to have some "best offer".  Park Jong Il's teapots sell in the West for $180.00 retail and his teacups for $30 each or $270.00 for a teapot and three teacups.  Koreans use 3 or 5 teacups in a set  and have many teapots each for their various kinds of tea.  Our sale price is $160.00 for the teapot and usually $20.00 for each of the cups.  However, if you purchase both the teapot and the three cups suggested with the set, the total price is only $195.00 a savings of $75.00 off the retail price and $25.00 off the sale price. Plus you get the free Daejak tea, a $10.00 sale price value, or the Jungjak for $5.00 more or Sejak or Dan-cha for $10.00 more.  Please keep this offer in mind for all of the teapots offered with this sale.  All teapots are priced the same so if there is one you are interested in, reserve it now.

Click on Images to Enlarge

Teapot 2A - R and L Sides  $160.00 SOLD

Suggested cups for 2A SOLD

Click on Images to Enlarge 

Teapot 3A - R and L Sides  $160.00  SOLD

 

 Suggested cups for 3A  SOLD

Click on Images to Enlarge

Teapot 4A - R and L Sides  $160.00 SOLD

Suggested cups for 4A SOLD

Click on Images to Enlarge

Teapot 5A - R and L Sides  $160.00 SOLD

 Suggested cups for 5A SOLD

Porcelain Wood Fired Teapots and Cups

In Korea, many people believe porcelain to be the "gem of the ceramic arts".  Park Jong Il's porcelain teapots are truly 'gems'.  Porcelain reflects the purity of nature.  White porcelain reflects a quiet dignity and a refined sense of order.  Somehow, Park Jong Il's white porcelain teapots also reflect a sense of naturalness, calm and peace.  At a time when many Western teapot artists are searching for flamboyant teapots, even neglecting the purpose of the the pot and forgetting about tea, this Eastern artist remembers the importance of Tea.

Unlike the old question, "Which came first the chicken or the egg", there is no doubt that tea came before the teapot and Park Jong Il's teapots are made to serve both tea and Tea.

Let's look at his porcelain teapot offerings.

 Click on Images to Enlarge

Teapot 6A - R and L Sides  SOLD

Suggested cups for 6A SOLD

Click on Images to Enlarge

Teapot 7A - R and L Sides  $160.00 SOLD

Suggested cups for 7A SOLD

Click on Images to Enlarge

Teapot 8A - R and L Sides SOLD

 Suggested cups for 8A SOLD

Click on Images to Enlarge

Teapot 9A - R and L Sides  SOLD

 Suggested cups for 9A SOLD

Click on Images to Enlarge

 Teapot 10A - R and L Sides SOLD

Suggested cups for 10A SOLD

Park Jong Il's special teacups are posted on the next post.

Current followers of this blog may activate a very special discount option by contacting me.  If you are not a current public 'follower' or known follower of our blogs, now is the time to join us for information on Korean and international tea ware artists and tea. 

 Go To Park Jong Next Post

The Morning Crane Tea Sale

Did you know Morning Crane Tea sells tea?

 Our Morning Crane Tea Symbol
 

This Sale Officially Closed 

January 14, 2012

But you are encouraged to review this post.

We at Morning Crane Tea want to celebrate the ending of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 by offering our Dong Cheon Korean teas to everyone at a reduced price for a very limited time.  Morning Crane Tea is primarily a wholesale tea and tea ware company so it would not surprise us that many of you reading this announcement are discovering for the first time that Morning Crane Tea actually sells teas to anyone.  Others of you have known for some time that we are the official wholesaler for Dong Cheon Tea.  If you see a company offering Dong Cheon Teas outside of Korea, we may have sold it to them.

You may have been reading about Dong Cheon Teas on the MattCha and Tea Goober blogs (see links below).  Here is your opportunity to not let another year pass without trying one or more of these superb teas.  In the process you may discover some exceptional teas that you will want to keep around throughout the year. 

L to R: Kim Jong Gyun and Ha Il Nam  of Dong Cheon Tea with Hong Kyeong-hee and Brother Anthony of Taize co-authors of The Korean Way of Tea and Korean Tea Classics  

 

You might want to know a little more about the Dong Cheon Tea company.  Dong Cheon Tea located in Hwagae Valley in Jirisan, Korea’s ‘holy mountain’ for tea, is a Pumasi Co-operative of 88 Hwagae area tea producers who have come together to cultivate organically grown teas and process them consistently.  They never use any agricultural pesticide or chemical fertilizer.  All Dong Cheon teas are organically grown and are certified as such by the "Gyeongsang National University's Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation".  Authority to grant this organic certification was transferred to Gyeongsang National University by the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service (NAQS).  However to comply with international protocol when it comes to ‘officially’ labeling teas as “organic”, that designation is not used on our labels.  Although the label may not reflect it, rest assured that all Dong Cheon teas are organically grown.  Watch for a more in-depth post on Dong Cheon Tea and what they have done for the Hwagae area tea producers.

The Morning Crane Tea Sale:

 Daejak tea in silk bag with clear plastic protection

To celebrate this unusual special offering, all of your Dong Cheon Teas will come in 50g silver bags with Morning Crane Tea labels that are inserted into a colorful bag made of Korean silk and covered by a clear plastic bag to protect the silk bag.

The silk bags, our gift to you, are made of remnants from the manufacture of beautiful high quality Korean hanbok (traditional clothing). 

 

A few of the many silk bag color combinations

Most of these silk bags are one of a kind so we cannot accept requests for various colors.  We will try to not repeat colors in a single multiple-tea order.  In addition, if there is a single color that you absolutely don’t like let us know and we’ll try to not send a bag of that color to you.   

(At the time of our original post the following statement was true.  Since our original sale some of our retailers have nearly  matched our sale prices.) Our teas for this sale are priced below other regular American retail prices, a tricky proposition since we don’t want to undercut our wholesale customers too much.  Rather our hope is that by trying these teas through us you will want to continue to have these premium teas available year round and will turn to one of our wholesale customers close to you for those purchases through their retail outlets.  We also hope that this sale will alert additional retail tea outlets whether in a store, on-line or for private tea tasting to the availability of these teas from Morning Crane Tea so that we will be able to build broader regional presence internationally.  If you are a legitimate outlet for retail teas, please contact us for our wholesale prices for these teas.

Morning Crane Tea labels for four Dong Cheon Teas

 

50g of Sejak, Jungjak and Daejak packed in silver bags.  

The bag size varies with the size of the leaf and air - not weight. 

We are offering the following Dong Cheon teas all picked in 2011:

Sejak          50g    in silver bag with silk outer bag        

Jungjak       50g    in silver bag with silk outer bag        

Daejak        50g    in silver bag with silk outer bag        

Dan-Cha     50g    in silver bag with silk outer bag        

(Ujeon is also available at reduced prices but must be shipped from Korea. Please contact us for details.)

Please check for current prices on these wonderful teas and for the prices on the artisan teas we also source.  If you are on Facebook, please 'Like' us.
 

Sejak, Jungjak and Daejak are all premium green teas picked at various times during the picking season.   

See the links below to read Matt Cha’s and Tea Goober’s reviews of Dong Cheon’s Sejak and Jungjak green teas.  Daejak has not been reviewed but interestingly won a blind green tea tasting at a local teashop.  

The Dan-Cha, referred to also as Hong-Cha in Korea, is a Korean “Red” tea.  In America, we may refer to this tea as a black tea but I believe it deserves its own category as a Korean Red tea.  It is not a robust black tea nor should it be brewed as long as most black teas.  Made from the same leaves as Sejak, this tea is not bitter but rich and smooth and seems to retain some of the characteristics of Sejak even though it is fully fermented.  I believe you will like this offering.

We decided to use the term Dan-Cha to not confuse it with Hwang-Cha Korea’s yellow tea that we will be offering after the 2012 harvest.  Both the words “Dan” and “Hong” refer to the color "red".

As a wholesale company, we carry very little tea in house however a number of these teas are available for shipment immediately.  After we exhaust our in-house inventory, delivery time will depend on how fast your orders arrive and how fast Dong Cheon is able to fill my order and ship it.  This sale ends January 14, 2012.  Orders dated after midnight of that date cannot be filled but we will refer you to one of the retail distributors near you.  Tea from this sale sent to our international customers will be sent from either the USA or South Korea whichever is closest.  Tea sent from Korea will have the Dong Cheon label in a 50g silver bag and with a colorful silk bag.

If in stock, we will ship the teas to you immediately.  Currently all but Ujeon are in stock.  Payment must be received before orders are shipped.  Contact us for payment options.

These prices are for the sale of one or two 50g bags of any of the teas we offer.  To encourage you to try various teas, take $3 off your order when you buy any three different teas.  Take $4 off your order when you buy all 4 teas.  This is a promotional sale rather than a typical retail sale or an opportunity for one to stock up on these teas at lower prices.  That would undercut our wholesale customers. Therefore we are obligated to limit the number of bags of tea sent to one address to no more than 4 bags including any combination but no more than 2 bags of any one tea.  Discount is available only if you purchase all four teas.  If you are a legitimate tea retailer, contact us to learn our wholesale prices.

While this particular rare retail offering is for Dong Cheon Tea, Morning Crane Tea is not limited to Dong Cheon Tea for our teas.  We are working with several artisan tea producers particularly looking at their distinctive artisan green teas, hwang-cha and ddok-cha.  These teas will be available shortly after the 2012 production season.

Send your tea purchase request and questions to us at Morning Crane Tea.  We’ll try to answer your questions and/or send you an invoice and explain the payment method best suited to your location. 

Watch for a Morning Crane tea ware sale to come soon.

This time of year brings wonderful memories and too often sad memories as well, along with a feeling of thanks that we are still here to share those memories with family and friends over a cup of tea.  Perhaps in 2012 and for years to come that cup of tea will on occasion be from Morning Crane Tea. 

We at Morning Crane Tea together with our friends at Dong Cheon Tea wish you and yours a very wonderful holiday and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Were you a follower of this blog before this tea sale? Contact us for an additional discount.  

Links to Tea Goober’s reviews of Dong Cheon Sejak and Jungjak:

Link to Matt Cha’s review of Dong Cheon’s Sejak

Link to Matt Cha’s review of Dong Cheon’s Jungjak
 

A Short Visit to the Tea Plantations in the Foothills of Jiri-san. By Petr Novák

I have been so busy this year that I haven't had time to continue the story of our tea adventure last spring.  However as our trip began, we were able to help Petr Novák and Daniel Klásek, from the Czech Republic begin their private tea adventure.  Petr and his partner Miro had visited the Gangjin tea and celadon area with us in past years.  Peter's friend Daniel is a tea merchant so they wanted to experience Jirisan.  Following is the account of their tea adventure.  Cho Hak

A Short Visit to the Tea Plantations in the Foothills of Jiri-san

by Petr Novak

It was a short spring visit and a dream that became true. Maybe I should say it was too short.  But with so many experiences, when Cho Hak asked me to share our “adventures” with readers of his Morning Crane Blog I was aware that it would be hard to find where to start, what to say. …How can I share the impressions from the mountains?  How can I express the wind in a bamboo forest in which you can smell the hint of the sea, fragrances of tea or smiling people?

   Hwagye-dong Valley- tea valley on the border of Jiri-san National Park

I fell in love with Korean tea a few years ago and from the beginning I felt that as the Korean peninsula stretches between China and Japan so also Korean tea lies between Chinese and Japanese teas.  That it is related to both but unusual and distinctive.  When I enjoyed those ‘first’ experiences of NokCha I was really curious about what was behind it. I felt that there were not only different tastes and fragrances but also an energy in this tea; and that it grows from the difference in culture.
When we, my partner Miroslava Randová and I, were invited in 2008 to participate on Mungyeong Chassabal Festival I was happy. Happy, not only because of all the great things that Cho Hak had described in few of his posts but I also saw it as a natural opportunity to learn about the tea for which my love was growing all those years.  In 2008 after the festival we visited Boseong area and with help from Cho Hak we had the opportunity to not only see tea plantations but also to make tea by ourselves in small a family “tea workshop”.  In my mind I can still smell the freshness of that tea!

Fresh tea leaves in Boseong area

The visits of Korea in 2008 as well in 2009 were extraordinary but like all things, “The more you know and the more you see the more you don’t know and you would like to see”. ..
Many Korean teas I have drunk during years come from the Jiri-san area.  Very often those teas come with “nice stories” about wild trees, high mountains and the use of a traditional process.  Although I am always careful about accepting this kind of story as facts, I felt that the teas from this area are strong, full of energy.  So when I realized that I had three days after the festival until I had to leave Korea the decision where to spend those days was easy. 
This spring Miroslava was not able to go with me, so my friend Daniel Klásek joined me. He is a tea enthusiast and tea merchant in the Czech Republic so he was more than happy to be at the Teabowl Festival in Mungyeong as well as join me after the festival to see the tea gardens of Jiri-san.

 Daniel (on the left) and me on our way to the south of Korea

Before we left our country I asked Matthew from Mattchablog (http://mattchasblog.blogspot.com) if he had some recommendations as to where to go, what to see- because our time was very limited. Here are his words and although at first it looks too simple but it was really enough and helpful. Thank you very much, Matt!

Matt’s words:
Use Hadong as your main base of exploration. Go to the Hadong Grean Tea Research Center and the Kind people there will likely set up some plantation visits.

Even just talking to the people in town will likely get you to a tea field.

You got to visit the 1000-year old tree.

And go to Ssangyaesa Temple.

This post about the tea area might help:  (chick here.)

Hadong, a small city in the foothill of Jiri-san mountain, is around two hours by bus from Pusan .  While traveling there, we began to see tea fields around thirty kilometers from Hadong and we felt that we are going to the right place. Mountains, wonderful river, rice fields, bamboo…we were happy. 

  Hadong and its wonderful natural surroundings

After our arrival we tried to find the Green Tea Research Center. After some initial difficulties we got lucky and the Korean people again showed their hospitality.  With unforeseen help of people from this institution we saw and enjoyed more than we expected.
In Hadong County there are many places where you can see tea plantation.  We visited Hwagye-dong valley.  In this valley, around 25km from Hadong, you can find Ssangyaesa temple.  Near this temple the first tea seeds were planted in the eighth century and were cared for by monks for centuries.

Entrance to Ssangyaesa temple

This tea season in Korea was late, because of a long winter, so we had the opportunity to see tea harvesting.  We could have been too late.

Hand-picking of tea. The hillside is steeper than it looks from the picture…

Some parts of these tea fields are under bamboo. Picking tea leaves in this “forest” is much harder but the tea has a different quality due to the shadows and micro-climate.

Tea field under bamboo…

Gee Dae Nah- our new friend from the Green Tea Research Institute who helped us translate.  Language is one the biggest complications while traveling in Korea alone. So thank you Dae Nah.  

Probably only in this small, nice restaurant near Ssangyaesa temple can you try “tea kimchi”- pickled fresh tealeaves.

Tasty and stylish: pickled tea leaves in a restaurant surrounded by tea fields

We were surprised at how steep the incline is where the oldest tea tree in Korea grows.  It is a 1000-year-old tree.  Because of the tea variety and climate in Korea this tree is still quite small compared to, for example, the tea trees in Yunnan.  

Tea bushes near the oldest tea tree…

Korean people, Working, smiling, singing…

So another shard to the mosaic of understanding the background of Korean tea’s exceptional energy, taste and fragrance grows from these mountains and is given to it by the people who live here.  Inspirational.

. . . . .

Peter and Daniels trip must have been an inspirational journey through Korean tea.  The folks at the research center have always been helpful to us as well.  Thank you Petr for writing and providing this post.  We were glad to be able to help you get started on this journey.

There are many amazing tea journeys possible in Korea.  We are looking forward to a slightly more extensive one with a very small group of guest next May when we will meet with Brother Anthony and Hong Kyeong-Hee, co-authors of The Korean Way of Tea and translators of Korean Tea Classics as we experience both some amazing tea as well as some wonderful tea ware.  Join us and follow our blog at Tea Tour Korea.