Every month, the Korean government nominates some historical person as the Cultural Figure of the Month. As it happens, this month's choice is a nineteenth century monk named Cho-ui, who spent 60 years in a hermitage in Chollanamdo practicing Zen meditation, drinking tea, and writing about tea-drinking in essays such as "Biography of theTea Gods". So great was his dedication to the beverage that he became known as "Tasong" or Tea Saint. Among his percepts are "Tea and Zen meditation have the same taste" and "...in this plain daily routine (making tea) is the truth of the universe presented in a holistic manner".
The Tea Saint's hermitage (Ilchi-am, near Taehung-sa, Haenam) has become a place of pilgrimage for tea-lovers, but if you want to get a taste of Korean tea culture here in Pusan, an excellent place to start will be one of the handful of traditional tea houses which are scattered around the city. You will almost certainly be familiar with coffee shops, whether the self-service kind, the pricier ones with waiter service which flourish around college campuses or the old-fashioned and now gradually disappearing "tabang", literally, "tea room". Traditional tea houses are much fewer in number, and not so well known. They are well worth visiting, for they offer not only delicious variety of drinks, but also an ambience which is quite different, perhaps more in line with what you thought Korea ought to be like before you came. With their traditional furnishings and decor and a background soundtrack of Korean music, they provide a haven of quiet serenity in the midst of Pusan's concrete jungle and traffic hell. They all sell a variety of drinks: not just green teas from Korea (and maybe Japan), but also fermented varieties from China, and those "very-good-for-health" drinks that are not strictly teas, but are so-called "cha" in Korean. Typically, the drinks cost between W1,500 and W2,500, though some run to W3,000 in more expensive areas. In addition, most stock packaged tea (some varieties are remarkably expensive!) and an assortment of tea paraphenalia such as pots and cups.
THE MENU
The followings a fairly complete menu of teas available at traditional tea houses. Some places may not have quite such an extensive selection. If you order green tea, you receive a thermos of hot water and a little pot in which to brew your tea. You pour your tea into a little pitcher, and then pour it into a very small cup to drink it from. Also, you get a shallow pan with an indented slotted lid over which to pour your tea. You will need it too, it always spills.
Korean Teas
Jaksoul (or sejak) cha - a green tea, stimulates the body, clarifies the mind, made from early spring buds of the tea plant.
Jungjak - same as above, but tea buds picked later.
Hyounmee nokcha - green tea boiled with baked brown rice.
Kam-ip cha - persimmon leaf tea, lots of vitamin C, good for high blood pressure and cleaning of
body toxins.
Duchung cha - made from leaves of the duchung plant, sweet and mild tasting, increases
circulation, heats the body, increases mental clarity, good for bones.
Dung-gul-le - boiled root of dung-gul-le plant, a favored tea in Kyungnam province, prevents
stroke if drunk regularly, stabilizes blood pressure, strengthens weak children.
Chinese Teas
Jasmine cha - made from jasmine leaves and flowers.
Ollung cha - a fermented tea.
Bo-ee cha - strongly fermented, facilitates weight loss.
Guk-hwa cha - a chrysanthemum tea, good for liver, kidneys,and immune system.
Chol-gwan-oom - made from leaf of a plant, good for blood circulation and nervous system,
stress reduction.
Gam-bee cha - made from leaf of gam-bee plant, good for weight reduction.
Japanese Teas
Mal cha - Called macha in Japanese, it is the bitter, powdered green tea used in the tea
ceremony and by diligent Zen monks wanting to keep sharp.
After meal and substitute teas
Yulmu cha - various nuts and rice in a gruel, good for a missed meal.
Chilk-joop - arrowroot tea, good for hangovers, stomachache, headache, body chills, fever,
and colds.
Yuja cha - citron tea, good for digestion, appetite, and colds.
Saenggang cha - ginger tea, good for detoxification, digestion, bad breath, and nausea.
Kyepee cha - cinnamon tea, helps circulation, lungs, digestion, nausea, warming to the body.
Sujounggwa - persimmon and cinnamon tea, good for liver, indigestion, intestines, helps blood
coagulation, and thirst.
Shikhye - fermented rice water, good for digestion, stimulates appetite.
Insam cha - ginseng tea, good for energy, digestion, mental clarity, most versatile of herbs.
Mogwa cha - a fruit tea, promotes urination, lots of vitamin B, good for rheumatism.
Omeeja cha - good for cough, diarrhea.
Medicinal Teas
Ssanghwa cha - contains many ingredients, including ginger, Korean red dates, good for colds, digestion, the liver, fatigue, and circulation.
Shipjoundae-bo cha - contains twelve different herbs, facilitates circulation, digestion, and
energy.
Daechu cha - made from Korean red dates, a good energy tonic, also good for stomach, skin,
Insomnia, and nervous system.
Danpot juk - pot bean soup, good for kidneys, lots of vitamin B, boosts appetite, energy.
Darae-joop - a fruit similar to kiwi, lots of vitamin C.
When you are looking out for a tea house, it is worth looking for the Hanja (Chinese character) for tea. What follows is an area by area rundown of houses we have visited or heard about. If you can recommend any others, perhaps you could drop a line to The Expatriate.
* Pusandaehakap
Our comprehensive menu comes from Cha-bat-gol. It is located about 50 meters to the left of the PNU main gate when you are facing the school.
* Onchonjang
The hot springs district has two houses. The older one, Da-rae-won is located in a building described by your reporter as dating back from the Early Shilla Period, and is run by a friendly Mrs. Kim who speaks some English. It is divided into four sections: One section is suitable for large groups, while the other two have an assortment of smaller tables. According to its publicity, Da-rae-won is a populaar spot among Pusan's musicians and Buddhists. The other house, Ch'eong-ma-ru is on the second floor of a modern building. It has a rustic wooden floor and is decorated with large wooden drums. It's larger and has brighter lighting than the Da-rae-won, and some of the tables are equipped with electric warmers for the pots of water that come with various types of tea. There's one main seating area, with smaller spaces to sit without your shoes if you so desire. Locating either place is easy. From the subway station, turn left and proceed to the raised pedestrian crosswalk you can see in the distance. Cross that bridge, turn left again and turn right at the large street a few meters ahead of you. Proceed to the Nike store, and, looking across the street, you'll see a blue sign with fat fuzzy Hangul and the Hanja "tea" character indicating Ch'eong-ma-ru. If you pass the Spa Department Store, you've gone too far. To find Da-rae-won, continue on this main street until you come to a 5-way intersection. Cross the street so you see the Tongnae Tourist Hotel. Stop and look into the parking lot across the street from the hotel. You'll see off to your left a low building. Turn and go between the fence along the street, and look for the wooden sign of the Da-rae-won. Once you've seen the sign, look for the beautiful wooden door.
* Somyon
Yes, even in that Ninth Circle of traffic hell, you can find at least one refuge; it's called Buk-so-ri ("Sound of the Drum?") and it's situated just south of the rotary, on the Taehwa Shopping side, in the same building as the Pusan Foreign Language Institute.
* Nampo'dong and around
There are a number of tearooms in the Nampo'dong area. On the main shopping street of Kwangbokdong, we can find the long-established So-hwa-bang, on the third floor just above a rather noisey karaoke bar. A few years ago this place had graffiti-friendly wallpaper, on which patrons were invited to post messages in those long-forgotten pre-beeper days. That's gone now, but the atmosphere remains as cozy as ever. For some reason, it still keeps a supply of menu cards which date from this reporter's first visit in 1988. Ponder the appalling level of inflation as you sip your tea. To find it, go about 50 meters past the Royal Hotel entrance street towards City Hall, and you'll see it on the right, above a boutique called Bella Brillante.
Moving up towards the US Consulate, Seol-leok-won is easy to spot. It's right opposite ESS Institute, and furthermore has an English sign saying "Traditional Korean Tea House" over the door. On the same road, opposite a point midway between 1st Charlie's and the Consulate, is Chak-seol-won. It's a little more difficult to fins, being located in a basement next to a hanbok (traditional dress) shop, but it's clearly indicated by a neon hanja sign overhanging the stairs.
Turning right into Taechongno, and right again into the small street leading up to Yongdusan Park, you can find one of the nicest tearooms, Sol-ba-ram ("Pine Wind"). It's on the right side, across from the Catholic cathedral. You'll see a green sign at the second story level. Not far away, a few doors from Chungangdong McDonalds (the one near the main post office) is Ta-jeon ("Tea Field"), which has its tearoom unusually at street level, but discreetly hidden behind a tea retail shop.
* Other area
Most tearooms stick quite strictly to a limited menu, but there are two, located in college neighbourhoods, which offer a greater variety. Next to the entrance of Kyungsung University, above the James Dean Bar, is Jin-dal-lae ("The Azalea"), whcih doubles as a coffee shop. In Hadan, in front of Dong-A University, Cho-seon-shi-dae ("The Chosun Dynasty") also serves a wide selection of traditional alcoholic drinks; besides the usual dongdong-ju, there's hukju (black liquor - a no-hangover brew, so they say), daechu-sul (jujube liquor), and many others ranging up to something called ongnoju which is 45% alcohol. They could well be the subject of a future article, when "The Expatriate" offers its reporters expense accounts and health insurance. Anyway, you can find Cho-seon-shi-dae in a basement right next to the 7-11, across from Einstein coffee shop.