karmaplace wrote:What are the Korean names for these kind of sets, or teaware in general? I mean, if I were looking around for tea sets in Korea, what would I need to ask for? I speak Korean fairly well, but I've been having trouble trying to find terms for looseleaf teas and teaware in Korean (none of my Korean friends drink tea and my dictionary hasn't been of much help either).
I know there are shops and artisans in Insadong, but I'm not sure if that is truly the best place to go. If I can find an artisan who is closer to where I'll be living, I would definitely prefer it (I've lived in Gyeongsangbukdo before and may be moving to Busan this summer).
I am in Korea now and have spent the last 2 weeks touring mostly for teaware and tea. I began in Insadong where there are several tea shops as well as shops selling teaware and then visited the Mungyeong pottery festival which was great. There were 27 foreign potters invited to exhibit along with several Mungyeong potters. Mungyeong is a pottery center with a couple of National Treasures living and working there as well as several other potters working in porcelain and the local clay. I also visited the Yeoju ceramics festival which is another annual fair worth going to. I didn't go to the Icheon fair which is big and popular. May is definitely the month to go hunting in Korea.
What I've noticed is there seems to be 2 distinct approaches to teaware in Korea. The most popular type is what has been shown here in the teasets, usually porcelain and consisting of teapot, cooling bowl, 5 or 6 cups, and, waste water bowl. This type of set is everywhere and while it is not my taste, is more traditional and has many variations on this theme. Many of the 'masters', make very fine versions of these sets with glazes that are traditional and handed down from their teachers or families.
The 2nd approach is what I would term 'creative' and to me, is far more interesting, organic, and, full of feeling. This 'style' is harder to find as fewer Korean potters work in this genre as opposed to foreign potters including the Japanese. But, the Korean creative potters are a match for anyone making artistic teaware and have their unique style and sensibilities. One such potter is Hong Seong-il who lives in Boseong in the south near the coast. I just spent 3 days with him looking at work and introducing me to some of the other potters and artists that he knows and likes. We also went into the mountains to drink tea. Great time and very beautiful where he lives.
2 foreign potters that are deeply influenced by Korean Teaware are the Korean/American Arthur Park and Peter Novak, the Czech potter, both working in the creative style. These are potters everyone here should know about and view their work along with Seong il's to get a feeling for Korean teaware.
The actual tea production in Korea is rather small and not many varieties. It is also expensive as the best stuff is hand picked and processed by small farms and sold directly to the consumer. Brother Anthony's book, 'The Korean Way of Tea' will answer most of your questions about Korean tea. But, basically, there is green tea, which is divided into 3 grades, the most costly is Ujjeon, then Sejak the 2nd picking, and, then the 3rd, whose name escapes me. Keep in mind that Korea is an expensive country with espresso costing $5 a shot in many cafes in Seoul. I was a bit shocked at the prices and when I was told that the good Ujjeon is often $200-300 for 100g, I wasn't exactly enthusiastic. I actually paid $70/100g for hand processed Sejak grade wild green tea.
Then there is Palyocha (yellow tea) which is very good but altogether different than Nokcha (green tea). This is an oxidized tea with longer, dark, leaves reminscent of Wuyi tea in looks only. Yellow tea has a distinctive flavor and aroma, very floral but not sweet like TGY. This is much more affordable. If there is any other kind of tea in Korea, I didn't come across it. I know they have a tokcha (cake tea) but not like Puerh. I have also heard they have a hong cha (black tea) but never saw it.
Koreans also drink a lot of wild herbal teas. Wild Persimmon leaf tea is wonderful.
Sorry to be so lengthy in my reply but I got very excited about being here and discovering a real tea culture that is very much alive, especially in the south where they grow the tea. There is still a purity that exists in Korea and the country is not really setup for tourism except in certain places and even then there is not a big foreigner presence. I encourage anyone to go that has interest in tea and tea culture. It is not like any place I've been in Asia.