The unofficial/official Korean Teaware Topic

[Tead Off]

Nice bowl. Where did you find it?

[ginkgo]

A very little tea bowl from the ceramist Songwook Huh ...

[hopeofdawn]

Oh, how cute! Would that be considered sgraffito, or some other technique?

[TomVerlain]

This is a bit off topic, but thought this might be the best place to put it. I will be in Gasan-Dong Geumcheon-g, Seoul this week on business and wondered if there are any tea related things to do. I drink mostly puerh, but a nice piece of ceramics (teaware or antique) is always welcome, or even to just look at tea shops, museums, etc would be nice.

So, any Korean tips ?

Thanks Tom.

[Tead Off]

This is a bit off topic, but thought this might be the best place to put it. I will be in Gasan-Dong Geumcheon-g, Seoul this week on business and wondered if there are any tea related things to do. I drink mostly puerh, but a nice piece of ceramics (teaware or antique) is always welcome, or even to just look at tea shops, museums, etc would be nice.

So, any Korean tips ?

Thanks Tom.

The Insadong area is a good place to find tea and teaware. It is quite far from where you will be. You can take the train north across the river. The area is know as Jongno-gu. You will have to ask direction how to get there. Train will be fastest. Walking down Insadong street, there are several teaware shops. Coming from Anguk-dong station, there is a shop on the left side with a lot of teaware in it. This is Mr. Ha's shop who owns Dong Cheon Teas which is a well know garden in Hwagae where they grow the best tea. There is another shop, smaller, continuing on which handles better teaware and are knowledgeable about teas. Needsateacher gave my the name and address of a teashop not far from Insadong. You can walk easily. GU Myeong Cha
The street address is 79 Donhwamun-Ro, very close to exit 6 of Jongno-Sam(3)-Ga station. The phone number is 02-762-5634. They specialize in puerh.

Just walking around Insadong is a nice thing to do. Lovely shops and restaurants, galleries, etc. Walking north from Anguk station is perhaps one of Seoul's loveliest areas with traditional Korean houses. This is an upscale area with many surprises at each turn of the road. Seoul can be a very inspiring city to get to know. Lots of art and interesting people.

[TomVerlain]

Thanks Tead Off for the info. I hope I get a chance to go there.

Tom

[hopeofdawn]

My very eagerly-awaited Korean teapots, courtesy of Tead Off, finally arrived this weekend! So of course I had to have a photo-shoot so that I could share the cuteness ...



This one is a buncheong clay pot from Yi Yong Cheol--very much a one-person pot at 120 ml. The moment I saw that gorgeous, distinctive glaze, I was a goner ... The colors on it are hard to describe, and even harder to photograph--the darker colors are actually a lot less green in person, and more of a black/grey/dark olive hue, which contrasts beautifully against the white.





And the second is a beautiful tiny porcelain pot by Hong Seong-il. I love the daintiness of it--it literally fits into my palm--as well as the subtle crackling of the glaze. And the lid actually fits so tightly I think I'd have to turn the pot upside down and shake it a few times to have it fall out(not that I'm going to experiment!)



Right now I'm experimenting with different teas--so far both pots have handled a few oolongs, a dragonwell and a white with equal facility. Perfect for that first cup in the morning!

[Tead Off]

Nice shots. I think I'm going to have to choose one of these buncheong pots for myself. I like the colors even more in your photos compared to the artist's. Are they accurate with the buncheong pot?

[hopeofdawn]

I'd say the first photo for the buncheong is more accurate, color-wise, than the second. The greenish cast on the pot isn't there in real life, especially on the white areas, but for some reason it likes to photograph that way, despite my best efforts. But yes, it is a lovely piece--the glaze is fascinating to look at and satiny to the touch. I think if you do get one, you won't be disappointed ...

[TomVerlain]

I am going to post this here, as there is no official "Dong Cheon Teas" vendor page. And there is a picture of a giant teapot in Korea.

Using TeadOffs excellent directions - I found the shop. They have several locations btw. I speak absolutely no korean, but the staff knew enough english to get by and made me feel welcome. They have quite a few shelves of yixing teapots, of which were out of my price range (me being cheap), as well as porcelain and ceramic tea ware. They had some nice Ge ware and caledon tea bowls and other pieces. They had some really great yixing jars and canisters which I would have loved to bring home, but wasn't to sure about room in my luggage. Since I am a fan of puerh, that is what i tried there. They have other teas as well. We tried several, including a very nice 1997 sheng that I could feel the chi from. Several customers stopped by and joined us for tea. I ended up getting 100g of a 1980s shu for 50,000 won ($44 USD) and 100g of a 1994 sheng for the same price. They had a 1960's tea for 8,000,000 won ($7,045 USD)

Not the cheapest place I have ever bought tea, but a very wonderful experience. Drinking the tea I did get will remind me of their hospitality.

[Drax]

Wow, great pictures and description, Tom, thanks for sharing! That tea pot looks like you could brew a couple of tongs in it....!

[AdamMY]

The Teapot for when you want to brew a Bing of Puerh at once!

[Tead Off]

Nice to see that Tom is having fun in Seoul. It's a nice city to explore with many surprises. Korean hospitality always makes you feel welcome. Hopefully, I will get back there this year.

[Tead Off]

Master teapot in the Hadong Tea Museum, South Korea

Cho Ui.jpg (36.19 KiB) Viewed 1814 times

[Tead Off]

Master teapot from Mungyeong. Kim Kyeong Soo.

Kim Kyeong Soo.jpg (46.42 KiB) Viewed 1796 times

Kim Kyeong Soo, potter.jpg (66.14 KiB) Viewed 1796 times

One of the best potters in Korea.