An oasis of calm
in the land of morning calm.

Before entering the teahouse, we left our shoes at the entrance and were then led to one of the tables.

In Korea, tea is traditionally drunk on the floor at low tables. However, the traditional tea ceremonies, as performed in Buddhist temples and palaces, differ again in the way they are carried out. In these, meditative silence and active meditation also play a decisive role.

Sitting on small cushions, we were able to admire the beautifully designed interior and soak up the peaceful energy of the place. One of the teahouse staff sat down at the table with us and helped us choose the right teas according to our preferences.

I had opted for a traditional green tea, which was served on a dark wooden platter.

Drinking green tea is closely intertwined with the ceremonies of Buddhism and the philosophy of early Korea. This is particularly related to the specific effects attributed to green tea.

Balance in the midst of the heart
the capital Seoul

After this very traditional experience, I headed back towards the city, where I found a traditional teahouse that combines modern elements with traditional ones. This Hanok teahouse, in Korean 한옥찻집, particularly impressed me with the dark wood look of the interior, which immediately made me feel welcome. While in the Cha-teul teahouse you could only sit on the floor in the traditional way, the Hanok teahouse also offered modern seating options. In addition to traditional tea drinks, you could also order coffee and smoothies here.

Korea is one of the countries where drinking coffee is particularly popular. When walking through the streets of Seoul, you can't "fail" to pass a café or tea house. Each of the hot drinks, from traditional teas to coffees, can also be ordered as an "iced" version. In my opinion, people in Korea, especially the younger generations, are increasingly turning to iced versions.

I opted for a traditional mogwa-cha, known as 모과차 in Korean. Mogwa-cha is a tea drink made from finely chopped quinces and is particularly popular in Korea for sore throats or chronic coughs with a little honey. The teas were brought to our table ready-made in large ceramic cups.

The ceramic cup was placed on a dark wooden board. Tea was also accompanied by traditional desserts, such as grilled rice cakes with honey or yugwa, which are made from processed glutinous rice and served in different colors.

Korean traditional sweets, also known as hangwa, are usually made by processing glutinous rice, fruit or sweet red beans in different ways.

While in the first teahouse I poured my small porcelain pot of loose leaves over and over again and drank it carefully, here I could go straight to enjoying the tea. This is where the blending of tradition and modernity is particularly evident, because although I had a choice of traditional teas, the focus of the tea drinking was more on the aspect of comfortable coziness. While my friends and I enjoyed the ambience and the teas, we completely forgot that life was going on at full speed a few streets away.

We were served tea in both teahouses, but the experience was very different. While the visit to the Cha-teul teahouse felt like a journey through time, the visit to the traditionally modern Hanok teahouse gave us a sense of balance in the middle of the hectic city.