How To Use Korean Tea Set

I begin this post with a little apprehension knowing that this will be long explanation for what is for many a very simple and natural human action. Reading this then for some readers may exist a trivial like reading the directions for tying ones shoes. That is why I'g including the video. It is better shown than discussed. My video case comes from a tea master. Tea masters are wonderful and important tea culture icons that are known for ceremony. Merely this demonstration is more than an example of a thoughtful organized procedure than 'ceremony. They believe the process of preparing tea a Korean style, any Korean way, should exist very natural and unpretentious. That naturalness also includes tea ceremonies - at least Korean ones.

Since I am non a tea master, I undertake this post with the exact opposite feeling from that which should exist nowadays when preparing tea a Korean way. A Korean tea grooming should/must exist done with at-home and ease. This description is existence written with neither. Simply considering I know that I don't know enough. So in hopes of strengthening my own tea preparation skills, and perhaps yours every bit well, I persist.

A trivial background on this post may be interesting, if not that important. Sadly, Tea Tour Korea 2022 did non take enough participants to form a group*. Therefore, we were not able to stay in Korea to experience the full range of Korean teas. Fifty-fifty and then, we discovered that 2022 was an boggling year for Korean tea since we were able to try a number of early picks from dissimilar producers. In a give-and-take, delicious!

Nosotros were also able to bask some wonderful tea experiences that grew out of the Korean Ceramic Bout we did host. 1 of these experiences came as a result of extending the ceramic tour for a small grouping to the province of Jollanamdo . Jollanamdo, or Jeonnam as it is too called, is rich in both pottery and tea. Over the years, nosotros take adult a number of shut friends who alive and work in Gangjin, Haenam, Mokpo, Boseong and other areas of this historically rich province.

When our bones Korean Ceramic Tour 2022 ended, a few of u.s. extended the tour and boarded an express double-decker to Gangjin. On arrival, our friend the potter Kang Kwang Mugg drove u.s. past individual car to Mokpo. Mokpo was having their annual ceramic off-white. The fair and visit in Jollanamdo resulted in a series of great experiences. Nosotros'll share some of them in future posts simply possibly on other blogs.

Our 2022 tour grouping was equanimous primarily of International ceramic artists who had only visited a number of ceramic artists throughout Korea, most of the Korean artists either specialized in or, in add-on to their regular work, made tea ware. It is my feel that most international ceramic likewise make some tea ware. Simply few know how to prepare tea the Korean way, and so I had asked my Korean friends if it were possible to have one of the tea masters we were visiting at the fair to testify our group how to set up and serve tea the Korean manner. I wasn't asking for a full ceremony simply just some of the basic steps for preparing Korean tea.

I want to thank Ju Hae-Seong from the Korean Tea Culture Association for graciously providing this presentation. We met Principal Ju through Master Jang Eun-Hui the wife of the internationally acclaimed celadon artist Jong Ki Bell. All are from Haenam. Information technology is Jong Ki Bong's teaware she is using for this demonstration.

Although this presentation is by a Tea Chief, and therefore tin't escape a few of the formalities of a tea ceremony such a standing and bowing and then kneeling and bowing again, that are simply polite greetings, this presentation is not a tea ceremony. The presentation does exactly what I had hoped it would exercise, show us a Korean way to set tea. Note that this is one of the natural and really unproblematic ways Koreans set up tea. Those who are interested in learning a style to set up tea every bit Koreans exercise can gain a great deal from studying this video. Hopefully my notes, although cumbersome, volition also be of some help. Note the title is "A Korean Style" not "The Korean Way". There are many individual variations on the process you come across here. Still the bones elements will exist similar. In this case the tea is nokcha or green tea.

Since some items in the above image are Non necessary for simply preparing tea, I should point them out to reduce any confusion you may take. In this image, those items NOT necessary include the minor vase, often a bottle form, sitting on the far left on a natural rock stand. On the same wooden tea tabular array is a leafing vine or branch, ii sets of jeotgarak or chopsticks with duck jeotgarak holders on mats and a covered dish for tea ceremony treats or tea desserts (perhaps tteok ( 떡 ) or rice cakes) . Notation that these are all on a naturally formed wooden tea table. The stone correspond the small vase, the vine or leafy co-operative and naturally formed wooden tea table all point to the underlying theme of Korean tea including the tea ceremony – information technology must exist natural. Over again these items are NOT office of the simple serving of tea that this post and video intend to illustrate. So set them aside in your listen for now and concentrate on those that to varying degrees are necessary.

Let's look at the tea ware she volition be using. This is rather formal tea ware ready. Once more, it was fabricated by the famous celadon artist Jong Ki Bell, the items include from left to right: (our view)

one. A source for hot water. In this instance a thermos since electricity is not available and wood or gas would be impractical in this outdoor festival setting.

2. Behind information technology on the correct of the server (our left) is a waste h2o bowl. In less formal settings a saucepan subconscious from view might be used.

On the slightly college tabular array in front end of her are:

3. A stack of ceramic saucers, also to her right. Sometimes wooden or cloth cup stands are used or none at all.

iv. Behind the saucers (her view) is a cooling teapot. Note this teapot was made without a lid. Often a small pitcher or historically a cooling bowl would exist used.

5. Slightly to the left of the saucers (her view) and closer to the server is a simple white cloth.

6. Side by side, directly in forepart of the server, is the infusing teapot.

7. Behind the infusing teapot (server'southward view) is the teapot lid stand.

8. Backside the teapot lid stand (server'due south view) is a small tea caddy. More than informal tea servings might simply have the handbag of loose leafage tea or a box with the bag of tea in it. This tea caddy is a ceremonial tea caddy and not one for storing tea.

9. To the correct (our view) are five cups. Typically a Korea tea fix has iii or 5 cups.

Notice there are non 4 cups. There are at to the lowest degree three reasons for fugitive the number four. The first reason is that the sound for the number 4 is the same as the sound for the discussion for "decease" in Chinese and those languages that have like roots similar Korean. Oftentimes hotels in Korea and Communist china utilize the letter F instead of the number 4 for the fourth flooring. So information technology could be bad luck to employ 4 cups. The 2nd reason, and for me the more interesting one, comes from Buddhism. If y'all were to serve tea to a unmarried guest you would use 3 cups. If you were serving tea to three guests you would utilise 5 cups. Therefore, you would take a cup for each of your guests and a cup for yourself. The remaining cup is for Buddha. The third reason is that if you are serving tea you often have two or 4 guests and the remaining cup is for yous. If y'all talk with tea connoisseurs y'all will likely get one or more of these answers for why Korean tea sets take either 3 or 5 cups.

Lets lookout man the video:

The video in summary:

1. Hot h2o is poured into the 'cooling teapot'.

2. The chapeau of the infusing teapot is removed and placed on the teapot lid stand.

three. Hot water is poured from the cooling teapot into the infusing teapot.

4. The lid is replaced onto the infusing teapot and hot water from the infusing teapot is poured into each of the cups until the hot water fills about ¾ of the cup.

This process is heating of the "cooling pot", teapot and teacups is a very of import step in preparing Korean tea. The standing catamenia of the tea's preparation was interrupted when a Korean watching the process suggested that someone should explain in English what was happening.

5. Hot water for the tea is poured into the cooling teapot.

6. Equally that water cools to the proper temperature, the server removes the lid from the infusing teapot and places it on the teapot lid stand. For nokcha or greenish tea, this water temperature is commonly between 60C-70C or 140F-158F. We oftentimes round 158F to 160F but my preference is 158F.

7. Then she took the tea caddy that contains the loose leaf tea into her hand, removed the hat and with a teaspoon placed 2 scoops of tea into the infusion teapot. She replaced the chapeau on the tea caddy and returned it to its spot.

8. Now she takes the cooling teapot containing the hot water and pours it into the infusing teapot. Returns the cooling teapot and places the chapeau on the infusing teapot.

nine. Grasping the white material in her hand she methodically empties the hot water from each of the now heated teacups into the waste water bowl. She wiped the baste of h2o from each cup in plough. The emptying of the water from each cup in turn provides infusion time for the tea.

A tea master knows precisely the amount of tea in relation to the size of the teapot and how long the tea should exist infused. In this example the teapot is relatively large, the amount of loose-leaf tea is not smashing for the size of the teapot. My guess is in that location are about 3g possibly 4g of tea in the infusing teapot. The length of time it took to empty the five cups was approximately one min. That is proper for this larger teapot with that amount of h2o and that amount of tealeaves for nokcha. Notice I didn't say it was "right" or "exactly right". The infusion of tea is an art not a scientific discipline. The human relationship between this item tea, the corporeality of tealeaves to book of water, water temperature and infusion fourth dimension are subjective and adult co-ordinate to the taste and experience of the i preparing and serving the tea. Some guidelines for infusing tea are appropriate such as don't utilize boiling water for green teas, keep the temperature for green teas lower than oxidized teas etc. But many factors are at play including of course the pick of water itself. How can I tell y'all precisely how to mash the perfect loving cup of generic green tea on a weblog post? There are only too many variables.

ten. Now the tea is infused. The tea preparer begins to cascade tea from the infusing teapot. Notice that near 1/3 of the tea for each cup is poured into each cup. This is repeated three times to insure that the contents of each participants cup is the same.

We accept seen the employ of a cooling vessel, infusing teapot and cups. Each was heated with hot water that was discarded. For me the warming of these items is essential for good tea.

In my listen, whatever part you think of equally ceremony or ritual is simply the efficient apply of time in preparing this tea properly. Tea masters consider this the Everyday Tea Anniversary. In any instance, the timing of this presentation was such every bit to efficiently absurd the water for nokcha and brew the tea using organized efficient steps. This is the way I brew tea for guests but I am not a tea chief, just a potter that enjoys a well brewed cup of tea.

The nifty Korean Buddhist tea principal Cho Ui in one case said simply, "Make tea and drink it." When preparing tea a Korean way, proceed these things in mind.

We are forming a group at present for Tea Tour Korea 2022 contact u.s.a. to learn more and to reserve your spot.