A New Starbucks-Like Teahouse : Seomyeon

A rather excellent teahouse has opened up right in the center at the heart of Busan's downtown area of Someyeon! It's called Hyung-Cha 향차 or Scent of Tea and its 2 doors down from the Seomyeon Rotary intersection.

It has been said that many of the teahouses in Someyeon tend be rather small cramped and crowded But this one is an exception ! Its style is very Starbucks like in its atmosphere and front counter. 

  Much like Starbucks the menu is up on the wall behind the counter and they offer a wide variety of tea infused drinks. I highly recommend their Oolong Latte although it is also possible to get tea 'straight up' as well. 

 The teahouse is easy to get to : Just come up from the Someyeon Subway station Exit 11. As you come up from the underground do not U-turn, do not cross any streets : Just walk 2 doors straight around the curvy corner and you'll see...

Straight ahead the green red and black sign and there, on the ground floor Hyung-Cha ! There's lots of seats and a great place to meet! Best Wishes and Stay Steeped! --M.W.T.

Someyeon's Vegetarian Tea House DaJeon 다전

 5 Years ago I was wandering around Busan's busy downtown area Someyeon when to my surprise I happened upon a sign for a traditional teahouse. The sign was small and the tea house on the 4th floor. Upon ascending the flights of stairs I came to the 4th floor which was essentially the roof ! On the roof was a house which was the DaJeon tea house. Da Jeon in English is Tea Field (They used the Chinese characters).

The tea house has been there for many years now and although hard to find, is quite popular with Busan's vegans in the know as it has a very delicious vegetarian menu. While quieter on the weekdays, there is a steady flow of patrons on the weekends.

Essentially, there are two ways to get there :
The more complicated way is by heading behind the Lotte Department store in Someyeon until you arrive at the intersection pictured at left. There's a Pizza Hut and further down a Tom and Tom's coffee.
Go down the street further from the Pizza Hut to the Tom and Toms and keep going down. Eventually on your left you'll come to a WaBar

 This is a view of the earlier mentioned intersection facing towards the Lotte Dept.Store. The Nike and the Apple Store. From the Lotte you'll pass these stores and be facing the Pizza Hut which is across from these two.

 After the Pizza Hut, on the left a blurry Tom & Toms. Keep going down until you see the WaBar on your right.

Here's entrance to the  tea house. Not much for signage. These stairs are to the right of the much easier to spot WaBar.

 See here? To the right of the WaBar is a green sign that says 다전 4F.

 The second and much easier way to get to the teahouse is to start before the famous (and much easier to find) Pagoda Hagwon. Next to it on the first floor is a cellphone store and a side street. Across the small side street is ...

*ahem* here is the cellphone store and the side street. Looking more to the right across the side street you'll see....

 Dunkin' Donuts. Go between the cellphone store and Dunkin Donuts

 down the narrow street to the next intersection where you'll discover :

 The WaBar mentioned before and the 다전 sign.

 Up, up on the 4th floor you'll find plenty of seats.

 Here's part of the menu in Korean and English !

 A fine spread indeed! Their BiBimBap was excellent!

We ordered the Pumpkin Latte and their Green Tea Latte. Their Pumpkin Latte was very smooth indeed!
They also have various herbal teas on the menu.
Now you can count yourself as another 'in the know' as it is a rather hard to find tea house tucked in on the 4th floor up above several bars.

Someyeon's Busiest Teahouse

Located in the heart of Busan, in the bustling downtown area of Someyeon, 내고형전통찻집 Nae Ko Hyung Jun Tong Chat Chip: My Hometown Traditional Teahouse is one of the busiest teahouses in Busan. There is a constant, steady flow of patrons all day and on into the night there. Here's a brief tour of what you'll find:

Plenty of seating options: booths, chairs, awesome swivel chairs and a tatami flooring area (you can see the shoes off step in the picture).

All of the teas served here very fresh with strong flavors. It is easy to see why this is the busiest teahouse in Busan second only to Hanabang behind Lotte Dept.Store. NaeKoHyung is famous for their Omejacha (5 flavors tea) pictured here ask for it cold in summer. If you don't specify it may come hot or cold depending on the server ! ;-) The servers wear hanbok @ this place ! It is very traditional (It is near cluttered with antiques all over the place) and popular with the Buddhist monks of the Busan area.

This teahouse is located near Yonggwang Bookstore. (The bookstore across the busy street infront of Lotte Dept.Store in Someyeon). Next to Yonggwang is a bank across the small oneway street next to the bank is a small bakery. On the 2nd floor above the bakery you'll see a green sign that says 내고형전통찻집 and that's where you'll find one of, if not the best, teahouse in Busan.

A Fine Bowl of the Green in Someyeon

Back in the 1200s green tea was drunken in powdered form, in bowls, wisked to a froth with a bamboo wisk. This occurred in China, Korea and Japan. At the end of the 1200s the mongols invaded, somehow wiping out this tea culture. As the mongols weren't able to successfully invade Japan, it survived there, later becoming the Japanese tea ceremony.
In Japanese and English it is called Matcha, in Korean its Malcha 말차. In Busan today, there are two places that serve green tea that way, the best of which is in Someyeon at a place called DaSoul.
SAs you can see on the map here DaSoul is located next to the McDonalds and the public library. To get there, take the street between The Burger King and the underground McDonalds heading away from the underground shopping mall street.

Heading down that street will lead you to this corner. On the left is the police station and the library. On the right, blood donation and photos. DaSoul is in that building on the 2nd floor. To the right you'll see the sign.

This is the enterance to the Zen garden that is Da Soul.

Inside you'll see there are plenty of seats. This teahouse is always busy.

As you can see here, my friend Will enjoying his tea. I quite often bring my friends here for tea as everyone always has a great time. Japanese Matcha is quite strong in flavor as you are consuming the entire leaf of the tea in your bowl opposed to infused teas. These days many Korean companies are making their own powdered green teas as the Matcha market is greatly expanding.

My main recommendation for this place is their Malcha Shake as it is called,  which is essentially a Matcha Affogato : Powdered green tea whisked to a froth with a pad of sherbert ice cream ! An awesome innovation to the Song Dynasty green tea. If you like you can simply order the Malcha and have it without the icecream the way the Goryeo dynasty Yangban used to.
Open from 12 till 12 they offer a wide variety of the traditional Korean teahouse teas but are known for their Matcha or Malcha as it is called here in Korea.

Someyeon's 오!자네왔는가 Oh! Janae Watnunga or Oh! You came!

So far the count is 5 teashops in Someyeon. 2 close to the Lotte Department store (the old coffeeshop like 하나방 and the rooftop house beside Wabar 다전) and 3 near Judies TaeHwa (the one with well blended fruit teas 행복한 찻집, the zen garden like 다소울 and finally the very old style Korean 오!자네왔는가. Do see the Busan Tea Cozies Facebook site: The discussion section has turned into a database on teahouse locations and each places' menu items.

Sadly I didn't take any interior pics, you'll just have to see this place for yourself. There's the low style Korean ondol seats by the window and also several tables with chairs to sit at. This place has it all.
This place is on the same street as the previously reviewed Happy Teahouse/행복한 찻집. To get to Oh! You came, start at the above ground McDonalds, near Dunkin Donuts and the 2F Outback steakhouse. Walk to the Burger King restaurant. In the same block of the BurgerKing, across from Judies Tae-Hwa you'll see what is pictured above: a pharmacy. With your back to this drugstore you'll see what's in the next picture.

 Tada! On the 3rd floor above the foodstand Dokpoki/Odang shop you'll see Oh! You came.
Their menu is all in Korean so I'll take you through it. It is divided into several sections. With several green teas and a large Chinese tea section they also have several unique flower teas: 새싹감잎차: SaeSak: baby, Kamip: persimmon leaf, Cha: tea, 민들레차: dandelion tea.
They also have 목련차/magnolia tea and 수국차/hydrangea flower tea. All of which I have yet to try. This place is worth several visits indeed. As I make menu discoveries at this place I shall post it to the Facebook site so stay tuned to there too.
They are open daily from 12am to 12pm great if you're in the Someyeon area and have just finished work, or if not a good place to drop by on the weekend. Pictured below is the 대추차 I ordered. It came with a side dish of shelled sunflower seeds. The dim lighting in the evening is great for settling down before heading home. Not so great for interior pictures though. They do sell some tea items including the 홍화차 I'd mentioned in another earlier post.
Wishing you a pleasant evening and a wonderful time in touring the teashops.  Till next time, stay steeped. M.T.

Mummy Flower Tea: The Rise of The Bastard Saffron.

 홍화차 Hong-hwa cha or red flower tea. I picked it up from a tea vendor in the narrow crowded streets where Kukjae market turns into Jalgachi. All it said was 호화차 and nothing more. I bought it and brought it home to discover its wonders.
The red flowers when steeped for a mere 30 seconds brings forth a rather strong  amber tea. It had a flavor like lemon peel without the sour bitterness with a light pure honey aftertaste.

My wife and I quickly employed the tea in our meal and soon discovered it easily took away  the onioney aftertaste of Chinese our food. It was quite remarkable in that it removed the onion after taste quite easily while leaving only this gentle honey flavor in its place.

Consulting one of my teabooks I discovered this red flower was "Safflower"or Carthamus Tinctotrius. 새플라워 in the Korean. I then learned that in the culinary arts this flower is often referred to as bastard saffron as it is often used as a cheaper saffron. The book also stated that the rags used to wrap mummies was colored using Safflower giving the mummies wrappings a slightly yellow color  According to Wikipedia however, these flowers were used to form a lovely garland for King Tutankhamun. Later this week I'll try mixing some into my rice.

The flowers in dried form look alot like the near microscopic shrimp you get as a sidedish when you have dweji gookbap as you can see above. This flower tea is rather quite common, they sell it in Nampodong as well as in Someyeon's 오!자네왔는가 teahouse. A particular teahouse I shall be visiting again tomorrow and reviewing for you with menu assistance notes later this week. Till then, stay steeped.

(The book referred to in this article: 차 수첩 by 사쿠야마 와카코 translated by 우제열 part of the 구르메 수첩 series by 우듬지 press ISBN 978-89-91292-67-3 13590).

Someyeon's 하나방(One room or space)

Located right behind Someyeon's Lotte Department store, this teahouse is rather quite easy to get to. Beside the store there's a street with food stands. Go straight down that one away from the hustle and bustle of the street with all the busses and stuff. You'll come to a tiny triangle where alot of adjulshis hang out smoking and chatting. Right next to the triangle is 하나방. 전통다원 means traditional tea house.

(This picture below was taken from the triangle 'park' right behind Lotte Dept.Store in Someyeon).

This particular time I ordered a 대나무 잎차. Daenamoo means bamboo and Ip cha means leaf tea. The tea comes in a little infusing bowl and looks alot like chives the way its all sliced up. Just add water to the bowl and put the lid back on. Then pour it through the filter into your little glass bowl. Bamboo leaf tea has a very subtle taste indeed. I recommend it during those dry weather yellow sand days. Some may argue that this tea is rather weak and impossible to ever make strong. Such is a valid arguement against this tea.
At Hanabang they do have the more fruitful 5 flavors tea 오미자차(Omejacha) and a very fine 대추차 (Jujube/Plum tea). They also have Pu'er/Boey Cha 보이차.

  The more popular tea here at Hanabang is their 대추차/Dae-choo cha. Daechoocha is made from jujubes otherwise known as plums. At Hanabang they give you a big cup of it and it is quite good. Their menu is divided into several sections: 보약차 or medicinal teas (there's that 약 word again!). 주국차: Chinese teas. 꽃차 flower teas (they have 2: rose 장미 and 국화 chrysanthemum). They have a section of summer specials: 여름별미 like Patbingsoo, ice coffee etc. Then there's their 잔통차 or traditional teas.

 Hanabang's interior is the ultimate in comfy cozy with plenty of seats. They also have amazing paintings all around. Near the counter they sell incense, some of which is of the kind you'd find in the temples around town. While there are others with more gentle scents there.
Many of us foreigners hang out at the Coffee Bean and Leaf in Someyeon, it is especially warm and cozy during the summer months. Well, a very fine alternative is Hanabang. It's all about knowing what to order, and I do hope I have been of some service.
Hanabang's hours are awesome:  Open 7days a week 10am-11pm.
Next time around I'll review more of their teas. But, alas this afternoon I'm off to another more old school teahouse, also in the Someyeon area. Stay tuned to channel T for more. Till then, stay steeped!