Tea & dado
Eat & drink

Korean tea, slow afternoon

Twelve teas that grow up next to Korean coffee culture, seven hanok teahouses worth a long sit, and the six-step dado (다도) tasting if you want to do it properly.

Dado — Korean tea ritual in 6 steps

  1. 1
    Warm the cups
    Pour hot water into the pot and small cups, then discard — the cups are now warm to the touch.
  2. 2
    Measure tea
    1 teaspoon per cup. Korean tradition is generous but not heavy.
  3. 3
    First steep — "rinse"
    Pour hot (~80°C) water onto the leaves, swirl 5 seconds, pour off. This is for opening the leaves, not for drinking.
  4. 4
    Second steep — the cup
    Refill the pot, wait 1 min, pour into small cups (50ml).
  5. 5
    Drink in three sips
    First sip = aroma. Second = flavor. Third = aftertaste. Look at the cup, then up.
  6. 6
    Re-steep up to 5 times
    Each steep tastes different. Korean leaf teas reveal more on steeps 2–3 than the first.

Leaf teas

Green tea (Boseong / Hadong)

녹차
HotIced

Grassy, fresh, slight bitterness — Hadong green is more delicate than Japanese sencha.

Pair with
Yakgwa (honey cookie) · Patbingsu · Rice cakes

Antioxidant; afternoon focus.

Fruit teas

Omija (five-flavor berry)

오미자차
HotIced

Sweet + sour + salty + bitter + spicy in one sip — uniquely Korean.

Pair with
Songpyeon · Korean rice cake

Lung tonic in traditional medicine.

Yuja (yuzu) tea

유자차
HotIced

Honey-citrus syrup with rind suspended in the cup — like hot lemonade with bitter complexity.

Pair with
Pancake · Cold winter walks

Vitamin C; sore throat remedy.

Daechu (jujube) tea

대추차
Hot

Sweet, deep, almost date-like.

Pair with
Dasik (pressed tea cookies)

Comforting; sleep aid.

Maesil (green plum) tea

매실차
HotIced

Sour + sweet; aged-fermented plum syrup with water.

Pair with
Sashimi · Grilled fish

Digestion aid after a big meal.

Medicinal teas

Ginseng tea

인삼차
Hot

Earthy, slightly bitter, with floating ginseng strips. Often sweetened with honey.

Pair with
Yakgwa · After samgyetang

Energy; circulation.

Ginger tea (saenggang)

생강차
Hot

Spicy + warming; honey-thickened.

Pair with
Cold weather walks

Cold remedy.

Solomon's seal (dunggulle)

둥굴레차
HotIced

Mellow, nutty, slightly sweet — drinks like a smooth oolong.

Pair with
Pretty much anything

Anti-inflammatory.

Flower teas

Hibiscus tea

히비스커스차
HotIced

Tart, ruby-red.

Pair with
Light desserts

Blood pressure (mild).

Chrysanthemum tea

국화차
Hot

Floral, delicate, faintly sweet — small whole blossoms unfurl.

Pair with
Songpyeon · After heavy meals

Eyes / liver in TKM.

Grain teas

Barley tea (boricha)

보리차
HotIced

Mild, nutty, brown. The free "water" at most Korean restaurants.

Pair with
Anything Korean

Hydration; caffeine-free.

Corn-silk tea (oksusu)

옥수수수염차
HotIced

Sweet roasted-corn flavor.

Pair with
Cold cuts

Diuretic; popular in summer.

Teahouses worth a slow afternoon

O'sulloc Tea House (Myeong-dong)

Jung-gu, seoul

Modern flagship from Korea's biggest tea brand. Green-tea desserts + matcha tiramisu.

Signature
Hadong green-tea soft serve + green-tea roll cake
Cost / hours
₩8,000–18,000
Daily 10:00–22:00

Tax refund onsite for purchases > ₩30k.

Make a cab card →

Cha Masineun Tteul (Insadong)

Jongno, seoul

Hidden hanok teahouse off the main Insadong drag — wood-floor seating, scrolls on the wall.

Signature
Five-flavor omija + handmade rice cakes
Cost / hours
₩10,000–16,000
Daily 11:30–21:30

Find the alley behind Ssamzigil — easy to miss.

Make a cab card →

Tteul (Bukchon)

Jongno, seoul

Hanok teahouse with a small garden — instant photo spot.

Signature
Yujacha (yuzu tea) + dasik cookies
Cost / hours
₩9,000–15,000
Tue–Sun 11:00–22:00

Lines on weekends.

Make a cab card →

Beautiful Tea Museum + Cafe

Insadong, seoul

Museum-cafe combo. Browse 100+ tea cultures, then sit for a tasting flight.

Signature
Three-tea flight + dasik plate
Cost / hours
₩10,000–25,000
Daily 10:30–22:00

Reservation for the tea-ceremony class (English available).

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Mokyeon Ridge (Bukak)

Jongno, seoul

Garden teahouse on a hillside — wide views.

Signature
Boseong sencha + steamed mandu
Cost / hours
₩12,000–22,000
Wed–Sun 11:00–18:00

Reservation recommended; small.

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O'sulloc Tea Museum (Seogwang Tea Plantation)

Jeju, jeju

Walk through O'sulloc's actual green-tea fields — the original. Adjoining tea house.

Signature
Field-side green-tea ice cream
Cost / hours
₩10,000–20,000
Daily 09:00–18:00

40 min drive from Jeju City — pair with Aewol coast.

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Jeonju Hanok Tea Room

Hanok Village, jeonju

Wood-and-paper-screen teahouse inside the hanok village — close to Gyeonggijeon Shrine.

Signature
Daechu (jujube) tea + sample plate of 4 traditional cookies
Cost / hours
₩8,000–14,000
Daily 10:00–21:00

Authentic, mid-range price.

Make a cab card →