Thursday, January 30, 2014

Smoked black tea in Tieris





January 24, 2014

This is a tea room called Tieris(티에리스 in Korean). I went there last Friday night after work to round off a long week.


It is hidden in a residential area in Bangbae-dong, the southern part of Seoul, but quite popular among black tea lovers. The place is small with less than 10 tables.


This tea room has a selection of black tea from tea farms all around the world. I had a hot pot of Lapsang souchong black tea for the day. The tea, originating from China and widely known as the world's first black tea, has a unique smoky flavor. Its leaves are smoke-dried on fires, which gives it another name the smoked tea.

The taste was quite different from other black teas I used to have, but not in a bad way.
I would like to try it again some other time.


I had the tea with home-made scones served with jam and clotted cream. I heard their pound cake is also tasty. Next time I will try an afternoon tea set.

@ Tieris, Seoul


























How to get to Tieris

456-2, Bangbae-dong, Seoul

The nearest subway stations are Chongshin Univ.(or Isu) on line #4 and #7 and Sadang on line #2 and #4.
The tea house is located between these two stations.
It is behind the Bangbae Police Station building, so you will easily find it.



Thursday, January 23, 2014

Winter walking in Buam-dong



January 22, 2014

I had a day off from my work, so I decided to go see some piled snow. Actually, I wanted to go to my hometown PyeongChang since it had quite heavy snow days earlier. However, it takes 5~6 hours to travel back and forth by bus from Seoul, for which I did not have enough time. 





The alternative place that came across my mind was a small valley called Baeksasil Valley(백사실계곡 in Korean). It is located in a district of Buam-dong(부암동 in Korean), the northern part of Seoul. 







The district has recently become one of the hot spots in Seoul thanks to its pretty alleys and trendy cafes. It is also a popular location for filming TV shows like Coffee Prince. It is a good place for walking, photographing and dating. 









The valley still had some snow, but not that much as I expected. It was so quiet that I could hear the water below the frozen surface trickling along the stream. 












Beautiful scenery around!














I stopped by a cafe called Art for Life on my way back. The cafe is a popular destination for its gardens and classical music. I had a hot cup of Earl Grey black tea and enjoyed the music for a little while.  

How to get to Buam-dong

Address
  1. 145, Changuimun-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea

Transportation
The nearest subway station is Gyeongbokgung on Line #5. Get out of the station through exit #3 and walk straight and you'll see a bus station. Take the green bus #1020, #7022, or #7012 and get off at Buam-dong Community Center(부암동 주민센터 in Korean). It takes around 15 minutes by bus.