KMK: Jeju Island O’Sulloc Tea Museum

A few months ago in Seoul Ian and I popped into a nearby tea house after a meal of shabu shabu. I thought we were just grabbing a quick cup of tea. Never did I realize that we’d be entering a tranquil zen garden of contemplation. That’s what it felt like entering O’Sulloc tea house in Myeong Dong, so you can just imagine what the O’Sulloc Tea Museum in Jeju must be like.

KICK ASS KOREA reason 9

The museum was founded in 2001. There are three tea gardens in Jeju. The museum stands surrounded by meticulously cultivated rows of tea bushes. Each stand about knee high. The museum itself is a modern structure of glass and stone that blends right into the natural beauty of the area. Outside there is a little park with a swining bridge and a staute of Seo Sung-Hwan who was the first owner of the company. Before him there weren’t any tea gardens in Jeju. He wanted Korea to join the other nations of the world in producing world class quality tea.

Inside the museum you can discover the origins of tea in Korea as well as view the process of growing and harvesting the tea leaves. There are also exhibits of tea cups from around the world alongside tea cups from Korea’s Goryeo period which was before the Joeson Dynasty.

No museum would be complete with out a gift store and O’Sulloc is no exception. They offer up a variety of products far outside the expected blends of tea. You can purchase shampoos, lotions, facial creams, and perfumes all made from extracts of O’Sulloc’s tea leaves. You can also buy the dishware and utensils to brew and serve your own tea at home. The blends of hand for purchase include herb, mint, orange black, candy black tea, tropical dream tea and wedding dream tea as well as many others.  We sampled a tea brewed from the youngest leaves harvested from the gardens. I’m not really a fan of green teas, but it was surprisingly not bitter and actually kind of refreshing.

Opening hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April to August. The museum closes at 5 p.m. from September to March. Admission is free. Tea classes must be reserved in advance. The museum is located an approximate 50-minute drive from the airport. For more information call (064) 794-5312 or visit www.sulloc.co.kr