Top 5 Places to Enjoy Traditional Korean Tea ‘Ssanghwa-cha’

Photo by Doongji Ssanghwa-cha

Ssanghwa-tang (쌍화탕) is a traditional Korean tea that has a dark brown color with a bitter taste. The tea is made from a number of medical herbs including dried roots of white woodland peony, rehmannia, lovage, Chinese cassia barks (cinnamon), Mongolian milkvetch (astragalus propinquus), Korean angelica (angelica gigas) and Chinese liquorice.

In the modern day, many people buy it as a pre-made tea. It is called Ssanghwa-cha (쌍화차). ‘Cha’ means ‘tea’ in Korean.

5 Things to Know about Korean Ssanghwa-cha

Photo by Google

1. Ssanghwa means “to unite with each other”, “to pair with each other to make up energy” or “the unity of yin and yang”.
2. Ssanghwa-cha is a traditional herbal medicine that has been widely used for thousands of years, especially during the Joseon Dynasty, to treat infirmity, relieve fatigue, and facilitate recovery after an illness.
3. We sometimes describe them as “Europe’s Vin Chaud, Korea and the East’s Ssanghwa-cha”
4. Depending on your taste and style, Ssanghwa-cha can add walnuts, pine nuts, ginko nuts and eggs.
5. Ssanghwa can also be used for cooking pork. It helps a lot when getting rid of the unpleasant smell and taste of the meat.

Top 5 Places to Enjoy Traditional Korean Tea ‘Ssanghwa-cha’ in Korea

These are the local choices of Ssanghwa-cha from all around Korea. Hope you enjoy these when you travel to Korea! ????

1. Doongji Traditional Tea House (둥지) – Jeollabuk-do

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???? What’s the meaning behind the name ‘Doongji?
✅ ‘Doongji’ means “(bird’s) nest.”

???? What’s the price of Ssanghwa-cha?
✅ KRW 7,000

???? What’s special about this place?

✅ You can taste the authentic Ssanghwa-cha here. It is full of ginkgo nuts, walnuts, pine nuts, and more. It feels almost like a meal.
✅ The building’s interior is interesting as it is built of ocher and stone. You can also explore various souvenirs, such as Korean paper crafts.

????What are some popular menus to try on?
✅ Ssanghwa-cha (쌍화차), Lotus leaf tea (연잎차), Omija tea (Schisandra tea or Magnolia Berry tea; 오미자차)

????Where is it?
????168, Cheongja-ro, Jinseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea

????N/A

2. Jeongeup Ssanghwa-cha Street – Jeollabuk-do

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Jeongeup Ssanghwa-cha Street

???? What’s ‘Jeongeup Ssanghwa-cha Street’?
✅ ‘Jeongeup’ is a city in North Jeolla Province that has Naejang-mountain National Park. The ‘Jeongeup Ssanghwa-cha Street’ is located in downtown Jeongeup, and it runs from the Jeongeup Police Station to the Jeongeup Tax Office. This Ssanghwatang specialized street has around 10 large and small Ssanghwa-cha tea houses that are older than 30 years old.

????Where is it?
????157, Jungang 1-gil, Jeongeup-si, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea

3. Suyeonsanbang (수연산방) – Seoul

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Photo by Esquire Korea

???? What’s the meaning behind the name ‘Suyeonsanbang’?
✅ ‘Suyeonsanbang’ means “a house in the mountains where writers gather.”

???? What’s the price of Ssanghwa-cha?
✅ KRW 11,500

???? What’s special about this place?

✅ This traditional tea house is one of the most popular ones in Korea. It is located near the foot of Mount Bukak. You can truly enjoy the calm and peaceful ambience of the place.
✅ Suyeonsanbang is used to be the place where Korean novelist Lee Tae-joon (1904-1978) lived. Now this cafe is run by his granddaughter as a tea house. He earned the nickname “Guy de Maupassant of the Joseon Dynasty” for his remarkable level of novel completion and is widely regarded as the “perfection of Korean modern day short stories.”

????What are some popular menus to try on?
✅ Ssanghwa-cha (쌍화차), Sweet pumpkin porridge (Danhobakjuk; 단호박죽), Sweet pumpkin snowflakes (Danhobakbingsu; 단호박빙수)

????Where is it?
????8, Seongbuk-ro 26-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea

????N/A

4. Sangjin Dabang (상진다방) – Seoul

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???? What’s the meaning behind the name ‘Sangjin Dabang’?
✅ ‘Sangjin’ seems like the name of the person. ‘Dabang’ refers to the traditional Korean coffee and tea house. There are not many Dabangs anymore in Korea, but some are still preserved. The peak of the Dabang was around the 1960s to 1980s, when not only the artists and elites but also the normal people gathered around to have coffee, tea, and talk.

???? What’s the price of Ssanghwa-cha?
✅ KRW 5,000

???? What’s special about this place?

✅ Some series of the Korean reality/variety show broadcast called “Hangout with Yoo (놀면뭐하니)” were filmed here. You can feel the authentic vibes from there!
✅ You can enjoy the real vibes of Dabang. From the old leather sofa to the radio, you can trave inl time.
✅ They serve more of the simpler and easy-to-drink version of Ssanghwa-cha, so the beverage price is much more reasonable compared to the other ones we introduced.

????What are some popular menus to try on?
✅ Ssanghwa-cha (쌍화차), squeezed arrowroot juice (칡즙)

????Where is it?
????9, Dorim-ro 133-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea

????N/A

5. Saesoli Mulsoli (새소리 물소리) – Suburbs of Seoul, Gyeonggi-do

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???? What’s the meaning behind the name ‘Saesoli Mulsoli’?
✅ “The sound of the birds, the sound of the water”

???? What’s the price of Ssanghwa-cha?
✅ KRW 11,000

???? What’s special about this place?

✅ The cafe used to be the Korean Traditional House (“Hanok”) for more than 100 years, and then it transformed into a tea cafe.
✅ There is a small pond inside of the cafe where you can enjoy the scenery and the sound of water.

????What are some popular menus to try on?
✅ Ssanghwa-cha (쌍화차), Sweet red bean soup (Danpatjuk; 단팥죽), red bean snowflakes (Patbingsu; 팥빙수)

????Where is it?
????10, Oyanam-ro 38beon-gil, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea

????instagram.com/saesoli_mulsoli