Of all my travels for NBC, the trip to Korea is one of the most memorable— both for the destination and the friends we met along the way. In this segment, we tell the story of Korea’s Tea industry. The country produces some of the best green teas in the world and here, tea is not just a beverage, it’s a cultural experience.
From Busan, we traveled by car about three hours to the stunning mountain region of Handong. It’s a charmingly rustic and rural area where green tea fields line a narrow valley that climb up the steep mountainsides.
Cat Greenleaf guest hosted this episode and to be her guide for the day, we chose Korean actor and popstar Tae Kyung Im (TK), winner of Korean’s version of ‘American Idol.’
Tea culture in Korea dates back centuries and in Hadong, farming is still done the old fashioned way. From picking the leaves to roasting, it’s all done by hand.
We put TK and Cat to work in the fields and after, arranged for them to be part of a traditional Korean Tea Ceremony, or ‘Dado,’ at a nearby temple.
Dado is a Korean word literally meaning “the way of tea” and it involves a series of intricate steps that is meant to not only help enjoy the beverage, but also to help one meditate and clear the mind from the worries of the day.
One of my favorite scenes is when Cat emerges for the ceremony in a Korean Hanbok, a traditional ceremonial dress designed especially for her and the event.
It was a long production day and we raced daylight to finish but the final shots of the tea ceremony are incredible.