Story Of Hadong
Early 2024, an exciting collaboration around artisanal Korean teas began between Antea Social and Saero Collective began as the two brands visited Hadong, famous for its wild tea farms. Located down south of the peninsula in South Gyeongsang province, Hadong is nestled within the rolling mountains of Jirisan, the highest mountain on South Korea’s mainland.
To the locals, Jirisan is known as the grandmother mountain, with its wide range spanning across three different provinces, enveloping all the local villages like a warm embrace. Located near Seomjingang River and Hwagaecheon Stream, the wild tea farms in Hadong have foggy, humid conditions and a wide daily temperature range, making it optimal for tea growing.
Every year, when its harvest season in March, local grandmothers carefully hand-pick the tea leaves on the difficult terrain of Jirisan’s cliffs. Due to its wild nature, Hadong teas are not easily available in the markets outside South Korea due to limited production.
Run by family-owned farmers who have been friends for decades, Hadong is made of a close-knitted tea-loving community which welcomed us warmly. By spending time with the local tea farmers in Hadong, personal and intimate stories were shared over many cups of tea.
4 different Korean teas, all made with native ingredients from Hadong and the neighbouring villages will be released.
Our Tea Makers
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Mr Gu believes that his green tea captures all of Nature’s good energy in a cup. Dedicating his entire life to cultivating tea, he is always found deep within the slopes of his farm; planting young trees with his bare hands, cutting and tending to tea plants, or simply enjoying a cup of tea on a picnic mat under the skies. He is extremely aware and appreciative of what nature has given him. Despite decades in the tea business, he believes there is no limit to learning in life and one must always be open to embrace new ways.
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Taking over the tea farms from her grandmother, Ms Ha is the youngest of tea farm owners in Hadong. Running a modern glass teahouse high in the mountains of Jirisan, she exudes a calm and quiet confidence as she shares about the habit of drinking boricha daily and the health benefits of mint tea. Ms Ha takes great pride in continuing her grandmother’s business producing high quality tea while hoping to modernise the tea experience for the next generation.
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Ms Lee speaks warmly about how everything in her teas come from her own plantation or around the neighbouring villages of Gurye and Namhae. An unforgettable fragrance of yuja, pear and citron bursts into the room as she brews a fresh pot of tea. Passion is seen in Ms Lee’s eyes as she explains the unique process of aging tea for 3 months in the yuja peel which gives the tea a natural rich flavour, made from all the local produce from the region.
