Gangneung Coffee Festival - PART I

Annyeonghaseyo!!! Sokyin is come back 😉😉😉

Do you love to drink coffee? If yes, there are a festival that gonna held at Gangneung in this coming October 2017. 

Gangneung Coffee Festival (강릉 커피축제) 

Gangneung Coffee Festival (강릉 커피축제) held its 1^st event in 2009 as part of project in making Gangneung, a city of coffee. This festival celebrates the emerging coffee culture of Gangneung-si, which in recent years has welcomed in famous coffee chains and artisan coffee shops. The festival celebrates the scenic city’s past and present culture with a variety of coffee-related events such as exhibitions, coffee-making and coffee bean-roasting experience programs. Coffee entrepreneurs can also sign up for on-site seminars about the coffee industry.

Date: 6-10 October 2017

Admission fees: Free (some programs may require a fee)

Address: 131, Nanseolheon-ro, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do

Transportation: From the Gangneung Intercity/ Express bus terminal, take bus 221. Get off at Anmok (the last stop) and walk to the festival grounds (10minutes walk)

Tea History in Gangneung and Trace of Heo Family

Historically, Gangneung is known as the town where people enjoyed drinking tea. The love of tea developed into interest in coffee, so the city has established its own coffee culture right now. Gangneung is the only city where keeps culture heritage site of tea culture.

Heo Gyun/Heo Nanseolheon Memorial Park

Heo Yeop-father/ Heo Seong, Heo Bong and Heo Gyun-sons/ Heo Nanseolheon-daughter that loved in Gangneung in 16^th centuy. They were talented in literature, so that people called them as 5 good writers in Heo family. Especially Heo Nanseolheon and Heo Gyun were outstanding. Heo Nanseolheon was a prominent female poet and produced 211 beautiful poems before she died at the age of 27. Heo Gyun was prominent Korean politician and poet, novelist and scholar. Heo Gyun is often credited as the author of the famous Korean story tale of “Hong Gildong” , which in many ways reflects his progressive thinking.

Heo family enjoyed drinking tea same as noble families in Joseon dynasty did. Especially Heo Gyun know how to appreciate arts was a tea lover and wrote many poems about tea.

Memorial park was built to commemorate these talented sister and brother in 2007. The park consists of birthplace of Heo Nanseolheon and Gyun, memorial hall and traditional tea experience centre.

Chohee traditional tea experience centre was named after Nanseolheon’s given name. Chohee. It opened in December 2012 and Korea Tea Culture Association members are promoting Korean tea culture and offering tea ceremony session to visitors.

During tea ceremony session, the instructor could explain the tea utensils such as tea kettle, tea cup, and so on. The instructor moves on teaching how to serve tea step by step from pre-heating the tea utensil to brewing the tea. The session is about 20-30 minutes and advised to make a reservation beforehand.

Address: 1-29, Nanseolheon -ro, 193 beon-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do

Operating hours: 9.00am ~ 6.00pm

Admission fees: Free (Tea ceremony experience 5,000 won)

Gangneung Chodang Dubu Village

Chodang Dubu Village (초당두부마을)

South of Gyeongpo beach is Chodang Dubu Village, which is famous for tofu. Along Gangneung’s most famous food street the beans are ground for Chodang tofu, then through several steps, salt water from the East sea is used in the congealing process resulting in a soft and light tofu.

The name of this village, Chodang , originates from the name of a famous person that lived here known as Chodang Heo Yeop. When Heo Yeop was a minister in Samcheok, he made a tofu with sea water of Gangneung and people complimented on tofu’s plain and savory taste. That is how it was given a name as Chodang, which is Heo Yeop’s pen name.

Address: 99, Chodangsundubu-gil, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do

【STAY TUNED PART 2! 】

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