Seogwipo meditation library with Hallasan bamboo grass tea: Egatot

Egatot Library is a Jeju bookshop tea house where you can read books and the forest together.

I visited Egatot Library, the quietest and most beautiful space in Jeju! The weather suddenly turned cloudy that day... classic moody Jeju weather, sob. I made my way through the fog to Egatot Library.

Where do you park for Egatot Library?

For Egatot Library, park at Parking Lot 1 or 2 and walk just a little. There is no parking beyond Lot 2, so don't drive any further in.

I came here for Egatot Library, but Egatot Wellness Village also has Egatot Cabin and the Egatot Wellness Center. "Egatot" (egattoc) is "cottage" spelled backwards, symbolizing the little cabin in the woods that everyone carries in their heart 🛖

Even the short five-minute walk to the library feels natural. Egatot really is a place of nature. Past the information booth, you'll see Egatot Library right away. The village is full of plants you only find in Jeju and has a strongly Jeju feel. The 2nd floor is the Egatot Wellness Center and the 1st floor is Egatot Library.

How do seating and reservations work at Egatot Library?

Egatot Library splits seating into reservation-only solo seats (tea ceremony or fermented sparkling tea, at 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00) and regular seats with no reservation (matcha latte, Gungjeong pu-erh ripe tea, handmade kombucha). It calls itself a forest meditation library, and there was a notice like this at the entrance.

A time of your own: slow down your pace of life, awaken senses numbed by repetitive days, and focus on yourself. Choose silence over conversation, and enter quietly!

• If you arrive while the tea guidance is underway, just wait for a moment
• Solo seats: tea ceremony / fermented sparkling tea, reservation only at 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00
• The tea ceremony guidance starts on the hour, and you can arrive up to 30 minutes after the hour for it
• Regular seats: matcha latte / Gungjeong pu-erh ripe tea / handmade kombucha, no reservation needed
• Regular seats are the central 6-person table or the 2-person window table on the left

I chose the solo tea ceremony seat, a tea ceremony course you can use for 1 hour 50 minutes.

I swapped my shoes for slippers and finally went in! The slippers felt nice, too. They also sell the tea ware, aroma oils and other items engraved with the Egatot symbol that the library uses.

Peaceful music was playing in a very still space, so I walked carefully while taking photos. It's a Jeju bookshop tea house that makes your mind feel zen.

Solo seats: grass view or basalt view

The solo seats included in the Egatot Library tea course face the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the seats are spaced so far apart that the space really feels like yours alone.

Some seats look out on lush grass and others on exposed concrete and Jeju basalt, so you can pick a solo seat to your taste. I love green, so of course I picked the grass view!

Regular seats are the 2-person window seats or the central 6-person table. The central table was roomy and nice too, with a view of the whole library. Now that I had a seat, shall we go pick a book? 📚

What books are on Egatot Library's book-swap shelves?

Egatot Library's curated shelves are divided into eight categories: body / mind / learning / career / relationships / spirituality / finance / environment, and you can pick any book you like. The shelves are full of traces left by some 2,000 travelers to Jeju, who read the book that fit their worries and moments and then returned it.

People these days call it a book swap! I'd always wanted to try a book swap with a friend, and here I am doing it at Egatot. (They ask that you not underline or write notes in the books.)

There were so many good books that I agonized over browsing and choosing. I was happy to find lots of books I'd wanted to read and ones I'd enjoyed.

I also read the artwork and its descriptions that carry the spirit of Egatot. The line saying Egatot Library is not a place that gives answers but a place where thoughts get sorted stayed with me for a long time. The sentence about offering an order you can dwell in rather than erasing confusion was lovely too.

How does the tea ceremony at Egatot Library work?

At Egatot Library's tea ceremony, they explain how to brew tea step by step on the hour, then you choose one of five teas and they bring the tea set to your seat. Even if you don't know how to brew tea, they walk you through it, so beginners can come without worry.

They said drinking tea while meditating is a time to align body and mind and revive your senses in this very moment. The tools were a dawan (tea bowl), teacup, strainer, gongdobae (fairness pitcher) and toesugi (waste water bowl).

The first brew is called ssitcha (a rinse infusion). When you put leaves in the dawan and pour water, you pour it onto the wall of the bowl, not directly onto the tea. Filling the dawan once is called one tang, and they said you can do eight to ten tang in total. The tea they brewed for the demonstration that day was old-tree black tea.

Now you choose a tea you like from five: old-tree white tea / old-tree black tea / Hallasan native bamboo grass / Hadong (Gyeongnam) sejak green tea / hojicha, and they bring it to your seat. I picked Hallasan native bamboo grass, which I'd never tried, and my partner picked old-tree white tea.

After a short wait they bring the tea set to your seat, so you just sit back and enjoy the tea time!

What does Hallasan bamboo grass tea taste like?

According to Egatot Library's tea description, Hallasan native bamboo grass grows in Jeju's clean wind and fog, so it carries a fresh, refreshing energy with no off flavors. It's described as having a herbal nuance that cleanses the mouth, with a clean, soft sweetness lingering, suited to a light daily reset that settles body and mind. They say it can be a breath-catching cup when you feel a headache or deep fatigue.

The sweets served with it were really good too. The brown jelly tasted a bit like chestnut? The yellow jelly was lemon, and above all the orange jelly with the flavor of hallabong (Jeju citrus) peel had great depth. Now let's start brewing the tea for real!

The back of the tea description card has the brewing method, so it's fine even if you forget the explanation. Tea time is a quiet time for meeting yourself.

Drinking the clear tea really did calm and settle my body and mind. I'd left home at dawn and rushed around for the flight, but my tense body loosened, and my stomach, bloated from overeating at lunch, felt comfortable again.

My partner's pick: old-tree white tea

Old-tree white tea is a premium white tea made from just one bud and one leaf of old-tree tea leaves. The description said the naturally dried leaves keep their taste and aroma, which is soft and clear like a flower blooming under gentle moonlight; the sweetness and apricot scent spreading in the mouth are light and elegant, while the vitality typical of old-tree tea lingers on the tip of the tongue. They recommend it as a cup to wash the mind on a morning when sunlight spreads softly.

A time of ease for body and mind in front of a misty green forest.

Books I read at Egatot Library

After brewing and drinking tea for a while, I started reading in earnest. The first book I picked was Markus Gabriel's "Why the World Does Not Exist" (『왜 세계는 존재하지 않는가』). It's a popular philosophy book summarizing his lectures, so it's not too hard to read.

I didn't have time to finish it, so I also brought picture books like "City Crocodile" (『도시 악어』), "Lydia's Garden" (『리디아의 정원』) and "Walden" (『월든』). "City Crocodile" was one I especially wanted to read, so I grabbed it right away! I'd wanted to read "Walden" as a novel, but even as a picture book,, and in "City Crocodile" the pictures were really striking, not just the text.

The restroom is also very spacious and pleasant. The 1 hour 50 minutes flew by, and I was so sad to leave Egatot Library.

Is the forest trail at Egatot Library worth walking?

I was told there's a forest trail outside Egatot Library, so after the tea ceremony I took a light walk in the forest. It was a rainy-cloud day, but the forest was pleasant. Walking calmly along the forest path for a while, I felt like I could feel the phytoncides from the forest on my skin.

From the way there to the interior and the outdoor trail, Egatot Library felt Jeju through and through. I really recommend it to anyone looking for a Jeju bookshop tea house. I hope you leave your busy daily life behind, arrive in Jeju and have a restful time at Egatot!