Meet Andy Yoon from South Korea, the visionary behind Bar Tea Scent, a unique establishment in the heart of Seoul’s Gangnam district dedicated to the art of tea mixology. Andy is not only a renowned bartender but also a consultant at his agency, ABC Laboratory, and a brand ambassador for Kennedy House Spirits (KHS), a local liquor importer in South Korea.
Andy Yoon.
Following the success of Bar Tea Scent, Andy expanded his creative horizons by opening several other conceptual bars, including Bar Geranium, Calvados Garden, Gallery Bar Ebb & Flow, and the Truffle di Alba Italian restaurant. Bar Tea Scent is renowned for offering an immersive and sensory journey. Guests can indulge in a five-course tea omakase, which begins with ceremonial matcha and concludes with lapsang souchong-infused scotch. The bar also features a selection of tea-infused spirits available by the glass or bottle, rare single-origin teas, tea-infused bar food, and an array of signature tea cocktails that can be crafted with or without alcohol. Among the most popular cocktails are the “Garden Mist” with Silver Needle White tea, “Mountain Fog” with Da Hong Pao Oolong tea, and “Rain Drop” with Yunnan Pu’er tea.
In this interview, we delve into Andy’s expertise and passion for tea mixology, exploring his creative process and the unique experiences he offers at his bars.
- Can you introduce yourself to our readers and share with us a bit about how you got started and what inspired you to transition from traditional bartending to opening a tea-focused bar in Seoul?
Andy: My name is Andy Yoon, and my first bar experience happened when I was 16. Back then, I was a minor so not legal to drink, but my mother who was an avid cocktail drinker secretly took me to a cocktail bar in South Korea during my summer vacation of high school. I instantly fell in love with the culture, so I began working at a local craft cocktail bars in South Korea. As I built up my experience as a bartender at various bars, (Vault +82, The Mixology, Lupin, JW Marriot Griffin Bar) I heard that Simone Caporale, Alex Kratena and Monica Berg from the Taxonomy Team (Sips Barcelona & Tayer Elementary London) would be consulting and opening a cocktail bar at L’Escape Hotel in South Korea. I immediately applied for a bartender position there, so I was fortunate enough to work and learn from them for several months. After leaving L’Escape Hotel, I was able to find myself an investor and start my own venue, Bar Tea Scent. I have always loved drinking tea since I was young, so I have experimented with tea cocktails ever since the beginning of my bartending career. Tea cocktail concept was a totally new concept in South Korea, and my bar was fortunately quite successful in terms of business. As the bar grew bigger, I was able to expand to several more venues including the perfume inspired Bar Geranium, calvados bar called Calvados Garden, and gallery bar Ebb & Flow. I try to receive inspirations from different industries and areas, therefore teas, perfumes, art works are all my passionate hobbies that allowed me to become who I am today.
Tea Concept: Bar Tea Scent, Seoul, South Korea.
Perfume Concept: Bar Geranium, Seoul, South Korea.
Art Gallery Concept: Ebb & Flow Bar, Seoul, South Korea.
Calvados Garden in Seoul and Calvados Groult (France).
- You’ve mentioned that Shuzo Nagumo and Yukino Sato from Mixology Salon in Ginza, Tokyo, are your biggest inspirations and mentors. Are there any other must-visit bars or influential people in the world of tea mixology who inspire you?
Andy: I first met Shuzo Nagumo and Yukino Sato at Mixology Salon about 8 years ago. They are truly legends when it comes to cocktails and bartending, and back then Mixology Salon was the world’s very first tea cocktail bar. They also opened Mixology Salon in Singapore as well, with different interior and menu compared to the original branch in Ginza.
Photos: Mixology Salon, Ginza, Tokyo, Japan.
Photo: Mixology Salon Singapore.
In Tokyo, there are two other great tea mixology venues called Sakurai Tea Experience in Omotesando, and Unknown in Shibuya. Sakurai Tea Experience is world renowned tea house operated by Shinya Sakurai, and they focus on serving high quality Japanese tea, though they also have some alcoholic tea cocktails. The other one is Unknown, which is a relatively new bar opened by Fumitake Oba, who used to work at Mixology Salon.
Photo: Sakurai Tea Experience 櫻井焙茶研究所, Omotesando, Tokyo, Japan. Timeless Tokyo.
Photo: Unknown Bar in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.
In Fukuoka there is also a beautiful tea cocktail bar called Japanese Salon Shizuku.
Photo: Japanese Salon Shizuku, Japan. Fukuoka Now.
Outside of Japan, the very first tea mixology bar that comes up in my mind is Tell Camellia in Central Hong Kong. Gaggan, the mastermind behind the bar is already a world famous mixologist, and Tell Camellia also happened to open about 5 years ago when Bar Tea Scent opened its door.
Photo: Tell Camellia, Hong Kong.
Finally in Taipei, there is Tei by Obond opened by Tom, Taiwan’s number one tea mixologists. Not only do they focus on the aroma and the flavour of the tea, they try to utilize every component of tea, such as bitterness, tannins, colour, and the emotional sensations certain teas deliver to the drinker.
Photo: Tei by Obond, Taipei, Taiwan.
- When I visited the Tea Scent Bar, I noticed that presentation and experiential elements play a significant role: from the dark, minimalistic ambiance with a Zen dry rock garden and ASMR-like water fountain wall, to the use of dry ice and perfume fog bubbles on top of cocktails. What is your creative process when it comes to bartending and tea?
Andy: Bartending is all about balance. Of course we need to make good cocktails, but we also need to be hospitable, and we cannot forget about the ambience of the bar itself as well. I have also come to realize that each guests have their own particular preference regarding various elements of the bar. Obviously guests have different preference when it comes to teas or cocktails, but also service and the vibe of the venue. For example, some guests prefer a professional hotel-like service, while some people prefer their bartenders to be more casual and friendly. When it comes to the ambience, many people enjoy peaceful, zen-like feel of Bar Tea Scent, but I have also heard feedbacks that some people prefer to drink at a place that is more exciting in terms of music and crowd. Ultimately, I try to find inspirations from various industry and places, all for the purpose of finding balance in bartending and to analyze the preferences of guests in a more detailed way. I like visiting not only tea houses, cafes and bars, but also fine-dining restaurants, art galleries, or any beautiful places on earth.
Bar Tea Scent Team.
- Could you tell us about some of your signature tea cocktails and what makes them special?
Andy: I have 3 signature tea cocktails that come up in my mind that I am very proud of. The very first being our best seller, the Garden Mist. It is a variation on a very popular classic cocktail in South Korea called the Gimlet. It combines the delicate characteristics of Silver Needle White tea from China, with Gin, fresh spearmint and Ylang Ylang, a type of aromatic flower often used in perfumery. The flavour is floral and herbal, sweet sour taste that finishes off with a beautiful garnish, an edible bubble made with rosemary that guests go crazy for.
Ginza Matsuri, Chamomile Sour, and Garden Mist.
The 2nd cocktail that come up in my mind is the Milk Kiss, which is an Oolong tea based cocktail made with Jin Xuan Oolong, or Milky Oolong from Taiwan that naturally has milk smell and flavour. I freeze the cocktail using liquid nitrogen with some Cognac and vanilla cream. The freezing process is quite mesmerizing with all the vapors from liquid nitrogen, and the taste of the cocktail is even more astonishing. The cocktail is served in a solid state, and the texture of the cocktail is something that guests cannot experience elsewhere.
Milk Kiss.
Finally, if I had to pick one favourite cocktail of my whole life, it would be the classic Dry Martini, and the Woojeon Martini is the local Korean Green tea version of it. With rotary evaporator, a piece of distillation equipment I have at my bar, I carefully distill Woojeon green tea with local Korean Gin to make a home-made green tea gin. Woojeon literally translates into “before the rain,” and it is the pinnacle of high quality Korean green tea, plucked just before the first rain of the year. Once guests have a sip of this green tea martini, they can experience the sensational terroir of Korea.
Da Hong Pao Martini and Gyokuro Martini.
- You’ve done guest bartending not only in South Korea, but also abroad, in places like the US, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan. Do approaches to and receptiveness towards tea cocktails differ across countries? Are there any emerging niche trends in tea mixology you’ve noticed?
Andy: It is a very exciting time for me to showcase tea cocktails around the world, because I noticed that tea consumption has increased all around the world. Places like in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan have already had rich history regarding tea and tea cocktails, so it is always a pleasure to talk with experienced drinkers regarding tea and tea cocktails. In countries like US, Thailand and South Korea, the idea of tea cocktail is still very new, but once people try it for the first time, almost everyone loves it.
The 3 big trends in tea mixology that I see currently are: Localization, Modern Technology, and Sustainability.
Local Korean people for example, have for a long time thought that imported goods are superior compared to local ingredients. For example, Korean people would often want to spend their money on French fine dining, whisky, German cars, or Chinese Pu’er tea instead of high quality Korean food, craft Korean soju, local Hyundai Genesis vehicle, or Korean Green tea. However things are changing, and local people are becoming more curious about local goods and furthermore they are starting appreciate it more. Similarly, Korean green teas have not been popular for a long time since they were thought to be inferior compared to Chinese or Japanese green teas. However now, the producers are getting more experienced and knowledgeable when it comes to tea production, and we can compete on equal grounds when it comes to the quality and the flavour of green teas with other countries.
The other trend that I have noticed is utilizing modern technologies and equipment to brew teas. At most of the tea mixology bars I have recommended above, many of them use rotary evaporator, centrifuge, ultrasonic homogenizer, dry ice, or liquid nitrogen to extract specific chemical compounds in teas that are often impossible to achieve using traditional methods. Passionate tea sommeliers and mixologists are therefore finding new flavours and possibilities of teas that were previously unknown.
Final trend that I see is sustainability. After brewing teas, the tea leaves were simply thrown out. But in order to preserve nature and improve sustainability, many tea experts are experimenting and finding new ways to utilize left over tea leaves. For me, after brewing a tannic black tea, I blend the left over tea leaves with ethanol (96% alcohol by volume) and reduce it using the rotary evaporator to make a tannin tincture. By adding a couple drop of this tannin tincture, I can make non-alcoholic cocktails to have an intense astringency or a “kick” that is quite similar to a sensation that people get when they drink alcoholic cocktails.
- What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in popularising tea cocktails, and what has been the most rewarding aspect of this journey?
Andy: There were 2 big challenges for me:
1. Tea is not too popular in South Korea. Local Korean people are more used to drinking coffee instead, and tea is often thought to be difficult, expensive, or simply not as flavourful as coffee. Explaining and persuading guests to try tea and tea cocktail was a fun journey, but at the same time a difficult one since many people are used to drinking what they are comfortable with.
2. The other challenge was the bar trend at the time when I first opened Bar Tea Scent. Until 5-6 years ago, Korean bar hoppers and guests are more used to whisky bars and classic cocktail bars that had heavy influence from Japanese authentic bars. Instead of creative mixology style signature cocktails, classic cocktails like Negroni, Old Fashioned, or Gimlets were more in demand. Therefore it was even more difficult for me to introduce the theme of tea cocktails to people, since at the time it was completely new in Korean bar scene.
At the end of the day, however, it was truly rewarding when I found out that when people finally did try my teas and tea cocktails, almost everyone loved it. Not only they thought the concept was unique, but the flavour too was good and at the same time they can drink it over and over again without getting tired. The fact that I was able to introduce and showcase a new culture to my local industry felt amazing.
- With your experience as a bartending consultant at ABC Laboratory, do you also hold workshops or teach and help other bars and restaurants integrate tea into their beverage programs?
Andy: I work behind my bars as a bartender, but I also work as a bartending consultant to help others with menu development, opening or improving bars, or training bartenders around the globe. Since I operate Bar Tea Scent, many people ask for information regarding tea and tea cocktails, but I also help with other areas or inspirations, such as perfumery, food & cocktail pairing, cocktail & art collaboration, and the list goes on. Recently, I helped consult and open a newly opened craft Korean soju cocktail bar called Bar Bam in New York Manhattan. The owners wanted to open a bar inspired by Korean interior and liquors, and Korea also happened to have various green teas and spiced teas historically, so it was a fun opportunity to showcase Korean culture in a big city like Manhattan.
- Tea and culinary arts often go hand in hand. Given your fondness for Michelin restaurants and your experience running Truffle di Alba, how do you see the relationship between tea cocktails and food pairing?
Andy: Tea and food pairing is fantastic, and there are endless possibilities. As low ABV or non-alcoholic drinks and food pairings are getting popular as the times go by, there are actually tons of renowned restaurants around the world that already does tea & fine dining food pairing, especially in Japan, France, Singapore, Taiwan, New York, and Copenhagen. Coffees are good too, but they have significantly higher caffeine content than teas, and sometimes their flavour can be a bit too overwhelming for delicate dishes. One of the rules of drink & food pairing that many sommeliers and chefs agree is the fact that the drink shouldn’t overpower the food, but instead it should support it. Many teas are quite delicate in terms of flavour, so they do a great job in enhancing the flavour of foods instead of becoming the star of the show.
Photo: Andy Yoon’s exploration of Michelin restaurants: Mitou (미토우), Seoul.
In addition, the tea and food pairing is not too difficult as long as you follow 2 key points:
1. Try to match teas and food with the same colour
For example, green teas go well with green vegetables, and black teas (or red teas as they call in China) goes well with red meat or darker colored food such as dark chocolate. White tea also go well with lighter colored ingredients such as fish or chicken. Usually, ingredients with same color tone tends to have similar chemical composition, so they work together well.
2. Try to match teas with foods that come from the same country, region or terroir
This means that ingredients that grow in the same region usually go well together. For example, Japanese teas go well with Japanese food, Chinese teas go well with Chinese food, and Indian teas go well with Indian food. Generally, what grows together goes well together.
Finally, teas have similar properties as wines, because they have tannins. In other words, just like how saltiness of cheese go well with tannins of wines, teas and cheese pairings are great, and any food with high fat or sugar contents such as fried foods, meats or desserts can have heavenly combination with teas.
I suggest people to experiment and play around with what they eat and what they drink, and by doing this we can also increase the awareness of tea culture around the world.
- What do you envision for the future of tea mixology? Are there any new projects or innovations you’re working on that you can share with us?
Andy: The popularity of tea and mixology are growing day by day, so I see a great potential in the future. Although I am currently busy with 4 bars and other consulting projects, my dream is to one day open a distillery designed to make “tea spirits.” There are many new distilleries opening up around the world, such as Japanese Whisky distillery and Korean Whisky distillery. But other than, whisky distilleries, there are also unique spirits coming out such as Empirical Spirits or 0 ABV Spirit like Seedlip. Similarly, one day I want to distill and distribute spirits made with local Korean teas. It will be a way to showcase the flavour and culture of Korean teas around the world, and allow bartenders to use tea flavours in their cocktails more easily.
