Tea time #4 took place at a cafe called Macaron at Hongdae in Seoul. They had a tea called Eve which was different from the usual types of tea they have at cafes in Korea, so I was delighted to give it a try. It was a black tea blend by Nina’s with apple, apricot, peach, and vanilla with a wonderful fruity fragrance.
The real highlight were the macaroons though! From the left the flavors I tried were Vanilla Salty Caramel, Earl Grey Choco Raspberry, and Rose Raspberry. Compared to the macaroons sold at chain cafes these were chewy and moist on the inside. I definitely want to go back and try all the different flavors they have.
My friend picked out the Fraisier Cake and it came as a set menu with the tea. Basically we divided each macaroon and the cake in half so we could try out each flavor. Macaroons are definitely not cheap in Korea as they can go up to 3,000 won per piece (~$2.71, £1.76, €2.38). At the Macaron cafe they were 1,700 a piece with a slight discount when purchased in multiples of three. It’s not unusual for tea, coffee, or cake to be expensive in Korean cafes. People tend to consider part of it as a seating price and will stay for several hours to chat. Korean sun-baes (similar meaning as the Japanese senpai; older classmates or alumni), will sometimes treat you to a meal. They probably won’t let you split the bill (Korean’s can be very stubborn), so treating them to dessert or coffee will usually come out similar to splitting the bill and leave everybody happy.
What’s your favorite macaroon flavor?
