茶食의 색채·형태·풍미가 차문화에 미치는 심미적 영향 연구

Abstract

This study elucidates how the color, form, and flavor of dasik (traditional Korean tea confectionery) shape the pathway from sensation to affect to aesthetic judgment in the context of the traditional tea gathering, and reconceptualizes dasik as a mediating device that structures the aesthetic experience of the tea event. The research participants comprised 28 individuals, including practitioners of traditional tea culture, dasik artisans, and tea gathering attendees. A literature review and semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted, and thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke (2006) was applied to the interview transcripts; credibility was ensured through cross-checking and member checking. The main findings indicate that respondents evaluate the “aesthetic completion” of a tea gathering in terms of relational harmony achieved through arrangement and staging, the holism of the five senses, formal beauty characterized by restraint, cleanliness, and simplicity, and the quality of affect, relationships, and hostship (hospitality). In addition, a temporal and functional division of labor was identified among color (first impression and affective priming), form (perceptual ordering), and flavor (experiential closure). Drawing on these results, the study proposes the higher-order principle of “harmony–restraint–staging,” along with core practical guidelines centered on a low-chroma palette, the strategic use of negative space, and flavor pairing tailored to tea type. It also acknowledges limitations in generalizability due to the sample’s concentration in particular regions, age groups, and expertise levels, and calls for subsequent quantitative validation and cross-cultural comparative research.