Monthly Archive for March, 2010

Club Espresso

Published on March 23, 2010 in Cafe Reviews, Coffee Roasters and Korea. 4 Comments

Club Espresso, established in 1990, is one of Korea’s old school specialty coffee houses. They’re located up in the hills in Buamdong, on the northern side of the Blue House/Gyeongbokgung area in Seoul. It’s a unique area that reminds me of Silverlake in Los Angeles (well, just a little bit, and minus the hipsters).


Their brick building is full of bare wood furnishings which makes the whole place feel like a very large club house, a work-in-progress put together to have a place to practice a hobby. That is, until you head up to the second floor roastery, where it becomes clear that coffee is much more than a hobby. Above the cafe they have a pair of Probat and Diedrich roasters on duty, connected to a store room with an extensive range of coffees, as well as a dedicated cupping room.



I like Club Espresso because they have such a wide range of coffees available. For instance, from Ethiopia you can choose a washed Yirgacheffe, a naturally processed Sidamo, or a Harar. They also have a 30% discount on coffee that’s 5 days post-roast. In Korea, where roasted coffee generally costs $35/lb, it’s a good deal.


How is the espresso at Club Espresso? It’s on the bittersweet and acidic side of things, like a high cacao dark chocolate with some intense dry fruity tartness, kind of like dried apricot. It is sweet but the acicidity overshadows this until the finish, where the underlying sweetness reveals itself and lingers pleasantly.




To be honest, while I appreciate their espresso blend, I love Club Espresso for their variety of roasted coffees more than anything. If you go, pick out a few different 100g bags to try at home! Sample a few different continents, or pick a few coffees from a specific region to compare and contrast flavors.

Club Espresso is definitely worth a visit, though it isn’t easy to get to. It’s up on a hill beyond comfortable walking distance from any subway lines. There is a bus that stops a short walk from the cafe, though. Check the map below before heading out.

Directions & Map. Continue reading ‘Club Espresso‘

Coffee Lab Express

Published on March 22, 2010 in Cafe Reviews and Korea. 2 Comments

Recently opened, Coffee Lab Express is a cool looking spot clad in bare grimy concrete, just big enough to accommodate a tiny bar and a line of people. Coffee Lab Express is an offshoot of a larger cafe and roastery a few blocks away in Hongdae. (Long review soon. Short review: it’s great).

The main shop, called Coffee Lab, opened in 2008 and is run by Bang Jong-Koo, an SCAE certified trainer and Korean Barista Champion, 2005. The Express store sells roasted coffee beans, branded cups, and a limited menu of coffee drinks at quite reasonable prices (espresso starts at 1500, with Americanos and milk drinks between 2000-3000 — a bargain considering typical prices in Korea).

I was in a hurry and just had time to order an espresso, which was served in a little demitasse sized paper take-out cup. Unfortunately it tasted a bit over extracted and unpleasantly bitter. I blurred out the main picture because I don’t want to get anyone in trouble with my comments. Don’t get me wrong though, this is a brand new location, so I’m sure they’ll be churning out perfect shots in no time. Don’t hesitate to give Coffee Lab Express a visit, I’ll be back, and at 1500KRW it’s worth trying.

Directions below. Continue reading ‘Coffee Lab Express‘

Too Much Coffee…

Published on March 18, 2010 in Miscellany and Video. 1 Comment

…makes people do strange things. I like this video, just saw it on Youtube.

Chan’s Espresso Bar

Published on March 14, 2010 in Cafe Reviews and Korea. 3 Comments Tags: , , .

I stumbled across Chan’s Espresso Bar one night in Hongdae when I glanced into a shop window and saw a Clover (a much hyped, quite expensive, mechanized way of brewing a single cup of coffee quickly with consistency) amidst a coffee bar full of shiny new coffee brewing equipment. I’d never seen a Clover in Korea, so I tried to visit, but they were closed for machine maintenance. I tried again yesterday and wow, I’m really impressed by this shop!


Chan’s, which opened around four months ago, serves coffees from Intelligentsia, a specialty coffee heavyweight from the US, and Tim Wendelboe in Norway, multiple award winner and World Barista Champion, 2004.



On the clover, Chan’s currently has Tim Wendelboe’s Badnekhan Estate from India, and Kiawamururu from Kenya; as well as Intelligentsia’s House Blend, and El Diablo Dark Roast. I tried the Kiawamururu which was really brightly acidic and light-bodied, subtly fruity, floral and tea-like. As it cooled the flavor became more citrusy and tangy. A nice change from all the heavy, chocolatey, or roasty coffees you generally find featured in Korean cafes.


Chan’s also serves espresso from both roasters, with two dedicated espresso machines (a single group Synesso and a La Marzocco GS3) each calibrated especially for one of the espresso blends. Anyone familiar with these blends might notice a bit of difference due to the fact that the beans are imported and must spend some time in transit overseas, but regardless of this the espresso at Chan’s is excellent. Wendelboe’s espresso is on the fruity side, with Intelligentsia’s coming across more chocolatey and sweet. Both were syrupy thick and really enjoyable.


While chatting at the bar, the owner/barista offered us a complimentary cappuccino made with Intelligentsia’s espresso, and I have to say it’s one of the best capps I’ve ever had. It was chocolatey and sweet enough that I think it could entice even the most ardent caramel macchiato or mocha latte lovers out there. (If any of your companions remain unrepentant, they do sell mochas :).


Chan’s Espresso Bar is just up the street from Cafe Miz Moren, reviewed previously. Miz has great siphon coffee, while Chan’s has great espresso drinks as well as the Clover. Two great shops right down the street from each other offering distinctly different choices and experiences — and people say there’s no good coffee in Korea! But really, Chan’s is one of the best cafes I’ve been to so far in Korea, the coffee choices are interesting with a lot of variety, and they are prepared meticulously and competently. I’ll definitely be heading back when I’m in Hongdae, and I’ll say you should do the same!

UPDATE: For the curious, you can see photos of Chan’s construction on their Flickr page.

Directions and map below the break. Continue reading ‘Chan’s Espresso Bar‘

Star City’s Star Kitchen

Published on March 11, 2010 in Korea. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , .


Korea is a nation of giant apartment blocs, and many of the nicer ones have large shopping complexes at the lower levels. The Star City development next to Konkuk University station (Gundae Ipgu) has an E-mart, Lotte mall, and a bunch of shops, complete with a weird Brian Eno-esque soundtrack piped in to the hallways and funky mood lights to round out the experience.

If you wind your way through the hall past the E-Mart you’ll find yourself at a large cafe surrounded by stacked firewood and decorated with antique electronics, quirky furniture, and plants. It’s actually a really cool place, and a bit of a surprise to find it hidden down a hallway.



The coffee at Star Kitchen is above average for a mall-type cafe. That might not be saying much, but it’s been passable for me almost every time I visited. It’s not gonna make your eyes pop like a double ristretto at a specialty shop but it is a satisfying, if unremarkable, roasty and chocolatey blend when they do a decent shot.



If you’re in the Konkuk area there aren’t really a whole lot of coffee options (atleast that I’ve found…but given the university next door there must be something else nearby, let me know if you’ve found anything!). So, if you’re at Konkuk station the Star Kitchen is a good choice if you want a cafe to meet at or hang out for while. During lunch hour they have a set deal where a coffee and a sandwich is 6000 KRW, not bad.

Coffee at Work & Home

Published on March 7, 2010 in Coffee Gear and Photos. 5 Comments


This is part of the coffee setup I keep at work. I like the pour-over filter, it’s fun for people to watch, easier to clean than a French press, and less awkward than straining over an Aeropress imagining what might happen if your mug decided to shatter underneath you. I can’t really recommend the Kalita hand mill though; it’s not very easy to adjust the grind with any precision. It is more consistent than a blade grinder, but still not that great. I’m waiting to get my hands on a Hario ceramic hand mill that has a better design.