Paradise Roasters

One tactic for coffee fiends in Korea is to ship coffee from the states. Compared to the ~$30/lb price you pay here, it can be just as economical. And unless you’ve found a competent and well sourced roaster in Korea (see our reviews here), it’ll probably be much more interesting coffee, roasted with more finesse to bring out the unique character of the coffee.

I’ve found that Paradise Roasters, who routinely score highly on Coffeereview.com, offer $11 shipping for 2 bags of coffee, or $23 shipping to Korea for up to 8 lbs of coffee. I’ve ordered from them twice and recieved the coffee between 7-10 days post-roast date on the bag. A little longer than I’d like, but still good, and at the price I can’t complain.

Above is the latest batch delivered, and below a few notes.

Ethiopia Awassa – a blend of natural and washed Ethiopia Sidamo, it’s one of my favorites. Earthy and rich chocolatey base with mild acidity and lots of fruit coming through. It’s really enjoyable and well rounded, definitely recommended.

Brazil Ouro Preto SO Espresso – I tried this as pour over and espresso and wasn’t really blown away. Could be my fault though or the dubious set-up at the cafe I have access to.

India CxR Robusta SO Espresso – I wanted to try a “good” Robusta to see what it’s like. After half of one cup I put this bag away and haven’t touched it since (not bad, but really lifeless). Now it’s too late to try pulling any espresso shots with it, so I guess I’ll never know.

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe – Really nice! I wrote some notes when I first tasted it – they go like this: “brown sugar, chocolate, fruit – tastes like a spiced pancake with strawberries and blueberries and maple syrup. Aftertaste reminds me of a black tea.” Yeah. Tasting is subjective, enjoy it.

Sumatra Decaf – Wow. This was one of the bags my coworker bought so I only tasted one cup, but I was very impressed. Earthy, with a complex spiciness, I wanted more. I’ll have to order my own bag next time. I tend to buy more African and Latin coffees, maybe I need to explore Asia more.

If you can’t get good coffee near you, especially you guys outside the major cities in Korea, this might be a good bet.

I’ll be on the lookout for other quality roasters with good shipping prices. I wanted to ship some Intelligentsia coffees and teas, but the shipping price came out to $65 so I passed on that.