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.
Coffee Lab Express is on the road heading towards the entrance to Hongik University. Check out the map below.
View Coffee Lab Express in a larger map
3 comments
Nick Cho says:
Mar 29, 2010
Why the blur-out on that guy?
admin says:
Mar 29, 2010
Well, he was the only dude working there and I said in the post the espresso wasn’t great. Don’t wanna get anyone in trouble when they just opened and are probably still training. I’m reserving my judgment.
Coffeelab says:
Jun 15, 2010
[…] pretty good at the time, so I made a note to return and take some photos. I also reviewed their Coffeelab Express location a few blocks away, which made me eager to try the espresso at the main […]