K-Culture – Korea Specialty Coffee Culture

Korea Specialty Coffee K-Culture

Korea Specialty Coffee K-Culture

Main Contents

• A. Intro to Korean Coffee Culture
• B. The Rise of Korean Specialty Coffee
• C. South Korea’s Ultra-Specialty Coffee Segment
• D. South Korea’s Global Coffee Influence
• E. Evolving Korean Specialty Coffee

Korea Specialty Coffee K-Culture

A. Intro to Korean Coffee Culture

Korean specialty coffee culture is ranked among the globe’s most progressive coffee markets, and its young specialty coffee sector, is advancing at an impressive rate. 
The World of Coffee Asia event in Busan in May 2024 underscores the nation’s growing influence in the coffee industry.
Lets us take a deeper examination on the transformation within South Korea’s coffee culture.

B. The Rise of Korean Specialty Coffee

The first Starbucks in South Korea in 1999 marked a new era for coffee, but the specialty coffee scene truly began to flourish with the emergence of local specialty cafes.

Three pioneering coffee shops are widely credited with sparking the specialty coffee movement in South Korea, namely: Terarosa (est. 2002), Namusairo (in 2002) and Coffee Libre (in 2009).

Specialty coffee culture saw a significant upswing in 2015, introducing groundbreaking concepts like the “seed-to-cup” philosophy and the art of single-origin pour-overs.

C. Korea’s Ultra-Specialty Coffee Segment

Korea has seen its ultra-specialty coffee segment mature over time.

Establishments like El Café Coffee Roasters and Momos Coffee were instrumental in cementing the foundation of the specialty coffee culture in Korea.
This has inspired a wave of new roasters and coffee shops, such as Blackup Coffee, In Earth Coffee, Werk Roasters, and Hytte Roastery.

The period between 2007 and 2013 was marked by a staggering 300% growth in the South Korean coffee market, vaulting it to the status of the eighth-largest coffee market globally.

D. Korea’s Global Coffee Influence

The Korean coffee market as of 2023, tally over 75,000 coffee establishments nationwide. This equates to roughly one coffee shop for every 700 people, a testament to the country’s deep-seated love for the brew.

The nation is set to hold the World of Coffee Asia event in May 2024 and will include the 2024 World Barista Championship, further cementing South Korea’s reputation in the coffee world.

The most standout Korean roasters is Fritz Coffee Company, established in 2014. Fritz has captivated the social media landscape with its nostalgic aesthetics, striking branding, and distinctive seal logo.

Korean roasters including Felt, Coffee Montage and 180 Coffee Roasters, joins in achieving global recognition, with their coffee establishments around the world.

E. Evolving Korean Specialty Coffee

The ongoing growth in enthusiasm for Korean specialty coffee is evident both at home and abroad.

In line with the growing global curiosity, the Korea Specialty Coffee Guide detailing 82 exemplary coffee shops throughout Seoul, Busan, and Jeju, inviting coffee aficionados worldwide to explore Korea’s rich coffee landscape.

It’s time for you to brew some Specialty Coffee.

Try our coffees

Every few months we sourced from different countries to select the best farm coffees harvest. We gently micro-batch drum roast all of our coffee beans in our roastery in Singapore. Indulge yourself in our flavourful coffees!

Get our fresh roast coffee beans on-demand from our Lazada and Shopee stores: 

Lazada.sg/shop/soji-coffee/ 

Shopee.sg/soji.coffee

Or visit our shop at : 38A Beo Crescent Market #01-52 Singapore 169982 (Opening Hours > Click Here < )

Korea Specialty Coffee K-Culture