Anthracite Coffee Roasters

Overview

Anthracite Coffee opened in 2009 in Hapjeong-dong, Seoul, in a converted abandoned shoe factory — the original founder having returned to Korea after studying music and philosophy in New York and wanting to bring an industrial-chic café aesthetic, then almost unknown in Seoul, back home. The Hapjeong space — concrete walls, exposed beams, a converted factory conveyor belt now used as the pour-over bar — became the visual template that much of Korean third-wave coffee subsequently followed. Coffees are named for writers and artists rather than origins, and the company is unusual among specialty operators in deliberately stocking commercial-grade alongside specialty beans, on the principle that quality at lower price points is also worth defending.

Known for

• Founded 2009 in Hapjeong-dong, Seoul — in a converted shoe factory
• Six locations: 5 in Seoul (Hapjeong, Hannam, Seogyo, Yeonhui, plus one) and one on Jeju Island
• Coffees named after writers and artists — Natsume Sōseki, Pablo Neruda etc., not by origin
• Stocks commercial-grade coffees deliberately alongside specialty, an unusual position for a third-wave operator
• Open public cupping class at the Hannam location every Wednesday evening

Why it matters

Anthracite is the design template for Korean specialty coffee — the converted-industrial-space aesthetic that Seoul cafés have copied for fifteen years started in their Hapjeong shoe factory. Their position on commercial coffee is the more interesting one: alone among major Korean specialty roasters, they argue good quality at the cheaper end of the market is part of the work, not a compromise of it.

Production

destoning

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head roaster

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color sorting

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roaster machine

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filter equipment

pour-over bar (originally a shoe-factory conveyor belt)

cupping frequency

weekly public cupping classes (Hannam)

roastery location

Hapjeong-dong, Seoul

espresso equipment

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annual volume tonnes

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Café

10 Tojeong-ro 5-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul (Hapjeong original)

Sources

• https://typica.coffee/en/narratives/roasters/anthracite-coffee/
• https://thesoulofseoul.net/anthracite-coffee-collect-them-all/
• https://sprudge.com/fuel-for-the-fire-at-seouls-anthracite-coffee-131393.html
• https://english.visitseoul.net/area/Anthracite-Coffee-Roasters-Hapjeong-Branch/ENP020585
• https://www.kinfolk.com/stories/anthracite-coffee-seogyo/