Seoul · South Korea
Coffee Libre
Coffee Libre is one of 4 Seoul roasters tracked on day9, in Mapo-gu.
Since 2009 · Pil Hoon Seo
Overview
Coffee Libre was founded in 2009 in a small workshop in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul by Pil Hoon Seo — South Korea's first SCAA Q Grader (registered 2007) and a former Korea University master's student in Cuban women's history who left the academic track after five years working as a barista and roaster. The brand's identity is built around lucha libre wrestling masks borrowed from the film 'Nacho Libre,' a metaphor Seo uses for the moonlit work of championing under-appreciated coffee farmers; the original Yeonnam shop, tucked in an alley of the Dongjin Market, is still the anchor location.
Known for
- Founded by South Korea's first SCAA Q Grader, Pil Hoon Seo, registered in 2007
- Two consecutive World Roasters Cup wins (2012 and 2013)
- 'Bad Blood' signature blend, a high-body complex profile that has become a Korean specialty reference
- Direct trade since 2010 across 150+ farms in 18 producing countries
- Co-owned roastery in Guatemala (opened 2017) jointly held with partner producers, plus a farm in Nicaragua
- Probat UG45 and G90 production roasters
- Four Seoul cafes plus a Shanghai outpost
Why it matters
Coffee Libre is the brand most often credited with kickstarting the independent specialty roasting movement in South Korea. Seo's Q Grader credential, his back-to-back World Roasters Cup wins, and the Guatemala roastery — designed to give producing-country residents access to the specialty coffee culture they grow for export — have set the philosophical direction for a generation of Korean specialty coffee.
Production
- head roaster
- Pil Hoon Seo
- roaster machine
- Probat UG45 and Probat G90
- roastery location
- Seoul, South Korea (with co-owned roastery in Guatemala since 2017)
Café
227-15 Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul (flagship); plus three other Seoul locations and one in Shanghai
Recognitions
- World Roasters Cup champion (2012)
- World Roasters Cup champion (2013)
- South Korea's first SCAA Q Grader (Pil Hoon Seo, 2007)