[Center Coffee] Icebreaker Beans

Center Coffee is a specialty coffee shop that researches and strives for coffee quality and service, aiming to provide taste and service that impresses not only Korea but also the world. The delicious coffee you are drinking is made by harvesting seeds from coffee cherry trees, then processing, drying, aging, roasting, and finally extracting them. Coffees directly sourced from all over the world are freshly stored in temperature and humidity-controlled warehouses, and then roasted by master roaster Park Sang-ho, who previously worked as the head roaster at Square Mile Coffee in the UK, using his unique expertise.

Center Coffee's first branch in Seongsu-dong offers a complete rest to its visitors with warm sunlight that brightens the heart, a green landscape outside the window, and a white space that promotes relaxation. When a fragrant cup of coffee is added to this, the moment becomes a story, bringing small joys and感動. Starting with the Seongsu-dong branch, Center Coffee plans to expand to Samsung-dong and other domestic stores, as well as enter the overseas market.

Former Head Barista at Tapped and Packed
Former Head Roaster at Square Mile Coffee Roasters
2013, UK Brewers Cup Champion
May 2013, UK Representative at World Brewers Cup, 4th place in World Finals
June 2015, UK Representative at Coffee in Good Spirits, 6th place in World Finals


Q1. Is there a reason you chose 'Market Kurly' as your online partner?
I frequently use Market Kurly. The ability to easily access rare ingredients is appealing, but most of all, I really liked the early morning delivery service, where orders placed before 11 PM the previous night are delivered fresh by 7 AM the next morning. I felt a great advantage in that consumers could receive our store's beans fresh through this early morning delivery.

Q2. What are the conditions for good coffee?
Taste is a matter of personal preference, so you can't define what makes a coffee good. I believe a good coffee is one where the consumer can know who made it, from the farmer to the roaster. Sometimes, you'll find information about the coffee farm's name, altitude, and processing method, but the farmer's name is missing. In some cases, coffee from hundreds of farmers gets mixed together. Center Coffee directly trades with farms, allowing us to identify the farmers. Specialty coffee is about enjoying coffee while knowing who produced it.

Q3. Do you personally travel around the world to source raw materials?
It's difficult to find good farms without visiting them in person. There are many different types of farmers; some only seek their own profit, while others are artisans who dedicate their entire time and life to their craft. Businessmen talk about the price per kilogram of coffee, but farmers who have dedicated their lives to coffee tell stories about their coffee. They talk about why their coffee tastes different and how it's cultivated. When they talk, they are very bright and their eyes are different. Coffee made with such sincerity also has a special taste. Working with sincere people – I believe this is the secret and know-how behind Center Coffee's taste.

Q4. What do you think is the charm of coffee?
The charm of coffee is that even if it's the exact same coffee, if I roast it slightly differently or use a different brewing tool, the taste always comes out differently. Even the same coffee can have a different nuance in each cup, which makes it always new.

Q5. For Roaster Park Sang-ho, what is coffee?
Coffee is life itself. Through coffee, I learned a lot about dining, wine, and whiskey, and I was able to meet various people and learn about countless lives and the values they pursue. Ultimately, through these experiences, I decided to 'go all-in on coffee' for my life's direction.
On the surface, coffee seems very simple. But once you understand extraction, you see roasting, and when you study roasting, there are green beans, and if you delve into green beans, there are so many countries, so many places to visit that you might not be able to see them all in a lifetime. Coffee is something that I will never fully know even if I dedicate the rest of my life to it, which makes it even more attractive and challenging.

Q6. What are your future goals and dreams?
It's not about reaching 100 or 200 Center Coffee branches; no matter how many branches we open in the future, we will maintain the quality of our first branch in Seongsu-dong. Even if the profit margin is low, we will not lose our initial passion and will uphold our pride in the quality of raw materials, including green beans, to the very end.
And ultimately, I hope many people gain a deeper knowledge of coffee. Even if coffee comes from the same country, its characteristics and taste vary greatly depending on the region it's produced in. I hope people can say, 'I like coffee from the Santa Felisa farm in the Acatenango region of Guatemala' instead of just 'I like Guatemalan coffee.' Like with wine. I hope Center Coffee can introduce good coffee from this perspective and guide people to specifically know what kind of coffee they desire.

Q7. Finally, what is Center Coffee to you?
It's my work. (laughs) Center Coffee is a blank canvas. Various masterpieces are created depending on what colors are applied to it. I can draw what I want on this canvas. And I share these drawings with my customers. Center Coffee, born through this process, is a 'masterpiece' that everyone creates 'together.'