Think of yourself as a trendy and up to date coffee enthusiast? If so, you’ll probably know about the ‘Eunpa Piano’ sign in Changcheon-dong. It’s where Felt Coffee is located - inside a former piano training school. Although the two baristas (Kim Young-hyun and Song Dae-woong) opened this place equipped with various equipment, they kept the small space modest and simple. More emphasis on its coffee and less on the looks, you’ll know what this means once you pay a visit to Felt Coffee.
The main drinks served at Felt Coffe are the espresso, Americano, and brewed (hand dripped) coffee. The 3,000 won Americano is not just affordable but of high quality as Felt Coffee only uses authentic specialty coffee beans, all of which are roasted in house. The Coffee beans vary depending on season but regardless, they are all harmonized in flavor, acidity, viscosity, and sweetness. The brewed hand dripped coffee made with the Alto Air dripper is strongly recommended as you will be able to smell and taste the aromatic sweetness with each sip. Fo the beans that are being used, the sl28 beans (brought directly from the Herbazu coffee farm in Costa Rica) leave a lasting impression. These beans are the result of Kenya’s beans and Costa Rica’s rich soil, bringing a whole new tropical flavor and sweetness of juicy fruit. The Costa Rica-Kenya coffee is a fairly experimental one, run only in a few coffee farms around the world. Thanks to the trust earned by Felt Coffee through its direct coffee import deal with Herbazu, we can taste it right here in Seoul.
The favorite among patrons of Felt Coffee is the Felt Special Latte. It comes with an additional charge of 1,000 won, but the experience is worth so much more. Served in a Kimura Bartender glass, it comes in the proper temperature and milky texture. Felt Coffee uses Slayer espresso machines which boast the most extreme performance among all existing espresso machines. The barista can control the temperature and pressure to get the perfect desired taste. Grinders are from Mazzer Robur and Ek43 – the first commercial conical grinder (the same grinder helped Australia's Paul Bassett win the title of the world's youngest barista). Of course, a machine isn’t the only proxy of a good coffee, but the synergy between the machine and the grinder is undeniable. At Felt Coffe, roaster Kim Young-hyun’s skills meet the best equipment and ingredients, resulting in the perfect cup of coffee.
Author JB is a Q-grader credentialed by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) as well as a freelance coffee and travel writer.