Center Coffee

Overview

Sang-ho Park opened Center Coffee in February 2017 inside a former residential building at the edge of Seoul Forest, his first venture after returning to Korea from London. Park was the 2013 UK Brewers Cup Champion and 2015 UK Coffee in Good Spirits Champion, a finalist in both at world level, and previously served as Head of Quality and Roasting at Square Mile Coffee Roasters. He also holds a master's in Sensory Science. Center Coffee now operates three Seoul locations — the Seoul Forest flagship, Myeongdong, and Samseong — and is known for distinctive brew approaches like the K72 Geisha (24-hour natural plus 48-hour Kenya processing).

Known for

• Founder Sang-ho Park, 2013 UK Brewers Cup Champion
• 2015 UK Coffee in Good Spirits Champion
• Former Head of Quality at Square Mile Coffee Roasters, London
• Master's degree in Sensory Science
• K72 Geisha brewing approach

Why it matters

Center is one of the few Korean specialty roasters founded by someone who came up through London's third-wave scene rather than Korea's. Park's Square Mile background and Sensory Science training give Center a technical depth that's still unusual in the Korean market, and the Seoul Forest cafe has become a fixture of the city's specialty scene.

Café

28-11 Seoulsup 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul

Recognitions

• UK Brewers Cup Champion 2013 (Sang-ho Park)
• UK Coffee in Good Spirits Champion 2015 (Sang-ho Park)

Sources

• https://10mag.com/directory/restaurants/cafe-dessert/seoul/center-coffee-seongdong-gu-seoul/
• https://www.timeout.com/seoul/restaurants/center-coffee
• https://danielfooddiary.com/2023/03/31/centercoffeeseoul/