Fivebrewing Bangbae

Fivebrewing's Bangbae address is the company's original headquarters, the space barista Do Hyung soo opened in 2012 as what Fivebrewing calls Korea's first cafe built purely around brewing coffee. A two level room wraps around an open staircase, wood panelled walls holding a line of grinders and espresso gear on a long counter, with a quieter upper floor regulars treat as a retreat from the street outside.

The bar runs the same five flavor concept across the rest of the brand, pairing espresso with hand brewed filter coffee, but Bangbae is also where Fivebrewing does its other work, training baristas, cupping green coffee and handling quality control for the beans it roasts for outside cafes. Founder Do Hyung soo, twice named Korea Barista Awards Barista of the Year, still works out of this location, and the company's own posts describe a slow, rain soaked Saturday afternoon here as a mood unique to the main branch.