“Cappuccino” by summer park – Flickr.
Licensed under CC-BY-2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
There is no doubt that coffee is big in South Korea: the country boasts a booming coffee shop culture and ranks among the biggest consumers of coffee globally. Now, the city of Gangneung, located in Gangwon-do in the east coast, is becoming the top destination for coffee touring in Korea.
One of Gangneung’s most typical coffee brands is Terarosa Coffee, which has several branches not only in Gangneung but also in other cities in Korea. Terarosa Coffee’s luxurious flagship shop in Gangneung doubles as a coffee factory, selling brand coffee products and a myriad of coffee bean varieties.
Coffee Cupper, another local coffee brand, runs a coffee farm and museum which lets visitors experience the journey of coffee from plantation to serving. The brand was also the first to open a shop in what is now Gangneung’s famous Coffee Street in Anmok Beach. The street, which started with a single strip of coffee vending machines by the beach, now houses not only big coffee chain stores like Starbucks or Korean brand Hollys Coffee, but also multiple independent coffee shops like the fashionable L.Bean or the Greek-inspired Santorini.
Gangeung is also home to Korea’s Coffee Festival, which in 2014 takes place between the 2nd and 5th of October. This year will be the festival’s 6th installation, which features a coffee tasting tour including over 300 of Gangeung’s coffee shops as well as different coffee-making experiences and coffee-related performances and exhibitions.
TL Korea, Inc. 