Korean Job Discussion Forums

[SeoulMan6]

Q: Where do you get coffee beans, and is it worth the hassle of grinding your own?

Currently, I visit a local coffee shop and buy 200g of beans (9-11,000 won) and they grind them up for me. It lasts my wife and I about 10 days, I think. Do you think it's worth it to get our own grinder and buy beans online (for convenience, freshness, financial savings?). If so, can you point me to a good bean / website?

Thanks for any advice.

[Kennyftw]

I just buy the 2 pound (961 grams) red Folgers tub from Homeplus. Its around 20 bucks and lasts me well over a month. It's fine for me. You may like better quality, though. It's not bad, honestly.

[eamo]

According to the coffee experts the cheapest grinder at the moment which can grind consistently well is the Baratza Virtuoso which sells in Korea for around 340,000.

Cheaper grinders will do you a disservice.

Luckily, if you can afford the grinder, then freshly roasted whole bean coffee is becoming easier and easier to find by the month. There are no less than 5 home-roaster coffee shops in my neighborhood in Bundang. They all just sprung up in the last 18 months.

If you can't find a home-roaster near you then there's always
http://megacoffee.co.kr/

They can mail you freshly roasted beans.

[jinks]

I buy the Homeplus 1kg 'own brand' Colombia bean at 16,970 won per bag. A roasting connoissuer may turn his or her nose up at such a humble bean, but it has been fuelling me for years!

[orosee]

Just grow your own coffee plants! When ripe, eat them, excrete them, wash and roast. From there just continue with the "grinder" post.

Anyway thanks for the tips, I love my coffee and actually have a separate budget for "coffee" expenses (besides "food", "alcohol", "utility charges"etc.).

[Italy37612]

Costco has a pretty good selection and at much better prices than you will find anywhere else.

The have larger size bags (I want to say about 1-1.5lbs) of both bean and pre-ground coffee. I usually go for the pre-ground Kirkland Signature Organic Blend (Starbucks beans though). Only 16,000 Won.

[alwaysgood]

[hojuhanguk]

Costco has starbucks and kirkland beans.plus many more... they are like 20 &30,000won starbucks being more expensive. I think abt 1.1kgperhaps more... i use a hand grinder i bought for 40000won at a coffee equipment store.

[Dazed and Confused]

I use Roaster's Bean and order it through Gmarket. They buy the most recent harvest so no old beans and have several different types of flavors and beans.They roast your beans and ship them the same day. If you want them to arrive corse or fine ground or whatever, they can do that too.
I think they are running 25,000 won for a Kilo.

[Mr. Peabody]

Go to Costco. Buy a grinder for 4 man won and 3lbs of whole beans for 2.5 man won.

Never look back.

[ttompatz]

Presidents Choice from Costco keep my coffee drip machine happy.

.

[SeoulMan6]

Thanks everyone for the assistance. We decided on the Roaster's Beans from GMarket. I like that they have a ton of variety and it's about half the price of what we pay at the coffee shop. Can't wait!

[Lazio]

There are dozens of sellers on gmarket. You could try a few and stick with best one.

There are some really good hand grinders capable of grinding espresso-fine. They are not so expensive and you could easily get them shipped from North-America. Hario or Kyocera comes to my mind.
I know many coffee geeks perfectly satisfied using hand grinders only.
If you live in the avarage concrete box, it is better not to use a proper coffee grinder as they make a lot of noise.

[FMPJ]