Namusairo Coffee — Restaurant in Seoul

Namusairo in Korean (나무사이로) means "between the trees", a mention to the song "Path" by Kim Hwal-seong which inspired owner and coffee expert Jun Sun-bae.

Considered by many as one of the first speciality cafes in Seoul, Namusairo first opened in 2002 before moving to it's flagship location near Gwangwhamun in 2013. Set in a renovated traditional hanok building, Namusairo's tranquil setting makes a stark contrast to the backdrop of towering skyscrapers from Seoul's nearby central business district.

Namusairo has been making a name for itself in the coffee industry both domestically and overseas for almost two decades now. They were famously the first Korean brand to reach the American market back in 2014 and recieved high praise particularly for their intriguing Love Letter blend (info. below). At the time of visiting Namusairo had three blends and three single origins on the menu.

Blends:

1. Woods (Namusairo's Espresso blend)
2. Land of Plenty and
3. Love Letter (50/50 mixutre of caffeinated Kenya Gachombe and a de-caffeinated Colombian).

Single Origins:

1. Guatemala El Injerto Legendary Geisha
2. Peru Gilmer Mego and
3. Ethiopia Gerba

Namusairo currently roast at their Bundang branch south of Seoul on a trusty 25kg Probat (Germany) roaster. When it comes to brewing the coffee, their Gwangwhamun branch has a formidable set-up on the counter; La Marzocco GB4 espresso machine, Anfim SP2 and Mahlkonig...

As I always do when I visit a coffee place I ordered an espresso and a slow coffee (I think V60, Ethiopian origin). The espresso was excellent: very creamy, a little sweet and with only the slightest hint of bitterness; like a light roast taste without too much acidity. It was probably the best espresso I've had in Korea. The drip coffee was also excellent, I chose an Ethiopian origin because I'm familiar with its distinctive citrus taste (there were 5 origins to choose from) and again the barista from Namusairo really nailed it. It had a very light body like many Nordic specialty coffees have and a very smooth acidic aftertaste. If you're in the heart of Seoul then you should not miss out on coffee...

Really relaxing place, clean and with many comfortable seatings. WiFi, drinking water and toilet available

Coffee: was really nice, I had the amaretto latte with oat milk. They have three different plant based milk options, oat, soy and almond. But be aware to ask if the drink can be vegan because cream might be with milk.

Service: friendly and took time to get my order but didn't ask if I wanted the whole drink to be vegan

Ambient: traditional house, truly a beauty with seats inside and outside, little secret corners and even a seating to sit at with no shoes, everything was clean, I also really like that they have glass cups for the free...