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For further exploring the topic, we spoke to a few city undeniable role in the Enlightenment with all the intellec-
coffee guide creators whose thoughts were very inspiring and tual and cultural talks taken place within. After being intro-
refreshing, and I would like to add a special thank you to the duced in Japan in early 20th century, coffee became the
following names (in alphabetical order) at the very beginning. leading force behind the transformation of the local lifestyle
by successfully blending the western culture into the tradi-
Bex Walton, founder of Double Skinny Macchiato tional Japanese culture, and it is even now a must-see feature
Brooke Thio, account and blog creator of Roamscapes of the country.
Charles Costello, writer of Korea Specialty Coffee Guide However, for a long time, coffee was merely a type of
Helen Kwok, writer & photographer of Hong Kong Coffee beverage for most people. It only became a culture from mid
Guide; account creator of ig@f.o.v 20th century onwards, yet instead of being referred as coffee
Lani Kingston, writer of How To Make Coffee: The Science culture, it was often a cultural feature of a certain place, for
Behind the Bean, London Coffee, Designing Coffee example, the Italian coffee culture. Therefore, though guide-
Xue Gao, writer of Walking Coffee Map; account creator of books were already part of people’s lives at that time, there
Walking and Coffee; owner of CÉNCHI COFFEE wasn’t really anything dedicated to coffee except maybe a
few local cafe recommendations in a travel guide or a few
The Emerging Need for Coffee Guides words mentioning good coffee served in certain restaurants
in a food guide.
Coffee is by no means a new term. With a recorded The emergence of coffee guide was a direct result of
history of drinking for nearly 600 years, as well as being the the rise of specialty coffee culture in a global scale from
most consumed drink after water in many countries for earlier this century. It was at that point that coffee finally
decades, coffee, and coffee houses, has in fact been shaping became a hip culture on its own. Looking for coffee houses
our civilisation all the way down. Known as the Penny Uni- is now much more than an action to avoid instant coffee for
versity, coffee houses in 18th-century England played an caffeine addicted travellers or to complete an Italian expe-
rience, and the function of cafes is now beyond providing
food and beverage service and a space for socialising. The The Angle of Language Charles and his co-writers, Shim Jae-beom and Cho Won-jin,
coffee house itself has become the main reason for many spent over half a year to finalise their selection from a list with
visits of even non coffee drinkers. As a result, guides focus- Language is one main medium to deliver information, over 200 cafes, featuring first generation specialty coffee
ing on specialty coffee shops started to appear. and it is an important way for us to perceive and express brands, champion barista-run coffee houses, and those with a
ideas, during the process of which, connections among peo- strong focus on design. The guide, without a doubt, is the ul-
Becoming Influential ple are built, communities and societies are established, and timate solution for any English speakers who would like to
culture is formed. The interconnection between language experience the coffee culture in South Korea, a country with
Good guidebooks provide detailed and carefully select- and culture is beyond arguing, and the evolution of each has its citizens often joked as surviving on iced americano.
ed information, while great ones have something beyond been influencing the other over the years. It is true that there are other English contents online
that. The shared feature of most great guidebooks is a core While the importance of language is widely recognised, that one can find in terms of South Korea or Seoul coffee
other than listing information. Some try to record history, it is rare to see any city coffee guide designed with a prima- guide, but rarely one as extensive and finely selected, which
some explore cultures, some promote avant-garde ideas, some ry focus on language, and that’s why it was exciting to see is one of the benefits of published books. Thanks to Charles’
simply share a strong passion, and information in the guide the publish of Korea Specialty Coffee Guide, whose primary initial concern on language, and he and his co-writers’ hard
is only the medium for the author to convey the core to his goal is to bring the first ever independent coffee guide of work, this gap is now filled.
or her audience. It is those guidebooks that can leave a mark Korea to the world of English speakers.
in readers’ minds, which eventually becomes a factor that Despite the increasing global popularity of K-pop and The Angle of Tourism
influences the progress of culture. As after all, comparing K-drama, the surging number of foreigners coming to Seoul
with information, it is human beings who make the change, to visit and live, and the booming coffee culture in the past Both having a long history, tourism and urbanisation
and it is thoughts that motivate the action. ten years or so, it is interesting to see that there was not a have a strong link between each other. Curiosity, religion,
Therefore, as much as we appreciate the functionali- Seoul coffee guidebook in English published before. There- survival, for whatever reason, the move and migration of
ty of Yellow-Pages–like city coffee guide, we hail the ones fore, after moving to Seoul and falling in love with the city, human beings not only have resulted in the discovery of and
showcasing the information with a unique angle that reveals Charles, the author of Korea Specialty Coffee Guide, decid- settlement in new places, some of which eventually turned
much more of the interconnection between people and ed that if no one had thought of or cared for introducing the into major cities, but also have seen the exchange and merge
city. Creators of such city coffee guide depict the influence local coffee scene to the large number of English speakers of different languages and cultures.
a city and its culture has on them through coffee shops; out there, he would do it himself, and his ambition went In the interaction between tourism and urbanisation,
and vice versa, the city coffee guide shapes the culture and beyond a coffee guide of Seoul only. coffee shops takes an important role. Similar to pubs and
lifestyle in the city through the people using the guide to Korea Specialty Coffee Guide covers the whole country. bars, cafes are not only part of the attractions of a city, but
visit coffee shops. To portray the coffee scene in South Korea as fully as possible, also hubs where locals and travellers exchange stories.

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