Nowon café with full-bodied Kenya Kiambu AA hand drip: Jeong Ji-young

Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters, the coffee spot with a line at Lotte Nowon

Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters (정지영커피로스터즈) at Lotte Department Store Nowon is already a well-known coffee spot in Nowon with a line out front. I've been into drip coffee lately and hunting it down, and I'd gone to Lotte Nowon for a meal. I saw people lining up, wondered what it was, and it turned out to be a coffee shop.

I don't like sweet things, so my eyes went to the drip coffee. My shopping buddy loves sweets and had come for an "abara" (iced Americano), but people in front of us kept ordering coconut coffee, so she switched to that. Hahaha

Jeong Ji-young doesn't even have that many branches nationwide, but its coconut coffee has reportedly passed 1.11 million cups. That's not easy! My abara-loving shopping buddy, my unnie (older sister figure), fell completely for it haha. Double-speed shake shake hahaha. More on the coconut coffee below!

Where is Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters Nowon, and is there seating?

The Nowon branch is on B1 of Lotte Department Store Nowon, in front of the area where the cake shops cluster. It's takeaway only, so there are no seats. I was going to drink while shopping anyway, so I ate, grabbed a takeaway, and headed off shopping!

Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters Nowon menu and prices

Hand-drip coffee runs ₩7,000 to ₩8,500, with beans from Guatemala, Ethiopia, Colombia and Kenya. An Americano is ₩5,500, a café latte ₩6,500, and a vanilla latte ₩6,800. The coffee isn't cheap. So I wondered why there were so many people, and why everyone was lining up to order coffee.

20% off with a food court receipt

Customers who ate at the B1 food court of Lotte Nowon get 20% off all drinks if they show a receipt or payment record. You first come for the discount, but I felt the taste is what brings you back. With 20% off, you've got to drink good coffee, right? haha Hand drip for the ₩5,000 range? There's nowhere else like this haha.

The coconut coffee is ₩7,000, but ₩5,600 for food court customers. Such a bargain!

• The beans are dark roast by default, so switching to medium or decaf costs +₩500
• Pregnant customers can switch to decaf for free. Such a thoughtful touch...

Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters Nowon opening hours

Hours are 10:30–20:00 on weekdays and 10:30–20:30 on weekends. Honestly, since it's on B1 of Lotte Department Store, the hours hardly matter hahaha, you only come when the department store is open haha. But I'm noting them for anyone curious.

October cold brew 2+1 promotion

In October, buy 2 bottles of cold brew at the Nowon branch and get 1 more free, a 2+1 deal!! At about ₩12,000 a bottle that's a real bargain, and since there's a promotion I thought it would be great if they offered a small tasting. Maybe I should have asked... If it's good I'd buy right away, but this is just a thought while I'm writing the post... I have to go back to Lotte Nowon the day after tomorrow, so I'll ask then.

It's a nice deal for cold brew lovers, or as a gift for people who love it. The promotion runs until October 31, so keep that in mind!

The classy Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters

No coffee, no workie

Without coffee I don't want to work. I really depend on my coffee fix. I used to feel alive with just any caffeine, but these days I only feel good when I drink really good coffee.

Maybe because Jeong Ji-young roasts its own green beans, the freshness and aroma were really good. Hand-drip coffee is brewed as soon as you order, so it took about 5 minutes. While waiting, the coffee smell really spreads, and I could smell it even though B1 of Lotte Department Store is crowded, wide and high-ceilinged. Absolutely the best!

There's regular espresso coffee and also single-origin hand-drip coffee, so you can choose to your taste, with decaf, mild or dark options. And you can buy beans! Drip bags are available too, which seem good for gifts.

Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters merch and the vibe of the shop

The Nowon branch also has brand merch printed with "No coffee, no workie." I checked the website and the hats come in lots of pretty colors. It made me think of a friend who loves coffee and is a workaholic haha. I should buy her a pen hahaha.

The staff all wear Jeong Ji-young hats and T-shirts while working, and it looked good. It's a takeaway shop, so the space is small, yet there seemed to be more than five of them and it was very busy, but the matching T-shirts kept it from looking chaotic. (That means there were lots of customers haha. I visited right after lunchtime.)

Why I chose the Kenya Kiambu AA hand drip at Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters

That day I wanted a heavy-bodied coffee, so I picked the Kenya Kiambu AA hand drip, hehe. Hand drip definitely has some acidity, and I used to dislike it, but lately I've come to appreciate the elegance of acidity, and the combination of freshness, acidity, sweetness and body feels important.

What the Nowon shop looked like while I waited

The Nowon shop was very tidy. The staff are quick with their hands, and even while busy it all felt neat.

Order done at the Nowon coffee spot worth lining up for!

• Coconut coffee + switched to decaf
• Kenya Kiambu AA hand drip

My hand drip is being brewed! From the moment it started brewing, wow, even standing away I could smell the coffee, so fragrant under my nose. It's going to be so good TT My expectations are up!! Totally UP!!

Our coffee is finally ready, hehe

Two coconut coffees are waiting behind ours. It really is popular haha. I was in a good mood from the moment I picked up the coffee.

How were the Kenya Kiambu AA and the coconut coffee?

I said "Oh!!" right after the first sip of the Kenya Kiambu AA hand drip. The body is really heavy and you can feel the acidity, and it feels like the heavy body wraps around that acidity. But it's really clean and classy. You can feel the freshness of the beans. I don't know much about coffee, but I can taste well haha.

I tried the coconut coffee too. My sweet-loving unnie said, "Oh! The coconut is rich, rich!! It's good?!!" and I, who don't like sweet things, said, "Wow, it's sweet~" hahaha. But the coconut is really rich and creamy. It wasn't an artificial coconut flavor. Coconut milk and coffee go really well together. I get why it hit 1.11 million cups. It's truly a great Nowon coffee spot, thumbs up!

If you like coconut, go for it, no question. With the 20% discount you can get the signature coffee in the ₩5,000 range!

After a tasty coffee at Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters, my mood was up and we headed out to shop haha.

Jeong Ji-young Coffee Roasters Nowon at a glance

• 20% off if you ate at the B1 food court of Lotte Nowon, so check that
• Fresh and clean, with single-origin hand drip
• Merch, drip bags and beans recommended as gifts