Hapjeong café for the caffeine-sensitive: Entre Volcanes, Central Site

Why a caffeine-sensitive coffee drinker returned to Central Site

Central Site is a specialty coffee shop that this caffeine-sensitive writer wanted to try even at the cost of sleep. I once ate a coffee-flavored cookie and still tossed and turned all night, so maybe it's all in my head? Caffeine and I have parted ways, but there is one coffee I remember so well that I gave up sleep for it.

I walked into "Central Site" by chance, with zero expectations. I had never seen a place do coffee this professionally. Some of you may know Song Myeongseop makgeolli (Korean rice wine); the smooth, water-like finish with so many aromas layered on top was a fresh shock to me.

Where is Central Site Hapjeong?

Central Site Hapjeong sits on Yanghwa-ro 7-gil in Mapo, right in front of Chef Jung Ho-young's Udon Kaden. While I wasn't looking, Central Site opened a branch in Hapjeong! I used to work at a restaurant nearby and passed this alley countless times, so it felt really welcome.

You can feel the solid dignity of a coffee specialist from the outside. I got the strong impression of a shop that never does anything half-heartedly, so the care in the small details really caught my eye. Look at the fan placed outside..

Smelling the beans and the tiramisu display case

Just like the Yeonnam branch, Central Site Hapjeong has each of its blended beans set out so you can smell them.

Honestly, I'm not very into coffee and only came back to taste the coffee world, so for coffee newbies like me, all these unfamiliar things are just fascinating.

There's the tiramisu cake I loved at the Yeonnam branch too. From the dark chocolate on top to the mascarpone that melted away in my mouth, the fresh shock of that time comes flooding back.

Choosing the Guatemala Entre Volcanes from the menu

The menu at Central Site Hapjeong keeps a form that feels moody and professional rather than intuitively convenient. In the old days I'd have ordered the most expensive coffee, ₩16,000, just because! But after reading what the blended beans contain (hazelnut, butterscotch, milk chocolate), I ordered the "Guatemala Entre Volcanes."

The barista started working on the beans the moment I ordered. Watching the coffee being made right in front of you is another reason to visit Central Site.

See the scale under the coffee drip equipment? When they sweat even the small details you'd normally skip past, no wonder I was curious about coffee even while losing sleep over it.

The "coffee laboratory"-like space that shocked me at the Yeonnam branch is still here too, wow.

When the coffee is done brewing, the staff bring it to you themselves.

How does the Guatemala Entre Volcanes taste?

The Guatemala Entre Volcanes (₩8,000) had a light body and a cool, clean texture that went down like water, which was its charm. If I had focused a bit more, I think I could have picked up the hazelnut, butterscotch and milk chocolate in the beans even more strongly. I felt I got more from the aroma and the texture in my mouth than from simple taste.

Central Site's Classic Tiramisu

The Classic Tiramisu (₩8,500) came cut neatly, as if sliced like a radish with a knife. Central Site really does tiramisu well, too.

Ever since trying the tiramisu at the Yeonnam branch I'd think of it often and bought a few from neighborhood cafés, but for the soft mascarpone texture and the deep flavor you can feel in your nose, Central Site is definitely the best.

Who should you bring to Central Site Hapjeong?

For both taste and atmosphere, Central Site Hapjeong looks perfect for meeting people you care about and chatting quietly. Even I, who prefer pubs and whisky bars to cafés, think so, which shows how a pro's charm draws people in on its own.

(It's also fun that the beans are different from the Yeonnam branch.)