Coconut-hater's coconut coffee at Starfield Suwon café: Jeong Jiyeong

I knew Jeong Jiyeong Coffee Roasters had a spot in Starfield Suwon, but it turns out it's been there longer than I thought. I remembered we actually had our wedding invitation meetup at Starfield Suwon once — we ate there and grabbed coffee at Jeong Jiyeong Coffee Roasters right next door! I'd first visited their Hwaseong Haenggung branch and had such good coffee there that I went back several times, so seeing this branch always feels like running into an old friend.

What kind of café is Jeong Jiyeong Coffee Roasters? A Suwon local brand from Haenggung-dong

Since Jeong Jiyeong Coffee Roasters started in Haenggung-dong, it feels a bit more familiar to me than other cafés. It's a local Suwon coffee brand that first opened in Haenggung in 2017!

Returning to Jeong Jiyeong Coffee Roasters in Starfield Suwon after a long break

I do go out of my way to try new cafés sometimes, but once I find a place I love, I tend to keep going back to just that one, haha. I've always felt this about the Starfield Suwon branch — the store isn't huge, but the space is really nicely done. Decorated cleanly in black and wood tones, it had an overall calm yet warm atmosphere.

Beans and goods were displayed near the front, so it was fun to browse around while waiting for our drinks.

Second-floor café in Starfield Suwon: nearly every seat was already full

We got our drinks to go that day, but looking inside, almost every seat was taken! While waiting on our order, we wandered around the store a bit.

On one shelf, they were even selling goods featuring "Suwon-i," the city of Suwon's mascot character. Popular cafés at Starfield Suwon fill up fast, so I figured that was just how it goes here too, haha.

Trying the coconut coffee at Jeong Jiyeong Coffee Roasters as someone who dislikes coconut

The thing I most wanted to talk about!!! Coconut coffee!! I don't really like coconut, but when I was ordering, I saw a poster that said 1.11 million cups sold and mentioned a patent, and before I knew it I'd ordered the coconut coffee. I guess it was just... a sudden burst of adventurousness? (I'd tried and failed with coconut a few times before, so it had been a while since my last attempt.) I wondered what it could possibly taste like to sell that many cups — and it was so good.

1.11 million cups and a patent? Why I ordered the coconut coffee

At first I figured if the distinctive coconut aroma or sweetness was too strong I wouldn't be able to handle it, so I planned to trade with my husband's grapefruit ade (sorry, honey...), but once I actually tried it, it wasn't as sweet as I expected — the bold coconut flavor came through together with a rich coffee taste, all in a smooth finish! But it wasn't just sweet with an overwhelming coconut flavor — from the first sip I could taste that distinctive sweet, nutty coconut note, and the coffee's bitterness added to the coconut's soft, nutty flavor. The combination worked better than I expected, and having tried it myself, I'd be satisfied enough to order it again.

• Coconut flavor: On the strong side
• Sweetness: Moderately sweet
• If you like coconut: Recommended
• If you don't like coconut: Worth trying once if you like coffee

Honest review: the coconut coffee tasted better for not being too sweet

Honestly, I'd had coconut coffee at another café before and remembered it being just too sweet, so I hadn't really ordered it since. But since coconut coffee is the signature menu item here at Jeong Jiyeong Coffee Roasters, I gave it a try out of curiosity. I tend to get sick of coffee quickly if it's too sweet, and this coconut coffee's sweetness was less over-the-top than I expected, which I liked. The distinctive sweet, nutty coconut flavor came through without the sweetness overwhelming everything, and it paired with the coffee better than I thought. Sure, maybe I just had a sweet tooth that day, haha. I hadn't had coconut coffee in a while, but this time it was surprisingly delicious, haha.

My husband's pick: the grapefruit ade at Jeong Jiyeong Coffee Roasters

My husband, who usually likes iced Americanos, said he wanted something refreshing that day and picked the grapefruit ade. Both of our menu picks were a hit that day, so we happily sipped our drinks while window-shopping, haha.

Pregnant customers can switch to decaf beans for free

Also, pregnant customers can switch to decaf beans at no extra cost, apparently. If you're pregnant and craving coffee, this is good to know!

Looking for a café in Starfield Suwon? Why I'd return to Jeong Jiyeong Coffee Roasters

It felt oddly nice to run into a café I'd first discovered at Hwaseong Haenggung, this time at the Starfield Suwon branch — and above all, enjoying the coconut coffee I hadn't expected to love made this visit even more memorable. That day I'd actually planned to get a coffee with ice cream on top instead of the coconut coffee, but ended up so satisfied with the coconut coffee that I felt great about my menu choice.

So if you go specifically for the coconut coffee, I think you'll be even more satisfied — and even those of us who don't drink coconut coffee often might want to give it a try once. I'd recommend Jeong Jiyeong Coffee Roasters to anyone visiting Suwon for the first time! I remember once taking a close friend's younger sibling there when she first came to Suwon, since she loves coffee so much and wanted to check it out.