Seocho bakery café for matcha and s'more levain cookies: Mini Male

Reaching Mini Male Coffee Roaster Juam Branch 8 minutes before closing

Mini Male Coffee Roaster Juam Branch is a dessert spot in Seocho, Seoul, and it is closed on weekends, open weekdays only. I'd heard it's hugely famous for its baked goods and wanted to go so badly, but it's closed on weekends and even on weekdays it only runs until 4 p.m., so I had no day I could actually visit,,

Still, I wanted to go so much that I travelled an hour and a half, only to find out I'd gone to the Yangjae branch, so I rushed over to the Juam branch and it was already 15:52,, I arrived 8 minutes before closing, and strangely there were tons of customers waiting for takeout. I felt so sorry for turning up in the middle of that. Honestly I should have been out, but I begged and they let me in (yes, I'm a pain,, the owner who accepted me is an angel). So I barely made it within opening hours! Now let me show you the baked-goods spot I was so excited about!

Mini Male Coffee Roaster Juam Branch: location and opening hours

Mini Male Coffee Roaster Juam Branch is at 38 Maeheon-ro 1-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul (Unit 102). It is open weekdays 07:30 - 14:00 and closed on weekends.

What is the atmosphere like at Mini Male Juam Branch?

The inside of Mini Male Juam isn't huge, but it's spotless. Honestly I came in such a rush that I couldn't photograph the exterior ㅠㅠㅠㅠ It had a really nice atmosphere too, so it's a shame I missed it.

When you sit down, you can watch the coffee being brewed right across from you! Super hygienic.

How to order the Helsinki latte at Mini Male

I heard the Helsinki latte is Mini Male Juam's main drink, and I was so curious that I ordered it iced. I picked it while looking over the drink menu and wondering what to get. It feels like a latte, but a nuttier version. It's nutty to begin with, so you can switch to a version with acidity, but I went with the nutty one and asked for two pumps of syrup!

What's in the bakery section at Mini Male Juam Branch?

This is the bakery zone, the reason I came to Mini Male Juam!

They say the tomato juice is made from tomatoes only. It's 100% tomato juice. There are also butter bars and pound cake, and bottled coffee too!

I was so happy that they had every kind of levain cookie, which I love. I'm crazy about levain cookies, and people say Mini Male is the real deal. So I ordered the matcha levain, the chocolate s'more levain and the original levain!

Are there still baked goods left right before closing?

If you go right before closing, the bakery at Mini Male Juam is almost sold out. I went almost at closing time, so only egg tarts, scones and financiers (small almond cakes) were left.

Ta-da!

While they made my latte, I looked around the shop a bit.

Mini Male Juam also sells coffee beans and desserts as sets.

I'd come so late and kept apologizing, so the owner kindly said I could stay while they closed up and told me to sit and eat, so I sat for a little while before leaving. Sorry again, and thank you. (Please don't look at me and think, oh, so it's fine to come late!!!!! Never take advantage of it.) I felt so bad that I left around 4:05!

What does Mini Male's Helsinki latte taste like?

Mini Male's Helsinki latte is nutty and rich, similar to a latte but a different feel. I could see why it's the signature. Even I, who don't really like coffee, enjoyed it with no resistance. It's even better if you stir it up well!

Mini Male's three levain cookies compared

Next up are the levain cookies. Seriously, they look delicious already.

Matcha levain cookie: rich matcha and macadamia

Mini Male's matcha levain is amazing. The matcha flavor is really strong and toasty, and the macadamia nuts throughout are crazy good. A chewy matcha levain with a Helsinki latte is a wild combo.

Crazy cross-section, right? You hardly see cross-sections like this these days.

Chocolate s'more levain cookie: dense but not too sweet

Next is the chocolate s'more levain. I only found out at Mini Male that I love s'more cookies.

Let me show you the cross-section first: the chocolate outside is really rich and dense. It's totally fudgy, and the s'more inside melts it softly so they go together so well. It is sweet, but not insanely so, sweet enough that even people who don't love sweets can enjoy it?

Very delicious. Exactly my taste.

Original levain cookie: a must for chocolate lovers

The original levain at Mini Male made my eyes go wide the second I ate it. It has a much stronger chocolate flavor than the s'more and is very sweet. Honestly, I think chocolate lovers absolutely have to eat the original levain. Chocolate lovers, please get it.

It's packed with chocolate chips, and the macadamia nuts you bite into here and there drive you wild. The texture is out of this world, it's just delicious. I was so happy to find such a great baked-goods spot after so long. Thanks for the meal today!