Hand-drip café in Namwon: Ethiopia Juicy Berry, Coffee Bean G1

I revisited Coffee Bean G1, a place as comfortable and familiar as an afternoon rest playlist.

I'll make you happy.

Like the flower language of the duranta blossom, I hoped Coffee Bean G1 would make me happy too. :) The rose herb pot outside also made me stop and admire it. Wow!!

Coffee Bean G1 opening hours and closing day

Coffee Bean G1 opens at 10am and closes at 9pm, closed on Sundays. The 10am opening is more of a formality — I've heard the owner actually opens earlier than that. Peeking inside, the soft lighting gave the space a warm, emotional feel.

What is the new "today's specialty coffee" menu?

Coffee Bean G1 has a newly added menu — today's specialty coffee!

*Specialty coffee refers to coffee that meets strict quality standards across every stage — from growing and harvesting the green beans to processing, roasting, and brewing. It's coffee that scores 80 points or higher out of 100, letting you experience the distinct character and flavor of each origin.

• Peru Santa Teresa Geisha 11.0
• Ethiopia Geisha Natural 9.0
• Guatemala Paca El Cafetillo Pacamara 8.5
• Colombia Oliana Papayo Washed 8.5

I personally love dutch coffee, so my eyes kept drifting there. :)

I looked over the many beans, trying to picture their taste and aroma — Geisha, Colombia, Ethiopia. Reading through them, Geisha seemed like my number one pick. :)

Then Guatemala, Kenya, and Ethiopia Hamasho G1 Natural caught my eye. As I kept scanning — wait — I noticed the menu board had been refreshed.

Iced oat misugaru (roasted grain powder drink)!! I wanted to try it another time.

Locals buying beans and bottled dutch coffee

Two bags of beans and one bottle of dutch coffee! Word about Coffee Bean G1's coffee and beans has apparently spread all the way to Gwangju, and one customer had come specifically to buy beans and dutch coffee even though they were just stopping in for a single cup. Oh~~!!

Another customer came alone, drank an iced hand-drip coffee, and quietly left. ...

The cup given to a woman customer differed from the one given to a man! It seemed the owner picks the cup she thinks suits each guest best.

The owner's pick: Ethiopia Juicy Berry hand-drip

The owner recommended the Ethiopia Juicy Berry coffee, saying it was delicious. Even though I wasn't planning on having coffee, at Coffee Bean G1 I really wanted one — I couldn't pass up a good cup of hand-drip coffee. :)

Mmm~~ it was delicious. Just as recommended, the Ethiopia Juicy Berry was a bean I'll remember for that one great cup of coffee. :)

Homemade lemon tea and blueberry homemade yogurt

Meanwhile, the homemade lemon tea was genuinely delicious — if they sold jars of the lemon preserve, I would've bought some to take home. My sister, who came with me, ordered the lemon tea,

and it came loaded with lemon slices. It was so good I couldn't help but be impressed. The blueberry homemade yogurt was also amazing — the flavor was seriously top-tier? :)

If I had to pick three signature menu items for Coffee Bean G1, I'd personally recommend the hand-drip/dutch coffee, the homemade lemon tea, and the blueberry homemade yogurt as the 'signature' picks.

New menu boards on every table and the full hand-drip lineup

Looking around at a few tables, I noticed pretty new menu boards had been added, sitting right there for you to browse slowly. It showed the owner's thoughtfulness in wanting guests to take their time choosing.

It was nice to look through the specialty hand-drip coffee menu too.

• Ethiopia G1
• Colombia Supremo
• Kenya AA Top
• Guatemala SHB
• Brazil NY2 FC
• Indonesia 1
• High-end coffee (Geisha, Blue Mountain, Kona...)
• Today's micro-lot hand-drip coffee — Colombia Huila Bosque Geisha (Washed)
• Ethiopia Gesha (Anaerobic Natural)
• Guatemala Cafetillo Pacamara (Natural)

The names were a bit tricky, but the joy of choosing, the anticipation of flavor, and the expertise behind such a wide range of beans to sample seemed to add to Coffee Bean G1's charm.

Classical guitar and an alley-view seat at Coffee Bean G1

With the sound of classical guitar filling the air, that one cup of coffee felt peaceful,

and depending on my mood, looking out at the alley outside felt pretty too. In a moment when you feel like you're somewhere wonderful, everything gets a little better — and the pleasure of sitting there with a coffee grows even bigger.

If you want to feel that moment and joy and calm of a truly good cup of coffee, and another layer of charm — Coffee Bean G1 :) Go check it out~~ 12-10 Sicheongdong-ro, Namwon-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea.