Espresso Con Panna=espresso with cream in Italian. Absolute heavenly bliss when I tried this for the first time at Republic of Coffeein Mapo! Oh dear God, where have you been??? This hidden cafe owned by well known barista Jong Hoon Lee (ok, we didn't see him there this time), but another barista in training Chang Jae Lee was definitely 'in the know' when it comes to proper coffee. We tried everything from espresso made from their vintage machine (see photo below) to iced cafe mochas, hand drip coffee, and the espresso con panna. Uh yeah, all in one sitting. We were so close to spending all of our Saturday there, but realized that it was probably not a good idea to be wired the whole day, so left before the caffeine got the better of us...hahaha.
For those that have a java addiction, absolutely must make a stop or two at Coffee Republic. Actually, it's a must.
So every time I pass by this cafe in Samcheongdong along the tree-lined street, my eyes glare at this weird coffee process they do through their glass window...I finally made my way in, and it did peek my interest. Chang Hee Cafe has a solid list of single origin coffees, along with other blends. After choosing the beans, you then get to decide how you want it made: hand drip, flannel drip, or siphoned through alchemist style glass bulbs (Japanese by the way). I just had to see what this 'siphoned coffee process was all about...'
The process of making siphon coffee: you put fresh ground coffee in the top vessel, and water in the bottom one. Then the water is heated through the bottom, by the burner. As the water heats, the pressure forces the hot water up through a narrow pipe. Once in the top chamber, it mixes with the coffee grounds. Since heat isn't directly applied to the coffee grounds or the resulting mixture, the coffee produced in the top chamber is usually very good. Once the water chamber is empty, you should turn off the burner or heat source at once. As the bottom part of the pot assembly cools, the air contracts and allows the brewed coffee to be drawn back down through the same pipe. The coffee is filtered on the way down, so that the coffee grounds don't end up in the drink. I also noticed that the coffee shops don't pour all the coffee into your cup, to avoid putting some grounds in your drink. The last few teaspoons of coffee are discarded (purelycoffeebeans.com)
The siphoned process was pretty hip...and although the experience was quite something, the taste, hmm...not a huge difference between hand drip. Ok, we were sitting at the coffee bar to pretty much see the show! hahaha. I hear that the siphon coffee process is popping up everywhere in the states!
Mapo-gu, Do-hwa dong 203-8, Seoul, South Korea
+82-70-4200-4624
Jongno-gu, Hwa-dong 38-1, Seoul, South Korea
02-735-0986