There is more than one way to drink coffee in Seoul — and sitting in a café is just the most obvious one. Walk into a roastery, buy a bag of beans, and you can pack the taste of the city right into your carry-on. The catch? The price tags are impossible to compare at a glance. One roastery lists 200g at ₩13,000, another 250g at ₩24,000, and a Geisha goes for ₩23,000 — for 50g. So we did the math: every price from 12 major Seoul roasteries, normalized to 100g, in a single table.
The Short Answer
- Signature blends at 12 major Seoul roasteries: ₩6,500–9,600 per 100g. Bag prices range from ₩13,000 to ₩24,000 — looks like a 2× spread, but the real gap is under 1.5× once you normalize for weight.
- The most affordable: Hell Cafe, Coffee Montage, Felt (₩6,500/100g). The priciest: Terarosa (₩9,600/100g). But Terarosa uses a 250g bag, so the absolute price looks bigger than it really is.
- Single origins run ₩8,500–12,500 per 100g. Geisha is a different universe: ₩12,000–54,000 per 100g.
- A 100g bag makes 5–6 pour-overs. That is about ₩1,500 per cup — one-third the price of a specialty café Americano in Seoul (₩5,000–6,500).
Why normalize everything to 100g?
Because every roastery uses a different bag size. The Seoul standard is 200g, but Center Coffee uses 210g, Deep Blue Lake uses 220g, and Terarosa uses 250g. And then you have high-end Geisha lots sold in tiny 50g or 100g bags. Comparing “₩17,000 vs ₩24,000” without adjusting for weight tells you nothing.
The three tables below use official online store prices as of August 3, 2026, normalized to 100g. In-store prices are generally the same.
How We Calculate the 100g Price
Bag price ÷ grams × 100. Example: Terarosa House Drip Blend 250g at ₩24,000 → 24,000 ÷ 250 × 100 = ₩9,600/100g. Deep Blue Lake 220g at ₩17,000 → ₩7,727/100g.
12 Seoul Roasteries: Signature Blends — 100g Price
Sorted cheapest first. At a glance, Hell Cafe (₩13,000) and Terarosa (₩24,000) look like a 2× gap. Normalized to 100g: ₩6,500 vs ₩9,600 — less than 1.5×.
☕ Seoul Specialty Roasteries: Signature Blends — 100g Price (Aug 3, 2026, Official Online Store Prices)
| # | Roastery | Neighborhood | Signature Blend | Bag | Bag Price | 100g Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hell Cafe Roasters | Yongsan, Wonhyo-ro | Balance Blend | 200g | 13,000원 | 6,500원 |
| 2 | Coffee Montage | Gangdong, Seongnae | Bittersweet Life Ed.1 | 200g | 13,000원 | 6,500원 |
| 3 | Felt Coffee | Jongno, Gwanghwamun | Classic Espresso | 200g | 13,000원 | 6,500원 |
| 4 | Center Coffee | Seongdong, Seoul Forest | Friday Blend | 210g | 14,000원 | 6,667원 |
| 5 | Deep Blue Lake | Mapo, Mangwon | Deep Blend | 220g | 17,000원 | 7,727원 |
| 6 | Protokoll | Seodaemun, Yeonhui | Supernormal | 200g | 16,000원 | 8,000원 |
| 7 | Coffee Libre | Mapo, Yeonnam | Bad Blood | 200g | 17,000원 | 8,500원 |
| 8 | Fritz Coffee | Mapo, Dohwa | Old Dog | 200g | 17,000원 | 8,500원 |
| 9 | Bean Brothers | Mapo, Sangsu | Velvet White | 200g | 18,000원 | 9,000원 |
| 10 | Namusairo | Jongno, Seochon | Nok-eum | 200g | 18,000원 | 9,000원 |
| 11 | Anthracite | Mapo, Hapjeong | Air and Dreams | 200g | 18,000원 | 9,000원 |
| 12 | Terarosa | Jongno, Gwanghwamun | House Drip Blend | 250g | 24,000원 | 9,600원 |
So Where Should You Buy? — A Roastery-by-Roastery Breakdown
The first five below have distinct personalities that make them useful reference points if you are choosing for the first time.
Hell Cafe Roasters — Two Blends, No Confusion
A tiny roastery in Yongsan’s Wonhyo-ro with exactly two blends: Balance (200g ₩13,000) and Dark Roast (200g ₩14,000). No endless menu to navigate — which means no chance of picking wrong. If you have been put off by the bright, high-acidity trend in specialty coffee, this is your baseline. 33 Wonhyo-ro 89-gil, 1F, Yongsan-gu · ₩6,500–7,000/100g 📍 Open in Naver Map
Coffee Montage — Precision Roasting from Gangdong
A roastery-café that started in Seongnae-dong in 2013. Signature blend Bittersweet Life Ed.1 at 200g ₩13,000; single origins like Colombia La Reserva Anaerobic Honey at 200g ₩22,000. Their limited-run Black Box line features Geisha and Cup of Excellence lots at ₩17,000/100g. 23-12 Olympic-ro 48-gil, 1F, Gangdong-gu · ₩6,500–17,000/100g 📍 Open in Naver Map
Felt Coffee — Balanced, Right in Gwanghwamun
With locations in Jongno D-Tower and along Cheonggyecheon, this slots neatly into any Gyeongbokgung–Gwanghwamun itinerary. Classic Espresso 200g ₩13,000, Kenya Karimigui SL28 Washed 200g ₩25,000, Peru El Laurel Geisha Anaerobic 100g ₩18,000 — a well-spread lineup from entry-level to high-end. 17 Jongno 3-gil, D-Tower, Jongno-gu · ₩6,500–18,000/100g 📍 Open in Naver Map
Center Coffee — Seoul Forest, and That Odd 210g Bag
Right at Seoul Forest’s main gate — perfect as the last stop on a Seongsu-dong café crawl. The only roastery using a 210g bag, which is why its numbers look slightly awkward in the table. Friday Blend 210g ₩14,000 (₩6,667/100g), Mayday Blend ₩15,000. 28-11 Seoulsup 2-gil, Seongdong-gu · ~₩6,667/100g 📍 Open in Naver Map
Fritz Coffee — The Direct-Trade Roastery Everyone Thinks Is a Bakery
Yes, the seal logo and the pastries are famous. But Fritz is first and foremost a direct-trade roastery. All three blends — Old Dog, Jal Dweeogassina, Seoul Cinema — are priced identically at 200g ₩17,000 (₩8,500/100g). Geisha lots run ₩12,000–15,000/100g. With six locations across Seoul (Dohwa, Wonseo, Yangjae, Yongsan, Dongnimmun, Jangchung), there is almost certainly one on your route. 17 Saechang-ro 2-gil, Mapo-gu (Dohwa) + 5 more across Seoul · ₩8,500–15,000/100g 📍 Open in Naver Map
Coffee Libre — Yeonnam-dong, and the Upper Limit of Geisha
A direct-trade roastery and certified B Corp, founded by Seo Pil-hoon, who personally sources green beans from origin. Bad Blood blend at 200g ₩17,000. And then there is the high-end Goldmund line: Panama Elida Vuelta Geisha ASD Natural at ₩54,000/100g — the highest price we found in Seoul for this guide. 20-5 Seongmisan-ro 32-gil, Mapo-gu (Yeonnam) · 74 Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu (Myeongdong Cathedral) · ₩8,500–54,000/100g 📍 Open in Naver Map
Namusairo — 20 Years in Seochon, Slot It into Your Palace Day
A small precision roastery that has been at it since 2002 and handles its own green bean importing. The Naeja-dong shop opens at 7:00 AM — ideal for a pre-palace coffee run before Gyeongbokgung. Seasonal blend Nok-eum at 200g ₩18,000, Colombia Quindío Gesha Anaerobic Washed at 100g ₩27,500. 21 Sajik-ro 8-gil, Jongno-gu (Naeja) · 07:00–20:30 · ₩9,000–27,500/100g 📍 Open in Naver Map
Anthracite — The One Without an Online Store
Anthracite’s Hapjeong flagship — a converted shoe factory — helped define Seoul café culture. Oddly, they have no official retail online store. To buy their beans, you have to visit a physical location or use third-party channels like 29CM or Market Kurly. Blend names are drawn from literature: Air and Dreams 200g ₩18,000, History Mystery 200g ₩14,000 (prices from 29CM brand store). 10 Tojeong-ro 5-gil, Mapo-gu (Hapjeong) · Yeonhui, Hannam, Seogyo, and more · ₩7,000–9,000/100g 📍 Open in Naver Map
The Other Four
- Deep Blue Lake (Mapo, Mangwon): Prints the roast date right in the product name. Deep Blend 220g ₩17,000. Their high-end Guatemala El Injerto Geisha (2025 CoE #5) is sold in 50g bags at ₩23,000 — that is ₩46,000/100g, an extreme case of small-format pricing.
- Protokoll (Seodaemun, Yeonhui · Mapo, Sangsu): The name means “protocol” in German, and their rule is absolute: they only sell beans within 7 days of roasting. Supernormal 200g ₩16,000.
- Bean Brothers (Mapo, Sangsu): A large-scale brand with subscriptions, wholesale, and overseas locations, headquartered in Sangsu-dong. Velvet White 200g ₩18,000, Colombia La Guauda Geisha 100g ₩24,000.
- Terarosa (Jongno, Gwanghwamun · Gangnam, POSCO Center): Started in Gangneung in 2002, now one of Korea’s largest specialty operations. The only roastery using a 250g bag, which makes the absolute price look high — but at ₩9,600/100g, it is not far off the pack. Their Panama José Geisha is 250g at ₩44,000 (₩17,600/100g), which is, counterintuitively, a value play among Geishas.
How Much More Do Single Origins and Geisha Cost?
Unlike blends — which cluster in a tight band — single origins and Geisha spread out dramatically as you move up the price ladder.
🌱 Single Origin 100g Price (1.0–1.9× Blend Price)
| Roastery | Single Origin | Bag | Bag Price | 100g Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fritz | Gedeb Chelbesa Washed | 200g | 17,000원 | 8,500원 |
| Coffee Libre | Honduras Reyes | 200g | 17,000원 | 8,500원 |
| Protokoll | Colombia Sugarcane Decaf | 200g | 20,000원 | 10,000원 |
| Coffee Montage | Colombia La Reserva Anaerobic Honey | 200g | 22,000원 | 11,000원 |
| Bean Brothers | Ethiopia Tigist Abiyot | 200g | 23,000원 | 11,500원 |
| Terarosa | Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Aricha | 250g | 29,500원 | 11,800원 |
| Felt Coffee | Kenya Karimigui SL28·SL34 Washed | 200g | 25,000원 | 12,500원 |
Fritz and Coffee Libre price some single origins identically to their blends. If you want to try single origin for the first time without spending more, these two are your lowest-risk entry points.
💎 Geisha & High-End 100g Price (2–8× Blend Price)
| Roastery | Geisha | Bag | Bag Price | 100g Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fritz | Santa Teresa 2000 Geisha Washed | 100g | 12,000원 | 12,000원 |
| Coffee Montage | Colombia Palestina Geisha Washed | 100g | 17,000원 | 17,000원 |
| Terarosa | Panama José Geisha | 250g | 44,000원 | 17,600원 |
| Felt Coffee | Peru El Laurel Geisha Anaerobic | 100g | 18,000원 | 18,000원 |
| Bean Brothers | Colombia La Guauda Geisha | 100g | 24,000원 | 24,000원 |
| Namusairo | Colombia Quindío Gesha Anaerobic Washed | 100g | 27,500원 | 27,500원 |
| Deep Blue Lake | Guatemala El Injerto Geisha (2025 CoE #5) | 50g | 23,000원 | 46,000원 |
| Coffee Libre | Panama Elida Vuelta Geisha ASD Natural | 100g | 54,000원 | 54,000원 |
Is Buying Beans Actually Cheaper Than a Café?
A pour-over uses about 16–18g of coffee. A 100g bag gives you 5–6 cups.
| 100g Price | Per-Cup Bean Cost (at 18g) | Seoul Specialty Café Americano |
|---|---|---|
| ₩6,500 (Hell Cafe, Felt, Montage) | ~₩1,170 | ₩5,000–6,500 |
| ₩8,500 (Fritz, Coffee Libre) | ~₩1,530 | ₩5,000–6,500 |
| ₩9,600 (Terarosa) | ~₩1,730 | ₩5,000–6,500 |
| ₩27,500 (Namusairo Gesha) | ~₩4,950 | Geisha pour-over ₩12,000–20,000 |
For blends: ₩1,200–1,700 per cup, one-quarter to one-third of what you would pay at a café. A single 200g bag yields about ten cups — not many travel souvenirs last that long.
What to Ask When Buying Beans at a Roastery
Four Things to Check at the Counter
- Roast date — Printed on the back of the bag or on a sticker. Within 2 weeks is ideal. Some places, like Protokoll, only sell beans within 7 days of roasting.
- Whole bean or ground? — Seoul roasteries default to whole bean. Most will grind for free if you ask, but ground coffee loses its aroma within days. Only request grinding if you do not have a grinder on your trip.
- Bag weight — 200g is the standard, but 210g, 220g, and 250g also appear. If you are comparing prices, check this first.
- Flavor direction — Just ask: "Is this more acidic or more heavy-bodied?" One sentence from the barista can save you from a bag you will not enjoy.
Flying with Coffee Beans
- Roasted coffee beans are fine in both checked and carry-on luggage. Green (unroasted) beans may be subject to agricultural quarantine depending on your destination — do not buy them.
- Coffee bags have a one-way aroma valve that lets CO₂ escape, so they will not burst from cabin pressure changes.
- For gifts, two 200g bags are better than one 500g bag. Once opened, oxidation starts immediately — smaller bags stay fresher longer.
How to Combine Roasteries by Neighborhood
| Route | Roasteries | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hongdae · Yeonnam · Hapjeong · Mangwon | Coffee Libre (Yeonnam) · Anthracite (Hapjeong) · Bean Brothers (Sangsu) · Deep Blue Lake (Mangwon) · Fritz (Dohwa) | Walkable or one subway stop apart. The densest roastery cluster in Seoul. |
| Gwanghwamun · Gyeongbokgung · Seochon | Felt (D-Tower) · Terarosa (Gwanghwamun) · Namusairo (Naeja) · Fritz (Wonseo, Dongnimmun) | Before or after palace visits. Namusairo opens at 7:00 AM. |
| Seongsu · Seoul Forest | Center Coffee (Seoul Forest) | Cap off a Seongsu café tour by grabbing beans on your way out. |
| Yeonhui · Seodaemun | Protokoll (Yeonhui) · Anthracite (Yeonhui) | Protokoll’s 7-day roast window rule lives here. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I carry coffee beans around during my trip? Yes — just avoid direct sunlight and heat. A sealed bag in your luggage is fine for 2–3 weeks. Once opened, press the zipper flat to squeeze out air and reseal tightly.
Are 500g or 1kg bulk bags cheaper? Yes, the 100g price definitely drops with bulk bags. But once opened, you have 2–3 weeks before the aroma fades significantly. For travelers, 200g is the practical sweet spot.
Do they sell decaf? Most do. Fritz Decaf 200g ₩17,000, Protokoll Colombia Sugarcane Decaf 200g ₩20,000, Felt Decaf 200g ₩15,000 — pricing is similar to or slightly above regular lines.
Sources & Data
- All prices are official online store prices as of August 3, 2026. Discounts and promotional pricing are not reflected.
- Fritz Coffee Company official store · Coffee Libre official store · Namusairo official store · Terarosa official store
- Felt Coffee official store · Bean Brothers official store · Coffee Montage official store · Center Coffee official store
- Protokoll official store · Deep Blue Lake official store · Hell Cafe official site
- Anthracite does not operate an official retail online store. Prices shown are from the 29CM brand store.
- 100g prices were calculated by the editorial team: bag price ÷ grams × 100, rounded to the nearest whole number.