A pleasant cup of java
Interior of Thesis
By Yun Suh-young
Dutch Scream
If you're in Gwangju for the upcoming Universiade or on a business trip or vacation any time soon, here is a must-visit coffee place which will thrill you.
Across the street from the Kimdaejung Convention Center lies Thesis, a hip, New York-style coffee shop which opened in March.
Although this reporter ran into this magnificently cool place out of coincidence, it turns out the store is rapidly gaining popularity among coffee enthusiasts via social network and is already famous among baristas for the brand's unique and intricate brewing method.
What first catches the eyes of passersby is the trendy interior which stands out in the region lacking such cultural spaces.
The first floor of the store has an interior like a bar where visitors can sit clustered in the center close to the baristas. The second floor is more like a cafe.
A variety of coffee displayed for purchase at Thesis
What is awesome other than the great interior and rich coffee is the music ― the store plays a great selection of the latest hits which blends with the interior and the time of the day.
Benchmarking the famous Intelligentsia Coffee in Chicago, which caters the taste of the coffee to individual customers, Thesis also aims to provide intelligentsia-style service where customers can choose the type of bean, drip method and order a coffee that best suits their tastes.
Thesis' strength is in Dutch coffee which they also sell in packages (16,000 won). The Dutch coffee here is offered in four types of beans which are selected every three months and ground for eight hours. Visitors can see the machine, placed at the back of the shop, through the glass window. The coffee beans are roasted in consideration of the temperature and humidity.
Dutch coffee being extracted
Other than the Dutch, Tiramisu Latte and the newest drink, Dutch Scream (5,500 won), are two of the most popular drinks. Dutch Scream is a blend of Columbia Dutch, milk and Belgium chocolate and is a one-of-a-kind coffee that can only be tasted at Thesis. The sweetness of the chocolate on top is balanced out with the sour yet aromatic Dutch flavor lingering at the bottom.
The store is the brand's first prototype roastery cafe. It plans to open no more than 10 stores across the country in total, with the next ones to open in Seoul and Jeju. The brand aims to blend local culture of the regions into their stores. All stores will be directly managed by the headquarters.
The name Thesis reflects the brand's determination to study coffee as if writing a thesis.
Address:
20 Sangmunuri-ro, Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City
Phone number:
070-7760-0770
Opening hours:
8 a.m. - 12 a.m.