“Black as the devil,
hot as hell,
pure as an angel,
sweet as love.”
— Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
They say for good coffee,
go to Hell.
Well, no they don't really say that. But in this case, it makes sense. Hell Cafe is an odd fixture in the coffee scene of Seoul and long-time favorite to baristas and coffee aficionados.
In a city where cafes with peppy decoration and trendy drinks seem to come and go on every corner of every street, Hell Cafe, with all its grittiness, has lasted. Their secret lies in their coffee.
I could write about the coffee and the beans and roasting and all of that here, but it would be spouting that which has already been said so well by Timeout in this article here.
The cafe has a distinctly unfriendly feeling at first.
Unpolished tables in the back corner tucked up against the painted forest-green, concrete wall are just big enough for three people, maybe a fourth. There is another small table shimmied in between the front window and the bar, as well as the main table taking up half of the cafe.
Dried flowers are placed carefully here and there. Rather than brighten the space, they seem to emphasize the classy dreariness of it. The owner is neither friendly nor unfriendly. He brusquely recommended the Hell Latte, but patiently waited as I decided on which other drink I wanted to try. I had messaged him through instagram prior to my visit, asking if he would be alright with a small photoshoot there.
Reminded of this contact, he unsmilingly replied, "Yes, I know."
A silent ‘and I don’t care’ was heavily implied.
In a city where every business has a carefully crafted image, full of smiling faces that belie sincerity, this cafe owner’s bad tempered customer service was a breath of fresh air. He doesn’t need to cajole or convince of anything. He knows his coffee is the best.
Visiting Hell Cafe was a special Cafe Hunt. It was a good cafe to visit on that gloomy, drizzly day, warmed by their famed coffee, and also to have a good chat with my friend and fellow half-Korean, Laura.
It’s funny writing this on the website now, but when we met that day, The Halfie Project didn’t exist in any form except a dream in my head. I was uncertain but she was supportive.
“It sounds amazing,” she said, feelingly.
Nothing extraordinary took place that day, but putting this project and how I'd dreamed about it for nearly three years into words will always remain significant to me.
Laura was so kind to let me take her photos that day. She has the most beautiful eyes; clear and nearly blue, though she keeps some asian features. It’s those eyes - they always give us away.
