Journal — March 2023

Happy March! I love this time of year, at the cusp of spring when the beginning and end somehow exist at the same time. It’s sunny in the 80s until it’s suddenly snowing and we find ourselves looking in the mirror realizing that we’ve developed the oddest tan. It's the contradiction of these months that brings not only these wild extremes but also an ephemeral balance. That is where we find this month’s featured roaster MOMOS COFFEE, whose commitment to harmony with nature and urban life, as well as tradition and progress propels their passion for coffee.

Founded by Lee Hyeongi, Momos Coffee began its journey in 2007 in the port city of Busan, South Korea. I first encountered Momos in 2019 when Jeon Jooyeon won the World Barista Championship. When you enter their roastery, it's like you've been transported to a Joseon Era house of meditation: thatched roofs and carved stone courtyards, wood paneled walls hugged by vines that reach almost all the way down to you and you’re met by the warm glow of the sun. As far back as the 1800s, coffee was woven into Korean society, originally served in tearooms called “dabangs” (다방).

Today, Momos keeps the humble spirit of the dabang alive while being able to expand their operations into sleek modernity. Momos has chosen to take a classically artful approach to roasting coffee. The packaging on their bags are pastiches of Rothko, Pollock, and Monet, telling a unique story about every bean. In 2021, they opened a second location in Busan, an airy warehouse coffee bar with more of a sweeping, modern gallery feel, quite a departure from their dabang roastery. Momos takes parts of different wholes and creates a harmonious experience with it. It mirrors the process of how coffee begins as aseed and lives many lives until it returns to the earth—alive again. For Momos, it's a marriage of past and present and a promise towards the future.

Jooyeon and the team at Momos roast coffee beautifully, but, like their motto says, they ultimately want specialty coffee to be accessible and beneficial for everyone involved. The way they honor the intention and labor of the producers that they feature inspires me, and I hope it does the same for you.