The Road of Coffee
Contents › Chapter 4 Coffee Comes to Korea
Before the King
Korea's first coffee — records and legends
View in 3DThe First Coffee on Record
The first coffee in Korea on record is from 1861, sent to a Catholic missionary from Hong Kong. From 1884, there are writings by a Korean official and an American traveler about drinking coffee. People wrote the word as it sounded, like "gabae" or "gapbicha."
Why?After Korea opened its doors to other countries, Westerners arrived, and coffee came with them. At first it was a rare drink for a few people: the royal court, officials and foreigners.
Learn moreA well-known story says King Gojong first drank coffee in 1896, while staying at the Russian legation. But earlier records exist, so calling it the "first" is closer to legend.
- When
- 1884 → 1896
Read more
Seoul Shinmun: Was King Gojong really the first to drink coffee? (in Korean) · Korea Economic Daily: Busan customs drank coffee before Gojong (in Korean)
More in the series
Routes are simplified — drawn as the shortest path between two places — and dates vary between records. Café counts come from Korea's local business license records (rest-food shops registered as coffee shops), shown with the date of the snapshot.