Seoul offers a number of places where one can learn to make coffee, using various machines and techniques. If you prefer a cup of latte over espresso, there are latte art classes available as well.

Latte art is a method of preparing coffee by pouring steamed milk into a shot of espresso that results in a pattern or design on the surface of the drink. Local coffee company Hollys Coffee ((02) 2188-7100) offers latte art classes at its Hollys Academy in Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul. 

The introductory course costs 200,000 won for eight sessions, while the intermediate course costs 400,000 won.

“Many of those who take our classes are working professionals and housewives,” said Nam Ah-reum from Hollys Coffee.

“But a lot of high school students who wish to become baristas take the class as well. Latte art classes are popular, as are our intensive roasting classes that really prepare you for barista exams.”

For absolute beginners in coffee making, Coffee Academy (02-778-0522) in Seongsu-dong, central Seoul, offers a four-session introductory course on home roasting, how to properly use coffee beans at home, as well as how to use different coffee machines.

Once you have mastered the course, you will be able to use the French press, a simple coffee brewing device, vacuum coffee maker Siphon, and the moka pot, a stove-top coffee maker which produces coffee by passing hot water pressurized by steam through ground coffee.

The course also offers lessons on how to make cafe latte and cappuccino, and offers tips on how to produce a harmonious balance of espresso, steamed milk and frothed milk. The course costs 110,000 won.

For a smaller class, the small and rather humble Apgujeong Coffee House ((02) 511-5078) in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul, is famous for the supreme taste of its coffee roasted by its owner Heo Hyeong-man, who spent some 18 years as a roaster at a coffee company before opening his own place. He offers coffee making classes every Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Seven different classes are available, featuring the culture and history of coffee, roasting techniques, making hand-drip coffee and more. You can choose to show up on any Wednesday morning, as you don’t have to take the previous class to understand the next one. Each class costs 10,000 won.

“One of the classes consists of tasting different coffee drinks made of beans from different countries,” said a staff member of Heo’s cafe. “You will be able to distinguish the taste of beans from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica and Ethiopia.”

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)