I went to Hood Roasters with my mom and we tried the butter coffee and a strawberry latte. My mom expected the butter coffee to be like a Bulletproof coffee but, it was not. It was like a liquid desert. It was a super indulgent drink made with black nut coffee that had undertones of Macadamia, dark chocolate, and muscovado sugar, richly blended with butterscotch cream and cacao powder. Not only was this coffee decadent, but it was also visually stunning.

The strawberry latte is a non-coffee drink. It had diced strawberries on the bottom with a homemade strawberry jam sort of thing swirled through fresh whole milk and topped with freeze-dried strawberries. It looked like there was melting jelly in it but after I mixed it, it looked pink. The taste was incredible, and I would most definitely order it again. This drink is perfect for kids or anyone who doesn’t want caffeine since it’s coffee-free. It can also be the perfect treat for anyone who has a sweet tooth.

If you’re not a sweet coffee person, we recommend that you try the Ethiopia Rumundamo. It is a specialty filter coffee that has the most unique flavor reminiscent of sweet black sapphire grapes which have a combination of grape and prune essence with lingering floral notes. It’s coffee, but almost tastes like a tea. It’s brewed black so it’s perfect for those who prefer their drink sugar-free. 

The owner Mr. Kim Won Gyu and his best friend from elementary school Mr. Kang Beom Soo started Hood Roasters in 2022. Since they grew up in Pyeongtaek they decided to start a business in their hometown. Mr. Kim has always had a passion for coffee and he started studying about coffee when he was in high school. After he graduated from college, he worked for various roasters and cafés so he could gain as much knowledge as possible about roasting coffee. Mr. Kim said he started drinking coffee during middle school. He says that Korean kids start drinking coffee earlier than American kids because the Korean school system is very hard and they need energy to study until late at night. High school kids pull a lot of all-nighters just to get good grades in school and this is when the coffee culture starts for many in Korea.

His shop is very neat and clean with the giant coffee roaster visible to everyone behind a glass window. He roasts his coffee beans every morning because there are a lot of people and other coffee shops that want his home-roasted beans daily. So if you plan your trip at the right time you can enjoy the sights and smells of freshly roasted beans.

This was a very good café to visit, the staff was super nice, their prices were reasonable, and they have a huge selection of specialty coffee blends and gourmet desserts ranging from 2 dollars to 5 dollars on average. Most items were extremely affordable and very interesting. Some of the desserts I had never even heard of like dojima rolls, tiramisu, and more. Dojima rolls are sweet cream-filled cake rolls that look delicious. Tiramisu is very interesting because it is like a cake with coffee dripped on top of it. Besides desserts, they sell drinks like expresso, filter coffee, lattes, bagel sandwiches, and more. They don’t have the world’s most expensive coffees, but the most expensive item on the menu is a very rare coffee called Panama Geisha that sells for $10 per cup. They have a large parking lot next to the café that can easily accommodate big American cars. They are open from 07:00 to 21:00 on weekdays and on weekends it is open from 10:00 to 21:00. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

[NAVER Map]

Hood Roasters

경기 평택시 만세로 1475 1층(청룡동)

https://naver.me/x2jLvV7J

About the Author

Mack Rock is 15 years old and resides in Pyeongteak. Mack is fluent in English and Korean and is a co-author of Korean/English education book Real United States English Word Picture Dictionary Basic Words (진짜 미국 영단어 그림 서전).

Mack gained popularity in Korea for his appearance as the youngest cast member in South Korean Foreigners  (대한외국인) he has appeared in many Korean movies, dramas, and reality TV shows. Mack has been in several viral videos that amassed over 150 million views. Mack was named by Asian Boss as the most popular American boy in Korea. Mack’s hobbies include coin collecting, metal detecting, unicycle, magic tricks, and video games.