“In 1975, Minerva started out as a café with music engraved into its identity. The original owner of Minerva is considered a legend: he was said to be a classical musician. The architecture of the café was groundbreaking as he designed the café to complement classical music, which shows his passion for it. If you take a look at the ceiling, you can see that it was especially built for the purpose of resonating music. Additionally, he also installed an expensive audio set to play music of the best quality, which remains as the signature feature of the café. In Minerva, we want to provide a unique experience through classical music that complements our coffee. We play soothing background music and particularly enjoy playing sonatas or pieces by Mozart or Haydn.”

   “In the year 2000, the IMF crisis forced many people to start their own businesses to survive, and that is when I took over this café. At the time, most cafes sold not only coffee but beer and an-ju*. As a Christian, I decided to remove alcohol from the menu and make the café a non-smoking zone. I knew I might earn less, and despite the discouragement from my friends and family, I wanted to make this change. At the time, it was an incredible culture clash with the society that was used to smoking indoors. For a few months, I wondered if I had made a mistake, but after six months, more and more devoted customers started regularly coming to enjoy classical music and coffee. Interestingly, all the private coffee shops that sold alcohol and cigarettes gradually closed down, so I guess cultivating this environment was worthwhile and more sustainable.”

   “Minerva is meant for conversations. Our atmosphere is perfect for tête-à-tête or simply a coffee break before class or work. Also, since we are a place that specializes in coffee, we hold our coffee to the highest standard and spend a lot of time refining the coffee to match the tastes of the customers. We also offer our customers “specialty coffee,” which I choose based on the recommendations of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). We only take in coffee with scores higher than eighty, which is considered excellent. We change the specialty coffee options every now and then based on what I think would be a worthwhile experience for the customers. Although specialty coffee is more expensive, it is definitely a worthy experience for true coffee lovers who would like to taste exotic coffee around the world."

   “After being in business for 45 years, we are proud to be the oldest coffee place in Sinchon. Minerva is a special place where new generations of people replace the old as regular customers come with their children who were admitted into Yonsei University or children of previous workers applying for a part-time job. Minerva may be a small space, but our customers range from office workers and students to coffee lovers. Many customers express their love towards Minerva through thank you notes or by telling me “I want to come here with a special person.” I genuinely hope that Minerva continues to be a place where coffee can be appreciated by those who love it.”

*an ju: Korean snacks that are consumed with alcoholic drinks in Korea.