Koffee Sniffer, known for its authentic branding, thoughtfully designed space, and beverages that align perfectly with its identity has quickly become a standout in Seoul's bustling cafe scene. At the core of Koffee Sniffer’s mission to shape a new coffee culture, lays its unique roasting philosophy, which aims to highlight the true flavors and aromas of coffee. With meticulous recipes and rigorous roasting standards applied to every item, Koffee Sniffer strives to offer more than just a drink, but a memorable experience in every cup. We sat down with CEO, Eunsoo Shin, to learn how they maintain high-quality coffee production on a large scale.

If you were to describe Koffee Sniffer in 3 words, what would they be?

That's a tough one, but going back to the basics, I’d introduce us using three keywords: barista, brand, and public.

The "barista" keyword is important because I started out as one myself, and I want to highlight that this brand was built by baristas.

As for "brand," when we first opened in 2019, the concept of cafe branding was still quite new in Korea’s coffee industry and only beginning to gain recognition. We aimed to establish ourselves as a genuine brand in this evolving space.

Regarding the "public," we initially believed that offering a niche, specialized atmosphere—essentially selling the coffee we enjoyed would be enough to attract customers. However, we quickly realized that coffee must ultimately needs cater to public preferences. Without demand, there is no supply. That's why we set out to build a brand that makes specialty coffee more accessible to everyone.

Typically, specialty coffee companies focus on light roasting. While roasting techniques have improved to make light roasts more enjoyable, many people still associate them with the overly sour coffee they tried in the past. So, we decided to position ourselves in a middle ground by offering coffee between light and medium roast levels, creating a bridge that invites more people to try specialty coffee.

Many cafes invest heavily in branding or desserts, assuming that customers don’t have a deep understanding of coffee flavors. How much focus does Koffee Sniffer place on roasting to achieve the coffee quality you offer?

Since we started as a roastery cafe, we initially dedicated over 80% of our efforts to roasting. For me, branding is about expressing who we are, but in a coffee business, the branding opportunities are more limited—unlike a fashion brand, there are only so many ways to make ourselves stand out to the public. That's why we decided to focus more on the quality of our coffee. At the time, our store was only 60 square meters, and we dedicated 16 square meters to roasting, which was a substantial portion of the space.

What do you think is the most important factor in the growth of a roastery cafe?

In my opinion, the most important thing is deciding how to position yourself. You need to determine whether you want to create a brand that caters to the niche 1% of specialty coffee enthusiasts or build something more approachable that appeals to a broader audience with captivating branding.

Of course, a solid understanding of coffee is essential since it’s a coffee business. But beyond that, you need high-quality ingredients and your own standards. If you force a certain coffee onto customers without consideration, it can come across as pushy. I often use this analogy.

Have you ever tried tom yum soup? When we were young, we weren’t used to certain foods, but with time and experience, we grew to enjoy them. I used to dislike tom yum soup and found cilantro hard to tolerate, but after living in Thailand for a month, I now love both and even add cilantro to my ramen!

The key is how you introduce and help people experience something new. Even if you want to sell a specific type of coffee, I believe it’s wise to start by aligning with the consumer’s preferences and then guide them from there.

What are the most important factors you consider when designing a roasting profile?

It’s crucial to identify all environmental variables that can impact a roasting machine’s performance. For example, the heat output of gas can vary depending on whether the fuel is LPG or LNG, affecting heat transfer during roasting. To find the optimal gas pressure, we first fill the roaster to full capacity. Then, we adjust the damper in 10% increments, aiming to avoid under-roasting. Once the damper is set, we fine-tune the gas pressure to develop the ideal roasting profile.

As for charge and drop temperatures, we initially set them to be almost the same. Based on the specific coffee bean, we may then raise or lower the charge temperature as needed. Roasting isn’t just about focusing on one or two factors—it's about adjusting heat according to the environment. Making multiple changes at once can make it difficult to identify problems, so we experiment by tweaking the damper or reducing the batch size to achieve the desired flavor profile.

Was there a specific reason why you chose to use the Easyster roaster?

To be honest, our options were somewhat limited. Brands like Giesen and Probat would have been great, but as you know, they’re quite expensive. I also had a good impression of Easyster, as I had enjoyed coffee roasted on their machines several times before. I felt confident that we could achieve similar quality with it. Plus, Easyster offers excellent value for the price, so it was an easy choice for us.

How did you come across Firescope?

We used to use Artisan. Cropster was too expensive, whereas Artisan was free and seemed to work well enough for us. However, using that program in our limited space felt a bit like a burden, so we started organizing everything in Excel to share among ourselves. We manually recorded things like RoR values, input temperature, and heat adjustments.

Around that time, we learned about Firescope, and I think we started using it when we moved to a new roastery. We had purchased the Easyster roaster, which came with six months of free access to Firescope. After trying it out, we found it much more intuitive and easier to use than Artisan or Cropster, so we've been using it ever since.

What led you to decide to use Firescope?

We chose Firescope because it offers a great balance of affordability and user-friendliness. Its intuitive experience makes it easy to use. Additionally, since we operate two roasters, it was advantageous that Firescope allowed us to use it simultaneously with both roasters.

‍How does Firescope benefit your roastery operations?

Firescope is particularly useful for its ability to retrieve and compare roasting records in real-time with current roasts, allowing us to make immediate adjustments.

If you were to recommend Firescope to others, who would you suggest it to, and why?

Firescope is very intuitive and easy to control. The software is visually appealing, more user-friendly than Artisan, and much more affordable compared to Cropster. Plus, it's continuously being improved over time. I’d recommend it to anyone who, like us, used to manage everything manually. It’s also a great option for those who want to pay closer attention to achieving more precise and consistent roasting results.

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In today’s competitive coffee industry, efficiency and consistency are key to standing out. Firescope offers an intuitive, affordable, and user-friendly solution for roasteries looking to elevate their coffee quality. Whether you are moving away from manual methods or seeking a more efficient system, Firescope will help you optimize your roasting. Start your trial today and see the difference for yourself!

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