Today, we’re joined by Ho-woon Jeon, the CEO of BCBL, one of Busan's hottest café spots. BCBL has become a must-visit destination in Gwangalli, known for long lines even in the sweltering 35-degree summer heat. Ho-woon oversees roasting and quality control while also focusing on branding. Meanwhile, his wife, Soo-jin Lee, handles the other aspects of the business. Let’s take a look behind the scenes of Busan’s trendiest café!

Can you tell us a little bit about BCBL?

BCBL stands for Better Coffee Better Life. My journey with coffee began early in life, with my mother brewing fresh coffee at home. From those formative years, I realized that enjoying good coffee could brighten my entire day. This love for coffee continued into my career as a designer, where I often turned to it for inspiration. Eventually, this led to our slogan: “Let’s create a better life with better coffee,” which became our brand name.

To bring the slogan “Better Coffee Better Life” to life, are there specific practices or principles you follow when serving your customers?

I’m deeply committed to finding exceptional coffee, which involves participating in various cuppings—not just business-related ones. I’m part of a community of roasters where we share valuable information about green beans. For me, discovering great coffee is the top priority, and then I focus on honing my roasting skills.

That’s really insightful. Speaking of honing your skills, what specific efforts do you make to roast well?

The variety in green beans and processing methods is immense, and I believe that producing consistently excellent results requires extensive experience with these variations. That experience is what ultimately builds true expertise. Luckily, I’ve been using logging software ever since I started learning roasting, which has allowed me to gather important data that helps me achieve great outcomes. Even now, I continuously document every step—roasting, tasting, refining profiles, and re-roasting—always striving to enhance the coffee’s flavor through an iterative process of improvement.

What type of coffee does BCBL aim to create through those processes?

For me, sweetness is key. We focus on creating balanced coffees that highlight sweetness because if a coffee is too bold, it can become overwhelming over time. A great coffee should be comforting and enjoyable for the long haul—our goal is to craft specialty coffees that can be enjoyed effortlessly.

Specialty coffees that can be savored casually can be quite challenging and it would depend on whether it’s single or blended beans. Can you tell us a little bit more in detail?

For single, we offer different types of roastings for our customers’ likings. In our light roast offerings, we typically feature about six varieties based on their processing methods: two washed and two natural coffees, along with one each of anaerobic and infused types. Since many people find acidity challenging, we also prepare two medium-plus roasts. As mentioned earlier, we focus on showcasing the best seasonal nuances in new crop coffees.

We currently offer two different blendings. One is a medium-dark roast with sweet and rich chocolate notes that pairs well with both black coffee and milk beverages—this is our most popular option. The other is a medium roast based on Ethiopian beans that emphasizes acidity; while it may not be as widely sought after as the medium-dark blend, it’s got its fan base.

To offer that many varieties of choices, you must go through quite delicate processes. What are some key factors you consider when designing a roasting profile?

I place significant emphasis on the initial max RoR (Rate of Rise). Throughout the roasting process, I monitor RoR to ensure there’s sufficient heat application at every stage. The length of the Maillard reaction phase and its momentum are also critical factors in achieving the desired flavor profile. Additionally, I pay close attention to the appropriate DTR (Development Time Ratio) based on roast levels.

Could you elaborate more on how the roast level affects DTR?

When performing light roasts, it’s essential to preserve flavor clarity and intensity; if DTR is too long, nutty flavors can emerge from those bright notes that don’t blend well together. Therefore, I keep DTR short for light roasts and gradually extend it for medium roasts; through experimentation, I've discovered ideal DTR align with my style.

Can you explain the significance of the Maillard phase?

Initially, I thought a shorter Maillard phase highlighted acidity while an appropriate length enhanced sweetness. However, through ongoing testing, I've found that a moderately long Maillard phase—without being excessively long—results in more complex flavors and greater depth of sweetness. Balancing this without crossing into baked territory is crucial.

Those are some great insights. I see that you are using Diedrich IR2.5 and Giesen W6A. Is there any reason why you are using two different brands?

I initially chose Diedrich five years ago when starting my café because I believed producing high-quality espresso was essential for success. During a trip to California, I noticed that all the espresso-based drinks I enjoyed were roasted using Diedrich machines; they matched my desired flavor profile perfectly.I find Diedrich machines excel at producing sugar-browning flavors; their caramelized sweetness stands out compared to other roasting machines, which is why I use it for medium roasts and above.

The Giesen complements Diedrich by addressing some limitations I experienced with single-origin light roasting; it allows me to emphasize enzymatic flavors better due to its heat transfer characteristics.

Does it mean that you roast single origins with Giesen and espressos with Diedrich?

Not exactly. Rather than sticking to specific criteria, I generally use the Diedrich for medium roasts or darker profiles—especially for natural or anaerobic coffees that lean more toward rich, chewy fruit notes rather than bright acidity. Of course, as we've scaled up for wholesale, we've increased our capacity, but overall, I select the roasting machine based on the flavor profile of each coffee.

That’s an interesting approach to balancing flavor with the right equipment. With such attention to detail, I’m curious—how did you first discover Firescope, and what role does it play in your roasting process?

I started training with Cropster for roasting; although it had many great features, its high price led me to use Artisan instead. However, I noticed a significant gap in quality between Cropster and Artisan, especially in terms of data retrieval speed—immediate feedback is vital in roasting.During my competition preparation, my coach, Jeon Ju, a Firescope power user who’s also been featured in the blog, introduced me to Firescope after we discussed Artisan’s limitations. He recommended it for its fast logging capabilities and intuitive interface. It’s been a game changer ever since.

I had actually known about Firescope before, but you know how it is—no matter how much a product is praised in ads, magazines, or on social media, you tend to think, “Artisan is free, how different could it really be?” I was the same way. But when it comes to recommendations from friends or trusted people in your circle, you tend to listen more closely. After hearing about its advantages from my coach, I decided to give it a try, and it turned out to be the best option for me. I've been using it ever since.

What are some advantages of Firescope that you’ve experienced?

When I do a lot of roasting, it can go for over five hours, sometimes even more than 10 batches. The fatigue really starts to build up at that point. Artisan's UI feels outdated, so there’s a lot to keep track of, and it requires more hands-on attention, which adds to the exhaustion. In contrast, Firescope’s interface is much more intuitive and streamlined, making it significantly less tiring to use. Especially with the W6A, since things like heat and exhaust are controlled remotely, I don’t even need to touch the machine’s controller. I just follow the program, which greatly reduces fatigue. As a result, my stress levels have gone down, and my productivity has improved.

Also, as long as I properly input my inventory, I can easily track how much green coffee I've used without needing to reopen the bags and measure them again, which is incredibly convenient.

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

For micro-roasteries, I believe many share similar goals with me—we all aim for consistent high-quality roasting. For those who want to craft excellent coffee but feel a bit overwhelmed using Cropster, I would highly recommend Firescope. I also think it’s a great tool for those preparing for competitions, as it really helps with achieving precise and detailed roasting.

In conclusion, Ho-woon Jeon’s journey with BCBL highlights the importance of precision and ease in the roasting process. It's always inspiring to hear how roasters like him are able to focus on refining flavors and scaling their operations with less fatigue. We're glad Firescope has become a helpful part of his process, and for those looking to simplify their roasting while maintaining quality, it might be worth considering how a streamlined tool can make a difference.

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