What Blue Bottle Put Between the Counter and the Cup

When Blue Bottle was new to many Korean readers, people liked to compare it with Apple. Cafe Blue Bottle was published in 2018, before there was a store in Korea. It is a short introduction to what the chain was trying to make different about a visit.

Beginning With Freshly Roasted Coffee

James Freeman had worked as a clarinetist and had been roasting coffee for himself. Blue Bottle began in the Bay Area, delivering freshly roasted beans, then serving coffee directly to customers. Oakland was its home base. The authors are interested in how a small operation built a reputation around what went into each cup.

A Short Menu and a Conversation at the Counter

The book compares Blue Bottle with Starbucks, whose shops give people a place to spend time between home and work. The Blue Bottle it describes put more of the visit around the coffee itself. A compact menu and space to watch the preparation make it easier to notice the work before the drink reaches you.

A blend lets the roaster bring several coffees together for a particular flavor. A single origin offers a different way to notice what is in the cup. Neither needs to win. I remember appreciating a counter where a barista could ask what I liked and suggest where to start.

A Small Company Inside a Larger One

Nestlé announced its acquisition of a majority stake in September 2017. The book sees a match between a specialty roaster looking to grow and a large company looking to expand its premium coffee business. Nestlé reported that it had divested Blue Bottle in its 2026 half-year results. That makes the acquisition one chapter in the chain’s history.

Shinjuku and Samcheong-dong

I first visited Blue Bottle in Shinjuku in 2018. I ordered a latte and a cookie. The latte did not taste radically different from others I had tried. I remember the cookie and the time spent watching the baristas at their open counter. The order took longer than I was used to.

Later, in Seoul’s Samcheong-dong, I noticed how much room the interior left around the seats and the coffee. By then there was less novelty in going to Blue Bottle. I could visit as part of an ordinary day and pay attention to what the shop did with that small amount of time.

Blue Bottle in Shinjuku · Blue Bottle in Samcheong-dong

Nestlé’s 2017 acquisition announcement · Nestlé 2026