Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Hyeon Een]

I don't see the appeal of going to a fancy coffee shop that charges something like $4-$6 a coffee when I can get a lovely cup for 150-300won at the vending machine.

I can almost see the point, in the summer, if you don't have air conditioning in your home and want somewhere to hang out. But you could still go hang out in a library or random University building or something instead. Outside of summer? NO EXCUSE except to look at pretty girls... and you could do that for free by hanging out on a Uni campus instead anyway. Either that or you like throwing money away.

If you tell me you go there to study WITHOUT buying a coffee, you're awesome. I could do that.

[Privateer]

[djsmnc]

Unfortunately, Korea doesn't have a lot of great indy coffee shops. The ones that you could call "indy" are the ones that serve really weak coffee. They don't have an indy vibe either.

In the city I live in back home, there is a coffee shop that roasts its own beans, has a variety of coffees, has an interior with no design whatsoever, just some chairs and mybe a few pictures up on the wall and whatnot. Some of their chairs are carseats and barstools. They even have a big whiteboard that people write whatever they want on. Completely unstylish. It's popular, though, not only because it's near a campus, but because the coffee is perfect, not too expensive, and it's a god place to sit and study. It's actually caught on with a lot of Koreans these days.

In Korea, Starbucks et al. pretty much have that market cornered. An indy coffee shop would be starved in Korea. It's unfortunate, but Starbucks isn't all that bad.

[chachee99]

Starbucks coffee is gross.

[Hyeon Een]

[Hanson]

If I didn't smoke, I'd probably like Starbucks more. I hate drinking coffee but not being able to smoke, hence my dislike for the place.

[mithridates]

[Hyeon Een]

[The_Eyeball_Kid]

[sojourner1]

I brew my own. While it seams expensive for 200 grams of gourmet coffee grounds to cost 8000 won, it makes more than 2 small skimpy cups of coffee. I do like Starbucks when I go to the city such as Seoul as I don't have hot water to pour into my melita over my Hikoka coffee grounds when away from home.

Starbucks is ridiculously overpriced here. I thought it was expensive in the US, but I hadn't seen nothing until I came to Korea. I found that Starbucks Korea serves drinks half the size of American ones at almost double the cost.

How could you save money if you lived conveniently nearby a Starbucks? I bet living in Seoul eats up all the money for many of you teaching there due to convenience and all the possibilities being within walking distance. I will stick with my coffee grounds in the apartment for now.

[Chloe11]

I refuse to buy 5 dollar coffee. I refused to do it at home, and I refuse to do it here. That said, the environment is nice and cozy. Mind you, so is a park. I'd just as well brew my own and go to the park.

[anf1984]

I love Starbucks.... I brought a few pounds of coffee over with me (an old roomie works there and gets the stuff for free!). I just hate how expensive it is, and it's just not the same here. I want a pumpkin spice latte! It was always my favourite study spot though.

[SuperHero]

coffee at starbucks is only 2700 won for a tall. If you buy those cappaccino/frappacinno things then it costs a fortune. But those suck. Give me a black drip coffee any day.

[JMO]

[crazy_arcade]

I agree with Mith on this one.
I usually drink most of my coffee at home anyways.
However, Starbucks does make a mean Americano (their only good drink in my opinion) and I can chill there for several hours and study, read a book or whatnot.

300 won coffee? You couldn't pay me 30,000 won to drink that shite.