You can buy an iced americano in Korea for as little as what, 1,500 won in some places? You can also drink it under a five-story glass atrium, inside of a converted hanok (traditional Korean home), or surrounded by pieces of art that belong in a gallery.

All of these can be true at once, and together they capture everything strange and wonderful about Korean cafe culture, and we're only just scratching the tip of the iceberg.

I'll admit upfront that I'm no coffee expert. My tastes are fairly bland: a warm latte gets me through the colder months nicely, and an iced americano saves me through the torrid Korean summers. Since moving from the UK to Korea, though, I've thoroughly enjoyed cafe hopping, and it's rarely been about the coffee itself.

So much more than the coffee

So why bother? Because cafes in Korea are so much more than what's in the cup. They're havens for artistic expression and ambitious architecture. They're study spots and quiet productivity zones for some, and loud, bustling, snack-laden hangouts for others. From the massive chains that dominate every street with their cheap iced americanos, to the specialist roasters dotted around the ever-changing 'cool' neighbourhoods like Seongsu, cafes are woven into modern Korean life.

I've loved visiting any and all of them whenever the need for that sweet caffeine took over.

The dark side of the cafe boom

Unfortunately, there's a dark side to all this. It's no secret that independent cafe owners find it notoriously difficult to stay afloat, especially in an already tough economy where massive chains sell dirt-cheap iced americanos (the most popular drink in the country) at prices no small roaster can match. You bet the average joe on their way to work isn't stopping for artistic latte art.

There's a sadder pattern too: cafes being used and abused as study rooms. I blame Korea at large for not having an abundance of cheap or free library-style spaces built purely for studying. As anyone in the Seoul tech scene knows, plenty of developers carry almost their entire work setup around, camping out at their favourite local cafe for hours on end for the price of a single coffee. It's great for us, but it's not a sustainable business model for them.

Go find some hidden gems

So if you come to Korea, please check out as many local, independent cafes as you can. See what hidden gems you find, and maybe treat yourself to the fancy latte while you're at it.