drinking coffee in seoul

I thought I had packed my little stovetop coffee machine (google research = official term is moka pot) in our removal boxes which meant that just for the first little while here in Seoul I would have to buy coffee but it has sadly failed to materialise (yet another thing that has mysteriously disappeared despite the fact we were supremely confident we had organised the removal process extremely well (husband had his trusty clipboard at hand so how could we fail?)). This means I must continue on my quest to discover the best coffee from the streets of Seoul. So far, my diligent drinking research, averaging one coffee a day, which over eight months equals roughly 250 coffees purchased (and drunk) from various vendors across town, has led me to the following observations on, and hot tips for, coffee in Seoul.

• Coffee in Seoul is expensive, generally expect to pay KRW 5000 won for a cup. Coffee in Gangnam is ridiculously expensive. KRW 10,000 won for a petite, classy, cup with saucer, coffee (you are in Gangnam after all). The cheapest is underground in the subway.
• A coffee shop (usually two or three) is on every corner so please don't worry about ever going thirsty. Angel in-us Coffee, Holly's Coffee, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Ediya Coffee and Starbucks are the big chains. And then there are the smaller, independent coffee shops scattered in between. When all else fails, 7-11 does a mean takeaway number from the fridge that you can heat up with your instant noodles in their in-store microwaves. 
• Coffee from  McDonalds is pretty good (possibly helped by the fact that I can also understand the menu).
• Every coffee house advertises hand drip coffee although I am yet to see it in action.
• Coffee from the dude on the hill in Samcheon-dong is good. Really good.  
• Apparently, it is not the done thing to drink hot coffee in Seoul in summer so don't be surprised when you receive a very, very confused look when you say you want it hot. 
• The man who makes "pure" coffee in Insa-dong will not let you have a cappuccino to go but a latte is fine to take-away. 
• Cinnamon goes on top of all coffees here. I miss the chocolate dusting (it has been the reason that I have long resisted being grown up and ordering a latte as opposed to a cappuccino in Australia). 
• Coffee from the school cafeteria will take at least 10 minutes as they painstakingly make one coffee at a time and give each cup a lot of love. 
• Bringing along your own take-away cup to a cafe is a novelty and will draw attention (particularly when you Keep cup is hot pink with lime green). 
• There are no coffee makers in this town who wear overalls (from what I have seen thus far anyway). So maybe it is true that the coffee making man who totally worked his red coffee machine in his grey overalls in Canberra is totally unique. Who would have thought?
• Coffee must be drunk through a miniature straw. I don't know why but it does. 

My favourite coffee to date?  The local Lotto store where you can place a bet (I have no idea what on) and have your coffee at the same time from the guy with glasses who measures exactly the right amount of milk with his glass pyrex jug. It is really good coffee at a good price but I am wondering if maybe my liking  it  might have something to do with the fact that coffee maker man always rushes to open the door for me when he sees me coming, gives free drinks to the kiddlylinks, can speak perfect English to compensate for my complete lack of Korean (note that, by now, I have discovered my exceptional sign language talent), has posters of k-pop stars adorning the walls and, might I add, is just a little cute to boot? Of course not. It is only the coffee, people, that brings me back...

Lotto coffee. Got to love the slogan!

The advertisement for the coffee man in Samcheon-dong. Follow the yellow horse dog thing.

Samcheong-dong coffee. Roasted in (a very cool) house.