Putting South Korea's coffee craze to the test

Coffee is just as big in South Korea as it is in Canada, but they do it a little differently here.

A relatively new player in the game, coffee consumption has exploded in South Korea over the last few decades. Seoul actually has more Starbucks outlets than anywhere in the world.

In the coastal city of Gangneung, where one of the Olympic media clusters is located, the coffee culture is even crazier. Unlike our side of the pond, where grab-and-go stops at Timmy’s is the norm, Gangneung takes its coffee a little more seriously. Besides hosting a coffee festival every year, Gangneung is also home to the beachside hot spot known as Coffee Street.

There’s no chain stores dotting every street corner. Instead, small shops run by roast masters rule. As a result, more love is put into every cup and the price reflects that.

That was exactly the experience at Kona Coffee, a small cafe outside of the Olympic media village. And let me tell you, it’s going to be tough going back to the basics.

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