Taiwan is part of my bucket list of countries to visit for coffee. It is simply one of those countries where its coffee scene is vibrant and quite advanced.
Therefore, I was excited about this recent trip to Taipei, Taiwan.
I didn’t have a plan on what coffee shops to visit because I was part of a group tour. What I had in mind was just to google “coffee shops near me” and hope for the best when I visit. Luckily, I was able to visit coffee shops serving a good cup of coffee.
Here are the coffee shops in Taipei that I visited during my recent four-day-three-night stay in the city.
Coffee shops in Zhongshan
O’Time Cafe
O’Time was the first shop I visited in Taipei because it was just a block away from the hotel where we were staying. I visited the coffee shop twice.
This was one of the more popular coffee shops in the area based on how packed it was during my visits.
O’Time was quite different from most coffee shops I visited because they offer siphoned coffee. It makes for a different coffee experience.
For my orders here, I had their Americano and O’Time Coffee. The Americano here was good and had an interesting taste. I am not sure if it has been infused with tea, but I got a hint of an Earl Gray tea in there. The O’Time Coffee was a standard Americano but with whipped cream.
Fiery Coffee
This is just along the next block from O’Time Cafe. They are a small coffee shop and one of the few open as early as 8 a.m. (Many shops in Taiwan open at 10 a.m. or later).
The vibe of Fiery Coffee is quite similar to the small homegrown coffee shops in Davao City. It has a takeout counter set-up and several chairs along the sidewalk.
For this visit, I ordered their cold brew and honey cinnamon scones. For the cold brew, they were using Brazilian coffee beans. I liked the cold brew. It was smooth and had a clean finish. I also liked that it was nutty. The honey cinnamon scones were also good. It was buttery and crumbly and paired well with my cold brew.
SanFormosan: Taiwan Specialty Coffee
The coffee shop is just two doors down from the hotel. This is one of the few coffee shops in Taiwan that uses coffee beans grown in the country. They also serve and sell “100% Taiwanese coffee.”
I ordered a pour-over coffee of their Tainan Dongshan coffee beans. The coffee beans were sourced from the farmers in the Alishan Mountains in the central-southern region of Taiwan. I had this pour-over iced. According to its description, it should have flavor notes of black tea and brown sugar with a smooth and sweet aftertaste. I was able to get the brown sugar note.
Coffee shops near Huashan 1914 Creative Park
Paper St.
Just across the park is Paper St. Coffee Company. This is a quaint minimalist coffee shop at the corner of a street.
I love the overall vibe of the coffee shop. I recommend this to those looking for a coffee shop to work in or read a book.
As usual, I went for the pour-over. However, I wasn’t able to take notes about the coffee I had. The coffee was good and it had citrus notes. It was also smooth and had a clean finish.
Simple Kaffa
If you are in Taipei, Simple Kaffa is a coffee shop you should not miss. Simple Kaffa was named the World’s Best Coffee Shop in 2019 and 2020 by Big 7 Travel.
When I visited their flagship store, it was packed, which I expected. I will have to wait for a couple of minutes before I can sit inside if I will dine here. But since I was in a hurry, I opted to take out.
I think the coffee shop was beautifully designed with its modern-industrial interior. I also love the large coffee counter at the center of the store. Here, you can make your order and check out the beans they offer.
Since I already had three pour-overs on this day, I ordered their Americano. That Americano is one of the best that I have tasted. It was sweet with notes of cherries. It was different from the usual chocolatey and nutty Americano that I’m used to. By the way, the takeout cup was also beautiful.
Simple Kaffa did not disappoint, and I enjoyed the short visit here.
Bleu&Book
This is also one of the coffee shops that I got excited about. I discovered this while walking around the Huashan 1914 Creative Park.
Bleu Book is the kind of coffee shop I have always wanted to have — a bookstore and coffee shop in one. The smell of books and ground coffee, and the quiet atmosphere almost had me in tears (Yes, I was feeling it hahaha).
I ordered an Oat Milk Latte for my drink here. It was a good oat milk latte.
Coffee shops near Ximending District
Ude Cafe Bistro
This is a small coffee shop near the shopping district. The vibe is hip and one that millennials will love. Despite its small size, the coffee shop was crowded when I visited. The crowd here is mostly young professionals catching up with online work.
For this visit, I had the Soy Milk Latte and Carrot Cake. The Soy Milk Latte was very good. I love how the soy milk did not coagulate when I drank it. The carrot cake was also delicious.
FabCafe
This was a coffee shop located along an alley near the shopping district. I love its hole-in-the-wall vibe.
This coffee shop would also be one where people can work.
I had their Pantan Musara pour-over for my visit here. I like how they presented their pour-over. On the tray, you have the freshly brewed hot coffee, a shaken iced coffee from the same pour, and a small ramekin of ground coffee.
This was an interactive way of enjoying your cup of coffee. I was told to start with the ground coffee. The fragrance was sweet and nutty. Next, I was told to taste shaken pour-over coffee, it was very good. The coffee was nutty with a clean finish. The last one that I was told to drink was the hot coffee. It was one of the best-tasting pour-over coffee I had in Taiwan.
Other coffee shops
dasKafeD
On the 89th floor of Taipei 101 was this adorable coffee shop offering pastries and a good cup of coffee.
For my coffee at the highest coffee shop I have been to, I ordered a pour-over of the Colombia Double Anaerobic. This was a delicious and juicy cup of coffee. I find this coffee to be quite fruity and sweet.
I was also amazed by the pour-over machine that they have. The machine has already been calibrated to pour hot or cold coffee. The machine also allows them to serve five pour-over coffee at a time.
Rovii
One of the unique coffee experiences I had was enjoying a cup of coffee brewed by a robot.
Located at the Departure Hall of Taiwan Taoyuan International Terminal 2, you will easily walk past the stall of Rovii near Gate C5 if you are not on the lookout. I happen to spot this when looking for a toilet. At first, I thought it was a simple display case featuring a robot. But upon closer inspection, I got excited knowing it is a robot that brews you a cup of coffee.
I ordered an Americano by tapping on the order window beside the stall. For the payment option, it is either through credit, debit, or e-wallet. I used a debit card for this.
The robot started working on my coffee after I paid. It was fun to watch the robotic arm operate the grinder and then, pull a shot of espresso.
Anyway, the coffee was just good. However, it is not the quality of the coffee I will remember for this but the experience of having a robot brew you a cup of coffee.
Thoughts on the Taiwanese Coffee Scene
The Taiwanese coffee scene is as vibrant and exciting as I imagined.
I observed the coffee shops here are very coffee-forward, leaning towards black coffee and manually-brewed coffee. Pour-overs are very common and this gives you a different experience between coffee shops.
The coffee profile here is also a breath of fresh air for me. I find their espresso-based coffee to be on the lighter to medium roast. The Americanos I had here were not heavy on the palate and were sweeter, nuttier, and fruitier than I am used to.
I love that most of them have no signature drinks because it allows you to enjoy coffee as it is.
I also find the vibe of the coffee shops to be quite chill. I also love that they are not heavily designed.
Another interesting thing I observed is most of the coffee shops I visited also roast their beans. So, when you visit the different coffee shops, you can buy beans under their brand. I also noticed that three coffee shops I visited have developed their own dripper for their pour-overs.
I love the coffee scene of Taiwan because of how coffee-forward they are. People come to the coffee shops for coffee. I have observed that people do not usually come to coffee shops to work or study. Most of those I encountered at the coffee shops I visited were there to enjoy a good cup of coffee or spend time with friends or loved ones.
This was a wonderful experience for me. As someone who has been blogging about the local coffee scene of Davao the last seven years, this trip was enlightening and inspiring.