The town of Taipei, Taiwan is famed for a lot of issues—like Taipei 101, beef noodle soup, and boba milk tea—and now espresso, as town has shortly change into on par with one of the best espresso cities world wide. This didn’t occur in a single day, and it took just a few key moments to assist elevate Taipei’s espresso scene to the place it’s as we speak.
Espresso first made its method to Taiwan within the early twentieth century whereas below Japanese rule. Throughout this time, the Japanese experimented and efficiently planted espresso in Central Taiwan whereas additionally bringing cafe tradition to Taipei. But it surely wasn’t till the early 2000s when the espresso scene actually began to broaden and change into mainstream. Throughout this time, Starbucks opened a number of places, adopted by comfort shops (7-Eleven, Household Mart, and so on.) serving freshly brewed espresso at a cheaper price level. With espresso persevering with to realize in reputation, the specialty espresso scene additionally developed with extremely educated roasters and baristas popping up across the metropolis, as profiled in our 2018 information to town. A few of these early third wave espresso pioneers even went on to change into World Espresso Champions, together with 2014 World Cup Tasters Champion Pang-Yu Liu (劉邦禹), 2016 World Barista Champion Berg Wu (吳則霖), 2017 World Brewers Cup Champion Chad Wang (王策), and only in the near past, 2026 World Latte Artwork Champion Bala (林紹興).
Now wherever you go to in Taipei, you might be prone to discover a number of high-quality cafes inside a brief stroll from one another. Balancing prime quality espresso with aesthetic interiors, Taipei’s finest cafes supply areas for folks to get pleasure from refined espresso whereas working, finding out, or chatting with associates. Taipei’s cafes vary from intimate, design-driven areas to those who open onto the road, mixing seamlessly into the neighborhood. You’ll usually come throughout cafes run by the house owners themselves, leading to a restaurant scene that feels each private and splendid.
Taipei guests could also be stunned to search out that cafes’ opening hours match the extra relaxed tempo of town. In contrast to different cities the place cafes might open early for the early risers, many cafes in Taipei open round 10 or 11 within the morning and keep open previous meal time.
The record beneath incorporates a slice of Taipei’s finest cafes and is by no means exhaustive; take into account this a decent choice to get you began, and as at all times, discuss to the baristas wherever you go to about their favourite locations throughout town.
Rufous Espresso Roasters
Few names come up as usually in Taipei’s specialty espresso scene as Rufous Espresso Roasters. Lengthy earlier than the present wave of minimalist cafes and design-forward areas, Rufous helped set up a extra severe, craft-driven strategy to espresso within the metropolis by specializing in roasting, method, and consistency. That basis continues to be very a lot intact as we speak, even because the model has expanded to a further location.
Darkish wooden tones and basic ambiance create heat settings whereas sustaining the eye on the espresso. What stands out most is how seen the method is. Of their second location, a roasting room sits inside plain sight, reinforcing the concept every thing begins in-house. Close by, a chilly gradual drip station that includes their home mix works quietly within the background, taking a full day to organize the batch for the next day. The eye to the craft is in step with how the cafe operates in a methodical and detail-oriented method.
The menu displays that very same mindset. Espresso might be skilled via a number of strategies together with espresso, pour-over, and chilly drip. Then there’s the considerate espresso-based set possibility, the place you may style two totally different drinks aspect by aspect.
The cafe continues to stay fashionable with each locals and guests. Even on a weekday afternoon, it fills up simply with teams chatting, {couples} sharing tables, and people working quietly. It’s not a spot designed for fast turnover, however someplace you may spend a day, with the espresso craft at all times operating within the background.
Easy Kaffa
One of many metropolis’s most acknowledged names in specialty espresso, Easy Kaffa, has outlined the higher echelon of Taiwan’s espresso scene. Its popularity is constructed on the competitors success of its founder, Berg Wu, winner of the 2016 World Barista Championship, together with its detail-driven strategy that carries via each a part of the expertise. Consuming espresso at Easy Kaffa seems like tremendous eating, with wait workers explaining the menu intimately and checking in on every buyer’s expertise.
The menu contains a variety of choices, with baseline choices priced barely increased than town common. On the excessive finish there are Geshas reaching NT$1,500 (~$45 USD) a cup. This positions the cafe as extra of a vacation spot for espresso fanatics than a neighborhood cease.
Strolling into the spacious, open flagship house, you’ll discover baristas making pour-overs with excessive precision utilizing their very own proprietary Easy Kaffa Drip Bathe pour-over filter equipment. There’s additionally a transparent sense of pleasure of their achievements. Awards and accolades are prominently displayed alongside the uncovered brick wall, a reminder of the cafe’s standing on the worldwide stage.
Regular Espresso
With a number of places throughout Taipei and growth to different cities on the island within the works, Regular Espresso and All Day Roasting Firm have grown into a neighborhood espresso group. It has expanded steadily whereas conserving a transparent division between the 2 ideas.
All Day Roasting Firm leans towards an all-day cafe format, pairing meals with a full espresso menu throughout a number of Taipei places and a presence in Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s southern port metropolis. Regular Espresso, alternatively, is stripped again and coffee-focused with a smaller footprint, streamlined expertise, and an emphasis on higher-end beans for the purist connoisseurs.
Throughout each manufacturers, the inspiration is similar. Roasting occurs on-site, and the menu covers each espresso-based drinks and pour-overs. It’s a setup that permits for constant, prime quality espresso drinks whereas nonetheless catering to totally different clientele.
Regular is especially distinctive for its strategy to sourcing. Alongside espresso beans of extra typical origins are Taiwan-grown espresso beans from the Alishan Mountain Vary. It’s not one thing you see all over the place within the metropolis, partly because of value and restricted provide, and it factors to a broader effort to focus on native manufacturing.
Because the group continues to broaden, each All Day and Regular preserve a transparent id—one broader and extra lifestyle-driven, the opposite extra tightly centered on the espresso itself. Collectively, they provide a take a look at how Taipei’s cafes can scale whereas conserving high quality and sourcing on the coronary heart of its enterprise.
The Of us
Tucked in a quiet nook in central Taipei’s Da’an neighborhood, The Of us could also be simple to overlook at first however is a spot you’ll end up visiting time and again. The cafe has been operating for over a decade as a one-man operation, leading to constant espresso each time. Beans are roasted on-site, usually with a deal with beans from Guatemala, leading to balanced, espresso-based drinks.
It’s a small store with simply six seats on the counter together with benches exterior. On the heart is a Slim Jim Idrocompresso by Kees van der Westen, and every thing revolves round it. The tempo is regular, not rushed, and the bar seating feels extra like a chef’s counter than a typical cafe. You possibly can sit and calm down with a ebook, or simply cease in for a fast espresso to go, at a barely diminished value.
One drink that stands out is the con panna: a single espresso with honey, sprint of milk, and topped with cream and cacao. It provides simply sufficient sweetness with out overpowering the espresso.
Kite Espresso
Kite Espresso sits someplace in between informal and extra polished. The very first thing you discover is how put collectively every thing feels. Partitions are lined with artwork and design magazines, album covers, and posters that really feel private slightly than staged. The menu is easy, cut up evenly between espresso-based drinks and pour-overs which might be clear and balanced, in step with the general really feel of the house.
On weekday mornings, it’s quiet and simple to sit down for a bit, have a espresso, and flip via {a magazine}. There’s a small seating space inside for many who are in search of a quiet nook, whereas the porch out entrance gives a semi-enclosed house that also feels related to the environment. You possibly can cease in shortly, however it’s additionally the form of place chances are you’ll find yourself staying longer than deliberate.
Espresso Alongside
Espresso Alongside is amongst Taipei’s most unusual cafes and gives a transparent distinction to the vast majority of town’s enclosed cafe areas. The espresso store opens on to the road, creating a relentless circulation of sunshine and air. It feels related to what’s taking place exterior, whereas nonetheless providing an area to settle into for a bit.
The menu is concentrated completely on espresso-based drinks, conserving issues easy for the purists. The store is run by the proprietor, who has a background in espresso R&D and growing blends, which exhibits within the cafe’s well-executed choices.
Simply over a 12 months in, Espresso Alongside already seems like a neighborhood fixture. Folks cease in, stand on the counter for a fast espresso, or linger alongside the open edges of the house. It’s an easygoing setup that places as a lot emphasis on the atmosphere because it does the espresso.
After5
Set inside a compact, two-story home, After5 feels extra like a buddy’s home than a restaurant, one thing you don’t see usually in Taipei. The lofted second ground overlooks the principle espresso bar, creating a way of separation with out dropping the intimacy of the house. It makes the store really feel much less like a fast espresso cease and extra like a spot you’d linger.
Throughout the day, that might imply a quiet place to sit down with a laptop computer or learn for some time. By the afternoon and into the night, it shifts right into a neighborhood hangout spot with folks stopping by after work or assembly associates for drinks. The structure helps each, with bar seating downstairs and a barely extra tucked-away really feel upstairs.
The menu displays that very same vary. Alongside single-origin coffees, there are a handful of signature drinks that incorporate fruit, including a lighter, extra refreshing possibility. Tea can also be a part of the lineup and later within the day, the menu expands to incorporate alcohol and beer.
Eric Hsu is a Taipei-based photographer and visible storyteller masking journey and tradition throughout Asia. That is Eric Hsu’s first function for Sprudge.
