Best Cafes in Tapei and Taiwan (That I Visited and Rate)

Best cafes in Taipei.

Every time I travel, I always scout the best cafes and coffee shops in the city or country. On this travel occasion, Taiwan didn’t disappoint.

In fact, I was super impressed with the number of quality specialty coffee shops littered throughout the country, even in the most rural townships I traveled through.

In this article, I share the best Best Cafes in Tapei and Taiwan that I found. See the videos and transcripts below.


Woolloomooloo Cafe | Taipei Taiwan

Taipei is becoming known as one of the emerging third-wave coffee destinations of the world. However, one guy who worked the Melbourne coffee scene wanted to bring a slice of the cafe culture to Taiwan…

This is what they have produced.. located in the Xinyi District 500m west of the Taipei 101 World Trade Center.. Definitely worth a visit.

Transcript

Hi guys,

Welcome to the fourth episode of Coffee Geek TV. I am in Taipei, Taiwan at the moment in one of the cafes called Woolloomooloo. It is very much an Australian cafe. The atmosphere here is excellent. They are not into specialty coffee but are doing a great job.

The place is full of students. From what I’ve read, many of them have gone to Australia and brought the country’s cafe culture here. I am drinking a Cafe Latte Meno. It is in between a Cafe Latte and a Piccolo. It’s got a little bit more milk than a Piccolo and less milk than a latte.

I have also tried another coffee on the menu called Migore. It has more milk than a latte; I’ve never heard of it before. Besides that, this is the ambiance of the cafe. It has got a cozy industrial and bar counter feel.

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Luguo Caf’e | Taipei Taiwan

The lofty second-story location of Luguo Caf’e in Taipei can be a little hard to find… I recommend walking 500m directly North from the Beiman MRT station up Tacheng Street where you will find the cafe on Lane 32… Look for the bright Orange Vespa if you are lucky enough to see it parked out front..

Despite the trek and navigation of trying to find the cafe.. It represents itself with an excellent quiet and relaxed atmosphere where it is fantastically lit from the large old school style windows..

The coffee however I went a little over the top by ordering the most expensive thing on the menu – the Panama La Esmeralda Geisha Natural Process – having the waitress double checking with me that the price was ok… well…

If i was ok or not with it is another story however it was a little over the top for me on this occasion.. still the coffee was good.

Transcript

Hello,

Welcome to Episode Five of Coffee Geek TV. I’m at Luguo (路过) Cafe in Taipei (台北), Taiwan (台 湾), around the Beimen (北 门) Station area in Datong (大同). It is a bit tricky to get to, especially since I’ve got a lot of gear with me.

But it’s worth visiting. The cafe has got a fantastic atmosphere. It’s a bit chilled out and old school.

I’ve got something special planned today. I’ve decided to go all out. This coffee is the Panama Geisha La Esmerelda, a grilled coffee that costs about $600 Taiwan Dollars. That’s about 25 Australian Dollars. It is a special black coffee with no sugar, but trust me when I say it is amazing.

I’ve not tried it yet. My first thoughts are that it is fruity with a caramel smell. It’s got aniseed or a bit of brown sugar licorice.

I’ll have my first sip now and let you know what my thoughts are. I usually don’t trust my first sip. I usually go for my second to get my palate to taste it.

It’s nice. It’s got a high amount of acid and has quite a bold flavor. It’s neither rounded nor overly sharp. It’s got a little citrus flavor because of the high acidity. It’s earthy; it has brown sugar and caramel flavors.

The aniseed is not on the palate. All round, it may have been a little bit under-extracted, but the cafe did a pretty good job.

If you’re enjoying these videos, follow me and subscribe below. The reason I do this is so that we can get to know coffee a little bit better. See you in the next video! Peace out.


Rufous Cafe Taipei Taiwan

Again on this day I wanted to have the cold brew again but unfortunately, they had run out already..

So instead of settling for a Panama Geisha Esmeralda in cold drip… and yes it was absolutely brilliant! In this video, you’ll see how the cold brew process takes place.


GetMore Lab Taipei Taiwan

Same day as visiting Rufous Coffee I headed over to GetMore Lab based on all the media attention they have had…. instantly I connected with the owners who were very welcoming.

The cafe had a great vibe and was ideal for me to work from and catch up on some much-needed work. Located a short walk from the Daan Park Station, it’s only too easy to get to the cafe for a much-needed brew.

Transcription:

Hello, it’s Tim again, coming to you from Coffee Geek TV, and this is Episode 7.

Here I am at Getmore Lab in Taipei, Taiwan. I’m still doing the rounds here at the moment, but this is probably going to be the last cafe that I am going to visit this time around. There are more that I wanted to check out, but I’m running out of time.

Here I am drinking my third coffee for today. It’s crazy, and I’m getting a bit caffeinated, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.

What I’m having now is the Guatemalan Quiche. I’ve never heard of this bean variety before, but you never stop learning when it comes to coffee. I was going to choose between this and a Costa Rican bean that was not on the menu.

Both beans smelled different. The Costa Rican bean had a sweet, peanut flavor while the Guatemalan Quiche had a ripe, cherry smell. You can taste the intense dark chocolate along with the cherries.

I noticed that the intensity carried through with the smell of the beans. However, I don’t always trust my palate on the first sip. It may not always give you a good indication because of the acidity of the brew.

I’m drinking it like wine. I’m trying to get the oxygen into the palate and nasal cavity so that I can experience the intensity of the coffee.

This drink is a bit of a knockout. It is full-bodied, and you can get a sense of its acidity right on the tip of the tongue. I get the taste of caramel and dark chocolate as well. The cherry gives it a tart fruitiness.

I’m enjoying this. This coffee is a little different. It’s not rounded but runs on through the palate.

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Maytree Coffee | Hualien Taiwan

After first visited Hualien six months ago and loved it… its a beautiful coastal town in Taiwan. Never did I think this small town had this one so amazing speciality coffee bar hidden in the deep throws of this place…

It was overwhelmingly serendipitous! Maytree Coffee is one of the most artisan specialty cafes I’ve come across where a couple have been operating it for the last 18 years.

All of their pour over props have been hand made which they have an extensive choice of varieties to indulge yourself with.

Observing them conducting there coffee brewing process is an art in itself and definitely worth traveling too for any Coffee Geek out there!

Transcription:

Hi, welcome to another episode of Coffee Geek TV. Here I am at Hualien, at a cafe called Maytree Coffee.

Everything is in Chinese, so I can’t understand anything here. I’ve asked Zhihong to help me, he’s quite a friendly barista, who’s pouring me a Kenyan brew in an old sock at the moment.

What’s lovely is that he’s made the pour over the V60 by hand. He puts a lot of care and finesse into brewing his coffee.

This little haven in Hualian is quite a unique find, and I’m looking forward to trying this Kenyan roast.

The barista is a home roaster himself, so he does not prepare the beans at the cafe. If you are in Hualian, check out this place. I highly recommend it.

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Wilbeck Coffee | Taipei Taiwan

Wilbeck Coffee was my last stop on my way back through Taipei Taiwan before the next adventure in Japan.

With 3 Wilbeck Coffee’s located in the city, their The Hole-In-The-Wall style cafe and roaster is super conveniently close to the central bus station of Taipei… It was the perfect way to bookend my trip.

NB* Apologies for how vague I am in the video. I was so unwell that day and was exhausted already from the initial travel.

Transcription:

Hello, welcome to another episode of Coffee Geek TV. I’m Tim, on the last leg of my tour of Taipei, Taiwan. I’ve got a couple of hours till my train from Hualien to the airport arrives.

I stopped at this coffee joint known as Wilbeck Coffee. It is a little micro roaster near the main high-speed bus and rail station. I wanted to come here the last time I was in Taiwan, but I had little time. I had to bail on that and get a train to Hualien.

This little spot is cool. It’s bustling and has people coming in and out all the time. There’s lots of specialty coffee, but it they don’t come out till after 12, which is ridiculous in my opinion. Who wants to start drinking coffee after 12? Coffee Geeks will be the exception.

That said, this is a cool, rustic back in the 60’s feel cafe that plays funky music. I don’t mind. It’s good. I decided to surprise the cafe and have a pour-over. This coffee is an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, a light roast which is interesting in flavor.

The cafe is on the fly and just pumping out coffee. They are doing what they do best; giving people their caffeine fix early in the morning.

This video is my last from Taipei, Taiwan. If you like these videos, do hit the button below.

If you would like to know more or read more, do click the Read More link for my website and social media details. Do reach out to me. I’d love to hear from you. Till next time, peace out.

A little more on Ethiopian Yirgacheffe

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans come from the micro-region of Sidomo in Southern Ethiopia. Many regard this area to be the birthplace of coffee.

The coffee has a light to medium body. Like other coffees from this area, it has a slightly fruity flavor and a floral aroma. Coffee growers cultivate the beans at high elevation, between 5800 to 6600 feet.


To Summarize the Best Cafes in Tapei & Taiwan

What did you think of the cafes? How would you rate their coffee? Do you have a favorite cafe or coffee shop in Taiwan you love to visit? Please share your comments below.

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