Good Coffee Shop in Taichung

Cuisine Taichung & Central Taiwan Restaurants
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I’m a bit of a coffee hound. I’ve been in Taichung for 6 years now (I’ve only recently registered on Forumosa.com). There are a couple of good coffee shops here, but not many. The best I’ve found so far is Mojo Coffee and Retro, both owned by Scott. But many of you already knew about those two. One you may not have heard about is Café Lulu, so I’m posting this just to get them a little more attention.

They’re a third-wave coffee shop, and have been in Taichung for about two years, but I’ve only been going for about a month or so. It’s located in a rather small-but-quaint alley, surrounded by some decent restaurants and apartment buildings. The owners are a couple who don’t subscribe to the traditional Taiwanese concept of coffee (extremely dark-roasted, bitter coffee). They prefer lighter-roasted coffees which brings out a more fruity flavor. The shop is small (and a little disorganized), but the selection is worth it. They offer espresso-based drinks, vac pot, moka pot, drip, and iced. The great deal is that, for one price, you can get a second cup (doesn’t include espresso-based drinks). It doesn’t even have to be the same bean or brewing method.

They also roast their own beans to order. They usually prefer lighter roasts, and the owner has a love of African beans, especially Ethiopian. Right now they have a very wide selection of Ethiopian beans, but I think that’s only for a limited time. These beans are very fruity and berry-like and make great iced coffee. The owner’s wife speaks decent English, so ordering and discussing coffee won’t be a problem.

[address: 台中市北區五常街217號; 217 WuChang Street, North District, Taichung City, (04)2206-6866; [color=#FF0000]open 1:00pm - 9:00pm, closed Thursdays[/color]]

Map on Google

http://www.cafelulu.com.tw/

Compass Magazine’s Write-up

Give it a try and post post what coffee you had and what you thought of it.

I get her to make a 6oz. low-temperature cappuccino (the shop usually offers something like an 8oz., but I found the taste was too weak). It’s great. I also had an iced Idido Misty Valley (I think it was ‘Idido’). Very, very fruity. Once the ice melted a bit and the drink was cold, it was all fruit without even a trace of what I have come to think of as the traditional ‘coffee’ taste. Amazing.

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I’m not in Taichung any more otherwise I’d try Lulu. Have you tried Osir, by the way? That’s pretty good:
orsir.com.tw/

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Yep, I’ve tried Orsir. It’s okay. Their Espresso Con Panna is pretty good (made with their TNT blend), and I did have a nice cup of El Salvador Pacamaral, but I find most of their beans are roasted too dark for my taste. I don’t touch their brewed coffee or their beans if the roast level is over a light-medium roast (what they call M). I’ve found that, with their beans over an ‘M’ roast, after a few days all I taste is the roast profile. I will, however, be sampling a few of their espresso blends in the next little while, as they are the ones with the largest selection in that regard.

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First of all, thanks OP for this thread, Taichung is a bit under represented on Forumosa. Perhaps it should be made a sticky if people start adding other suggestions and comments, so that we can get a list of interesting places in and around Taichung

I agree with SlowRain about Orsir and as I seem to share his taste for medium roast coffees, I’ll check out Lulu’s next time I am in that area, which is probably going to be in three years…

Other recommendations from me:

胡同 who together
(04)2319-8378
精誠九街16巷3號 No.3, Lane 16, Jingcheng 9th Street (not so easy to find)
09:00~23:00
hard to describe, but they do have decent coffee

Caffè 5160
五權一街60號 (near Art Museum)
04 2376 488
Espresso Bar (Lavazza) with art exhibitions upstairs

George House
五權西一街75號 (near Art Museum)
literally all sorts of coffee

東海和平咖啡館 (Peace Cafe)
04-26317296
台中縣龍井鄉新興路55巷12號 (near Donghai)
禮拜二 到 六 15:00-22:00
only limited selection fo coffee, but all fair trade
This is the same place as Emerge (Lao Nuo’s) Live House

青庭植哉園
04-24732369
南屯路二段360號 No. 360, Sec. 2, Nantun Rd
very good pastry, Italian style coffee (Illy), pasta
This is at the intersection Nantun/Wenxin in the same building of the furniture store (Strauss)

Yes Today
藝術街97號 (Lixiangguo, International Street, Art Street)
Not so much a coffee place, but they do have a decent Espresso (Lavazza) and it is just a nice place for a late weekend breakfast

There is also Zino （精明二街63號）, but I haven’t been there for years

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I used to make a special point of going to Cafe Zhino when I ventured into the Chungle. Great coffee, very nice guy and he also has a walk-in cigar humidor with some real treats in it.
Always a couple of very cool bikes in there usually, as well – he’s a very keen cyclist.

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[quote=“sandman”]I used to make a special point of going to Cafe Zhino when I ventured into the Chungle. Great coffee, very nice guy and he also has a walk-in cigar humidor with some real treats in it.
Always a couple of very cool bikes in there usually, as well – he’s a very keen cyclist.[/quote]

Was. He sold it a few years ago. It is still a nice place, but I am pretty sure that the walk-in humidor/wine shelf is gone.

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Wow,

The only coffee shop that I know of is starbucks… lol

Anyway, taiwan sucks and no matter how good the things are, or the foods, I just can’t appreciated them as much i would like to when comparing the same thing but in a different environment. Back in Australia, crappy foods and good foods can be distinguesed even cars, motorbikes, and good place to go on holiday. But in taiwan, everything is just the same. Maybe I am been too negative about Taiwan although i was born here but my point is, people here in taiwan got to move to something better rather than just stuck in the same spot.

Back to the coffee issue, 7-11’s Mr. Brown coffee is still the best… lol

Happy getting caffein stoned…

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Just came back from Lulu’s. We tried two of the Ethiopian (washed and sun-dried) and got to chat a bit with the owner. Good coffee and they know what they are talking about. Nice. Thansk for the tip.

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I like Haaya’s coffee house in Taichung (哈亞極品咖啡), only coffee place I know so far which has the “Vienna style” coffee (means with a lot of whip cream):

flickr.com/photos/mrtang/2938103798/

Their cappuccino looks like this:

flickr.com/photos/mrtang/2938103622/

Its more expensive but freshly roasted. They have all kinds of coffee.
I found only a Chinese review on it (English Link on Compass Magazine seems broken):
taiwanfun.com/central/taichu … ayasTW.htm
五權西四街126號 / Wu Quan West 4th Street, Nr. 126

Official site: haaya.com.tw/

That’s just next (across a small street) to the french bistro thing “Jardin de Giverny”.

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rice_t: Glad you liked it. I think you may have arrived just before I left.

I had Costa Rica Hacienda La Minita (a washed coffee), done in the vac pot. It was good, especially considering I’m not the biggest fan of acidity in my coffees (this kind acidity is not upset-stomach acidity; it’s fruitiness). I also had their Mandheling, done in a moka pot. It was your typical cup of coffee. Nothing special, but good nonetheless.

My wife’s son tried the iced Idido Misty Valley, done drip style. He thought it was too sour. It definitely is fruity, but it’s not lemon-sour or anything like that. A splash of milk actually toned down the fruitiness a bit. I’ve made this one at home on my AeroPress, and it’s quite refreshing.

Next time I’m going to try the Ethiopia Kebado again. I’ve had it before in a vac pot, but next time I’m either going to try it iced or French press. I’m not sure yet. It has a massive blueberry fragrance and tastes blueberrish in the cup as well, but was a bit sour. She gave me a small sample today which was quite tasty.

engerim: Is the whipped cream on that Vienna coffee from a can, or is it freshly made?

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[quote=“SlowRain”]
engerim: Is the whipped cream on that Vienna coffee from a can, or is it freshly made?[/quote]
Fresh!

PS. Personally I prefer Brazilian coffee. Such as BemdaTerra, see ciaorganica.com/en/cia_organica/
I’m afraid of too much additives in African coffee’s. Brazilians drink a lot of coffee themself so its quite trustable.
The difference in taste is huge! Didn’t see the one I mention in Taiwan though.

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Good to hear. I may give it a try in the next couple of weeks.

Truth be told, I’m a fan of Central and South American beans. I love my chocolaty, nutty flavors. This year I’ve had a really nice Brazil Fazenda Lagoa Peaberry (I’m assuming dry processed) and an El Salvador Cerro Las Ranas, pulped-natural. Those were my favorites from this year, but they’re all gone. However, I like going to Lulu’s because of the 2-cup deal, the conversation, and the fact that it forces me to step outside of my coffee comfort zone a bit. I’m starting to appreciate acidity in coffee now in a way that I couldn’t just a month ago. Even though I prefer my chocolaty, nutty flavors, I’m enjoying the experimentation.

Regarding African beans, I have no worries about Lulu’s, Retro/Mojo, or Orsir. There are some changes coming in Ethiopia that may affect the ability to source quality beans, so this may be my last opportunity for a while.

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I’m thinking of going to Haaya’s tomorrow, but I’m not sure yet if it’ll be late-morning or mid-afternoon. Any other coffee hounds up for it?

*EDIT: Maybe around 2:30 or so.

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I just got back from Haaya. Their selection is fairly standard. I had their Columbian coffee (they only have one coffee from any given region, except for a couple of Ethiopians). I originally wanted to order their Brazilian, but when I asked the roast date they said “January”. Not a good sign in my books. The Columbian was “July”, so that’s the one I went with. It was okay: not too bitter, not too sour. My wife’s son had the Vienna coffee. Again, it was okay.

I think the main problem here is the pricing. The brewed coffee was $170NT. I think I’d rather walk up the street and go to Retro. Retro’s coffee is freshly roasted, I can have it either drip, Clover, or French press, the prices are cheaper, and the atmosphere is nicer.

Another thing that bothered me was the espresso machine. It was an older Astoria (not necessarily a problem), with the finish peeling off, dripping, scum caked onto it, and what looked like rust. I don’t think espresso is their thing.

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[quote=“SlowRain”]I just got back from Haaya. Their selection is fairly standard. I had their Columbian coffee (they only have one coffee from any given region, except for a couple of Ethiopians). I originally wanted to order their Brazilian, but when I asked the roast date they said “January”. Not a good sign in my books. The Columbian was “July”, so that’s the one I went with. It was okay: not too bitter, not too sour. My wife’s son had the Vienna coffee. Again, it was okay.

I think the main problem here is the pricing. The brewed coffee was $170NT. I think I’d rather walk up the street and go to Retro. Retro’s coffee is freshly roasted, I can have it either drip, Clover, or French press, the prices are cheaper, and the atmosphere is nicer.

Another thing that bothered me was the espresso machine. It was an older Astoria (not necessarily a problem), with the finish peeling off, dripping, scum caked onto it, and what looked like rust. I don’t think espresso is their thing.[/quote]

You are a real coffee critic!! :slight_smile: :slight_smile: Unfortunately I wasn’t in Taichung this weekend or I might have joined you.
Yes, as I mentioned its more expensive. I think its because the Parkway over there only has higher priced restaurants.
On the other hand its a place with a high roof and free WLAN for whom it matters.
I’ll try “Retro” next time.

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The whipped cream was not bad. :smiley:

Don’t get the wrong idea. I liked Haaya’s coffee better than most coffee shops I’ve been to. It’s definitely better than 85°C, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Starbucks. But, $170NT at Haaya’s vs. $60NT at Starbucks: I’ll take Starbucks. The coffee was okay, but I don’t think it was three times better. And, I think Starbucks does a nicer job of atmosphere.

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[quote=“SlowRain”]The whipped cream was not bad. :smiley:

Don’t get the wrong idea. I liked Haaya’s coffee better than most coffee shops I’ve been to. It’s definitely better than 85°C, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Starbucks. But, $170NT at Haaya’s vs. $60NT at Starbucks: I’ll take Starbucks. The coffee was okay, but I don’t think it was three times better. And, I think Starbucks does a nicer job of atmosphere.[/quote]

For Starbucks I always thought of it as a kind of “fast food chain” for coffee.
I probably have the wrong image of Starbucks but I don’t get it why they don’t bring the coffee to your table if they really want to make a difference. :slight_smile: 85C is comparatively much fast and cheaper.
Starbucks is so horrendously slow in serving customers (they even got mentioned in the news for this).
I think even McCafe is faster :laughing:
I don’t taste a difference between those chains (85, Starbucks) really.
That’s one thing which annoys me about the Starbucks atmosphere, another thing is that its usually too dark in there (Haaya has seats at the windows in comparisson) but thats probably a matter of taste. You’d also pay a bit for the service in Haaya.

On the other hand, if you order an espresso in a Brasserie in Paris (where I lived 5 years) it will be done within 30 seconds maximum.
Its too often people there just step in the door and say “one espresso” and they have it done really extremely pronto (which I think should be the same in Starbucks).

Few people actually know how to make good coffee.
Haaya probably knows where to buy the ingredients but they surely lack the skill.
Coffee machines need to have the right temperature for each coffee and must be calibrated from time to time.
There should be small foam on the coffee if its done right (only my wife can do that actually). :slight_smile:
Glad you liked the Vienna cream coffee!! :slight_smile:

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I agree with most of what you say, which is why I think you should give Retro, Lulu, and Orsir a try. I think you’ll be pleased with at least one of those, if not all. For what it’s worth, I liked the whipped cream at Haaya’s better than the whipped cream at Retro (but not as good as Orsir’s–when they take the time to make it fresh, that is).

I know what you mean about Starbucks. I view them as one step up from “the fast food of coffee”, but the principle holds true. They have certainly adopted the McDonald’s business strategy. However, I actually give Starbucks a lot of credit. Not only did I get interested in coffee from Starbucks in the first place, but they have helped an entire generation get interested in something other than pre-ground coffee from a can at the supermarket. What they started has been developed by others, so that it is now profitable for coffee farmers to try new farming and processing methods, all of which are noticeable in the cup. The downside is that coffee is on the verge of going to the extreme regarding pricing for specialty coffee, but that is just a small part of the specialty coffee world–for now.

What I dislike most about Starbucks is their corporate monster-ness. They seem to be adopting a few strategies used by Microsoft in the past. Remember: “It’s not about the coffee.”

Not only do I enjoy something of good quality, I like it even better when it’s from a local establishment. I originally started this thread about Café Lulu because I felt it was a decent local business, doing good things, but not getting the attention a shop with coffees of this caliber should be getting. We all know Mojo and Retro. Orsir, from little old Taichung no less, is a coffee mainstay in Taiwan. But here was a coffee shop, run by some people who have a passion for a very specific coffee niche, going unnoticed.

Even though my taste in brewed coffee tends to lean towards Mojo/Retro, I’ll always make time for two cups (for the price of one) at Lulu’s. In fact, right now I have a Nicaraguan Jinotega Angelina Estate from Retro that’s not really doing anything for me and a Brazilian Fazenda Passeio from Café Lulu that’s a little too sour for my taste. But, blend them together, and it’s a very nice cup indeed.

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Another coffee geek and I are going to be at Café Lulu tentatively on the afternoon of Sunday, August 30th, starting around 2:30. We plan to test out some Japanese ceramic-burr hand grinders–the Kyocera and the Porlex. We’re going to test them over a variety of brewing methods: espresso, vacpot, drip, AeroPress, French press. I’m also hoping to test my Turkish hand mill for espresso. If anyone is interested in coming to watch, participate, or just have a couple cups of coffee, you’re more than welcome.

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This is starting to sound like Chungle’s answer to flob Happy Hour in Taipei. Why not… flob Cup 'o Cheer Hour, shuttle bus from HSR Wuri.