[quote=“tommy525”]As for Taipei, the very very best cups of coffee iv ever had was at UESHIMA cafe on ChongSHanN.Rd. tHEY had decent meals and really just the very best coffee one could have.
It was perfect ! No matter what you ordered. A taste of heaven indeed. Just slightly bitter, not heavy coffee. Very light but flavorful. The flavor was deep but light.
Im sure it was 100pct arabica rather then robusta.
NObody has since equalled them. They have closed down now. No idea where they went.[/quote]
Ueshima has three locations in Taipei, but not on Zhongshanbeilu. I walk by the one on Dunhua all the time but have never gone in. Japanese coffee doesn’t really beckon me. Maybe I should give it a try. Do you remember the name of the coffee you had, tommy?
I’m more into lighter roasts than darker ones. I can take a mild roast flavor, but I really hate a predominant burnt flavor. My favorites have been from Ethiopia. Idido Misty Valley and Beloya were knockouts, and I had a nice Harrar which was good, too. The berry flavors found in those coffees were very distinct and tasty. Unfortunately, it’s been difficult to find good Ethiopians because of the new coffee exchange system they’re using. A lot of the good stuff now gets mixed with the poor stuff. A close second for me was a very nutty Brazilian peaberry from Fazenda Lagoa. If I could only drink two styles of coffee for the rest of my life, it would be a berry-like Ethiopian and a nutty-like Brazilian. :lick:
I’ve tasted a couple different lots of Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha from Panama. It’s a nice coffee (very light, sweet, delicate, and floral), but it’s not one I could drink every day for the rest of my life. Also, it’s ridiculously priced. :loco:
The two Ethiopian ones I mentioned were at Cafe Lulu (linked to earlier). The Brazilian was from Mojo Coffee. Both are here in Taichung.
Be careful about coffees in Taiwan labled as Jamaican Blue Mountain. They only have to contain a small percentage to get that lable. Only buy that from a trusted source.
I enjoy a mild sourness in my coffee, too. It’s not the bad thing people imagine it to be. In fact, it’s that very acidity (also called brightness) which gives those wonderful berry flavors.
[quote=“SlowRain”]
I’d really recommend staying away from the larger franchises. Try to follow up on some of the independent shops. Try a couple to see which style you prefer.[/quote]
Like other posters, I very much like Cama and some of the other small roasters scattered around Taipei–and Fong Da is a classic place in Xinmending to hang around over a nice cup of coffee. But if you are into dark roasts (west coast north American style following the tradition of Peet’s Coffee) then things get trickier as most of the local shops in Taiwan use Japanese style roasting techniques. There’s nothing wrong with this of course but it’s a completely different taste.
[quote=“SlowRain”]If you want quality, you’re better off going freshly roasted. That means buying it within a day or two of being roasted and using it up within 10-14 days at the latest. Nothing from Costco would meet that criteria–nor Starbucks, for that matter. Try to find some place that will give you at least some information about the region it came from, not just the country. Some places will even tell you which farm it came from and what processing method was used [ie. natural (sometimes called dry-processed), pulped-natural (sometimes called semi-washed or honey process), or washed (sometimes called wet-processed)].
I don’t have any specific recommendations for places in the area you mentioned, but you could always try ordering from Cafe Lulu in Taichung. Lulu is the barista, and her husband does the roasting. She speaks very good English, and she has a number of customers from Taipei who get her to send roasted coffee to them, partly because they like her coffee and partly because it’s cheaper to run a business in Taichung. She’ll grind it for you first if you want, but you should buy your own grinder if you want your coffee to taste better.[/quote]
Is Cafe Lulu still in business? Is this still the place to go for beans?
[quote=“tommy525”]Since we are talking about coffee, so you mind if we expound upon what makes a great cup of coffee?
[/quote]
My tips for making great coffee: buy fresh, lightly roasted arabica beans. Don’t store them in the freezer because each time you take them out small scale condensation takes place on the beans and affects the quality and freshness. Rather, store them in an airtight container in a cool dry place (if possible). Grind the beans only before using them and use a French press to brew it. The reason for the French press is to better control the temperature of the water used to brew the coffee and the extent of brewing process. After bringing a kettle to boil allow to cool for a minute before adding to the press. If the water temp is too close to boiling temp. the coffee will be slightly more bitter. After adding water let is brew on it’s own 5 minutes before apply press and it’s done.
I prefer to roast my own but rarely have access to raw beans Taipei County south. However, on the rare occasions I’m around Ximending, there’s a store in Chengdu St that has an extensive collection of quality beans, both raw and roasted.
[quote=“Charlie Phillips”]I prefer to roast my own but rarely have access to raw beans Taipei County south. However, on the rare occasions I’m around Ximending, there’s a store in Chengdu St that has an extensive collection of quality beans, both raw and roasted.
Please post if you know where to get green beans.[/quote]
You can try a place called Aroma Beans in Tien Mu. Zhongcheng rd a few shops down from the BMW dealer at the corner of Zhongshan rd. they roast in house and would assumedly also sell green.
[quote=“samsonisfurry”][quote=“SlowRain”]If you want quality, you’re better off going freshly roasted. That means buying it within a day or two of being roasted and using it up within 10-14 days at the latest. Nothing from Costco would meet that criteria–nor Starbucks, for that matter. Try to find some place that will give you at least some information about the region it came from, not just the country. Some places will even tell you which farm it came from and what processing method was used [ie. natural (sometimes called dry-processed), pulped-natural (sometimes called semi-washed or honey process), or washed (sometimes called wet-processed)].
I don’t have any specific recommendations for places in the area you mentioned, but you could always try ordering from Cafe Lulu in Taichung. Lulu is the barista, and her husband does the roasting. She speaks very good English, and she has a number of customers from Taipei who get her to send roasted coffee to them, partly because they like her coffee and partly because it’s cheaper to run a business in Taichung. She’ll grind it for you first if you want, but you should buy your own grinder if you want your coffee to taste better.[/quote]
Is Cafe Lulu still in business? Is this still the place to go for beans?[/quote]
I highly recommend them. Probably the consistently best coffee I’ve had in Taichung. They do an amazing job of roasting, and Ethiopian beans are a specialty of theirs. They have a number of customers from Taipei who have beans sent to them.
They’re probably closed for Chinese New Year, but I imagine they’ll open again on Friday or Saturday.
[quote=“Charlie Phillips”]I prefer to roast my own but rarely have access to raw beans Taipei County south. However, on the rare occasions I’m around Ximending, there’s a store in Chengdu St that has an extensive collection of quality beans, both raw and roasted.
Please post if you know where to get green beans.[/quote]
You can try Cafe Lulu and see what they can fix you up with.
I was in a coffee shop across from the Songshan Culture Park (near Sun Yat Sen MRT) today and they had unroasted green beans. I asked and they said they would sell them.
2 Alley 6 Lane 553 Zhongxiao East Rd. It is actually right on Lane 553 despite the address.
I’m looking to buy some coffee and tea for presents.
I’m going to have to ship them home and that takes about 1 1/2 to 2 weeks.
The darker and blacker the coffee the better and for the tea, she likes pretty much anything but prefers to use tea leaves instead of bags.
Does anyone have any suggestions about a coffee/tea shop in Taipei that sells good value coffee and tea for reasonable prices. I want to get something for them that they can’t get back home.