Has anybody seen this kind of sugar-free bottled latte lately? I used to be able to find it in several 7-11s and RT-Mart (in packs of 4) before, but I haven’t seen it anywhere for over a month.
I like this one particularly because it has a decent amount of protein, and it is not sweet.
Protein? What’s in that cold brew? 
Guy
Just coffee and milk (instead of cream made out of fat).
In another thread (I cannot seem to locate it) @PeiHua-Connie alerted us about the current availabilility of single origin Alishan coffee at McDonald’s here in Taiwan. I was curious about it and want to provide a short review about my experience drinking it.
Available as hot coffee or iced, it comes in at NT$120, more than the NT$90 promotion price mentioned by Connie. I selected the hot version twice (i.e. sampled on two separate days) to try to give it a fair assessment.
The first cup that I had was served piping hot, with the first few sips yielding a thin and frankly unimpressive taste. It got a bit better as it cooled down, but it still struck me as a one-note coffee—some high notes with little body or depth.
The second cup I had a few days later was a bit stronger, but still monotonous. I tried to think of a comparable coffee from elsewhere I have tried, and the closest comparison I could come up with is Kona, which is also (despite its fame) quite monotonous with little depth. But at least the best Konas have clarity and sweetness, I thought, which is lacking in the Alishan cups I tried. The aftertaste of the second cup was a bit muddy, a bit sticky, something like an Indonesian coffee without any of the body and depth such coffees also deliver.
I don’t regret sampling this coffee, and I applaud McDonald’s in Taiwan for giving us this opportunity to try it. But I do think that this coffee is—like the majority of Taiwan coffees I have tried—still unclear, even confused, in its identity. It flatters itself on the accompying cardboard coaster by comparing itself to oolong tea. I dislike Alishan’s high mountain oolong tea (it messes up my thinking, unlike the more richly caramelized tieguanyin teas I enjoy)—but at least it has a clear identity. With this coffee, such clarity remains elusive.
Guy
$$$$$$$$$$$$
I’m not paying that sum of money for Alishan coffee even if brought by walk by 5 year old barefoot kids.
Many single origin coffees sold in Taipei City cost around that amount, and often more.
Most of those coffees, it might be added, taste better than this.
Guy
Also, was it McDonald’s or 711 where this delicacy was brewed at?
Did you actually read my post? 
Guy
I read it, and I read the original post by someone else, and I don’t know why I thought it was 711
In another thread, on another day, I mentioned that two varieties of Alishan coffee were at some point sold at 7-11 Coffee Reserve stores. They were very expensive, even more so than the McDonald’s cup I specifically discussed in detail above.
Guy
Ah, so it also was you the op in the other thread?
No, as I mentioned in my review (which you have still apparently not read), it was @PeiHua-Connie .
Now please put down the alcohol so I don’t need to keep explaining these things to you. :drunkenmasalaoutofcontrol:
Guy
Yeah, I read it and I forgot it minutes later when I was writing that xD. As a matter of fact, I was going to complete that question with “or was that part of your response to the OP?”.
So the first time we heard of Alishan coffee was the one served in Alishan, grown by 711, drank by PeiHua and you, and then you had McDonald’s?
Sipping my beer waiting for your confirmation.
I tried this mcdonalds alishan coffee today, Iced americano. It is enjoyable to drink, nothing to tell home about. 120$ is not cheap, especially from a fast food, but I do appreciate the efforts in showing smaller cultivars.
So far probably the best coffee for the price I had is at Wilbeck, they have several joints around town, I go always to the one near Nanjing Sanmin (near my office). For 55NT the espresso is a steal, and around 70-80 the americano.
Do they sell coffee beans?
yes, they do! Roasted inhouse.
McDonald’s coffee is shit. More expensive than 7-Eleven, and also an inferior product. The only time I’d buy was if I happened to already be at a McDonald’s and wanted a coffee…in other words, never.
I find Maccas coffee inoffensive, can drink it, but never as first choice. If I have 7-11 and maccas nearby, would go to 7-11.
Will try a cup next time I am around there.
