I was wondering how that slipped in there too.
At least I’m not polluting my coffee with milk. 
(No offense to @Dr_Milker.)
I like the occasional Thai tea actually. Probably correct that it doesn’t belong in a coffee picture, though I bought it at the same place as some of the beans. I also brought a fair bit of tea/matcha back (not in the photo above), mostly from a couple of the remote leftover KMT villages in northern Thailand.
My total luggage weight coming back was 54.8 kg (in backpacks and a duffle bag - no wheels), and that’s after leaving my motorbike helmet behind for a Chiang Mai friend to hang on to, donating a fifth bottle of honey and some Thai cooking ingredients to the housekeeper in the place I was staying, and binning a few things. I think that’s approaching the limit of what I can carry, and it was a slog lugging it back on the MRT. I had to show up at the airport this morning wearing extra clothes and with my pockets full of heavy stuff. 
Between the surprisingly sunny weather, a random enthusiastic-about-Taiwan stranger I met on the plane and came back to Taipei with, and a taxi driver who was singing to the music on the drive from the main station, being back in Taiwan isn’t as depressing as I was expecting. No SAD symptoms yet (yet…). 
Surprised you didn’t get taken aside by customs for a thorough pat-down. Or did you?
No, unfortunately not. Everything went back from the pockets into my carry-on backpack after checking in (otherwise it would have been like 6 kg overweight).
You must have a face that says, “I’ve never done an illegal drug in my entire life.”
Didn’t do any illegal drugs in Thailand this time. 
Also, I said “sawadee khrup” to the check-in lady, so she likely realized she was dealing with a pro traveler. 
I just learnt that one of my favourite coffee shops is going to close:
Honestly, I went more because it was a nice place to study and hang out with friends (and the occasional concert) than because of the coffee, but it is still really sad to see it go. So many of my fave places around Gongguan have closed recently. Does anybody know if they are going to relocate, or are they gone for good?
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According to this post, the current spot will be demolished by the end of spring, and luxury homes will be built. They are looking for a new location in Taipei. They have another store in the Kaohsiung Music Center.
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Thank you for digging into the posts. I’m glad some buildings in the area are getting rebuilt. I hope they can stay in the Gongguan area! Also thank you for the info about their Kaohsiung store, I’ll visit it next time I go (damn, I just returned from there and I missed it )
Me too, but not that powdered stuff so much.
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See, you’re fussy. That’s why I’ve never clicked the “Buy Forumosa a Coffee” button.
(I’ve never had this one before either actually, just figured I may as well give it a try while I was buying all the coffee.)
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New residential buildings in Taiwan almost always equal to luxury apartments. Not only they don’t have space for businesses but many also remain mostly empty because they’re just for investment and/or speculation.
They’re killing many areas by transforming cool areas to boring, dead ones.
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Oh no. I just hoped the old buildings in the area would get replaced by better quality ones, but that they would leave the first floor for commercial use. 
Why not?
Went finally to an OK mart, got an americano. Worst coffee among convenience stores.
Slightly acidic, a bit burnt. Not OK…
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This is what I was going to say… . Maximizing benefits instead of planning according to real needs.
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Seen them do it around Taipei city centre a lot, become boring is true , also they have no qi lou so you get wet or roasted to death walking in front of them.
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Noooooo…that’s one of the best cafes in Taiwan. Very chilled, not over priced or up it’s own arse with hipstery shit, with a unique style.
The irony is it took me about 15 years to find it in the first place even though I lived close by a lot of the time.
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Pretty much on brand. 
Guy
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Why do you use the Chinese? Isn’t it called an arcade?