Taipei City Government

The aroma of coffee sometimes seem to waft through streets and back alleys of this city, and the Taipei Coffee Festival has been staged for the past four years by the Taipei City Govt. Office of Commerce to promote the distinctive local coffee culture. For this year's event, the 2010 winner of the Creative Coffee Taipei Competition, Jian Jiacheng, has been invited back to present his winning Red Mountains entry, inspired by the colors of Yangmingshan in the autumn. A recipe that deliciously shows off the far-ranging powers of imagination this city possesses. His ingredients are tomato pulp, roselle, rose petal syrup, and dark charcoal roasted coffee. The result is a work of art of mixed reddish-orange, pink, deep, dark brown, with a pleasant lychee aroma wafting forth.

You, wi th your tas te for new adventure and stimulations, will be very happy to know that there's a list of 16 Taipei cafes awaiting your arrival and tasting pleasure. We also know you have a taste for cafe latte art, so on Sep. 23 be sure to be on hand at the first-floor Shen Baozhen Hall in Taipei City Hall to watch the creme-de-la-creme of local latte artists in the Grand Latte Championship. Then, from Oct. 8 to 16, visit the EXPO Dome every day for this year's Taipei Shopping Fiesta —sorry to keep you so busy—to buy up all the premium coffee and nifty related merchandise you need to live well. We're also aware you're a fierce coffee gourmand as well as gourmet, so follow in the steps we take below for a tour of all the premium-personality city cafes you'll be hunting in the next little while…we promise.

La Boheme Cafe – Where Coffee Is Made Art

In the lanes and alleys across from the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei is a spot all locals know, in place over ten years—La Boheme Cafe. Once you've tried the Ristretto Cappuccino, you'll understand that not all low-caffeine coffees are insipid and taste-less. In fact, this one is richer and more full-bodied than most. The owner has taught many famous-name cafes the secret of his success: he uses two to three times the normal amount of coffee grind, and only uses the first flush, which not only preserves the full-body fragrance and finish of the coffee beans but also avoids the excessive flushing of the caffeine.

The owner takes great care in selecting the best organic beans from northern Italy, which is hand roasted to moderate acidity and ensures possession of the aroma and flavor of a robust wine. For the signature coffee, called Dolce Vita, hand-processed brown sugar is used. The result is a taste adventure that has addicted many, including a famous local writer renowned as a coffee addict, who drank it six straight years. The name "Dolce Vita" is a tribute to the Italian director Federico Fellini.

On another taste-bud front, La Boheme's tiramisu is a customer favorite. Though small in size, each serving is substantial and filling, and the owner tells a story about how once a crew from Northwest Airlines praised it as "Exactly like the tiramisu we have in Milan!" La Boheme has provided many fine relaxing moments for many people, and now it's your turn, sipping on the latte creation the owner has made for you and listening to his beloved opera music.

A-ONE Cafe – Looking at Old-Time Ximending

A-ONE Cafe is a lesser-known gem nevertheless famous enough among old Taipei locals, standing quietly and contentedly in place for over 20 years. Its narrow hole-in-the-wall facade has undergone little alteration over the years, making many passersby think this is just a small take-out joint. Yet the 2nd and 3rd floors are surprisingly spacious, and there are even two private booths and a balcony lounge area.

The signature drink here is the Cappuccino, with eight kinds of beans used, featuring a novel texture and giving off a hint of fruitiness and sweetness. This is a big hit with the district's office crowd, who roll in in the afternoon for their day's fix. Popular with foreign patrons is the heavy yet mellow Espresso, which many choose to drink it ice cold. The coffee is made fresh with rock sugar, ice cubes, and cream. Your drink is then vigorously shaken, not stirred, which locks in the coffee's robust fragrance. Another popular mix also has the Espresso as the base, with Sprite, lemon juice, and ice cubes added, with the mix stirred this time. Cool and refreshing with a hint of sourness, this is a wonderful summertime choice.

Now imagine—you are on the second-level balcony, sipping on your java, leaning on the railing watching the crowds roll by, transporting yourself back to the old Ximending. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, would you agree?

Yemen Ding – Your Coffee Under Leafy Shade

All around Taipei Cinema Park in Ximending, you'll see old buildings constructed during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945). You'll find the cafe Yemen Ding near the corner of Kangding Rd., where you'll find a tree-shaded quiet space with delicious aromas lazily wafting through. The majority of the coffee beans used here is sourced from organic producers located around Taiwan, and to help you better understand just how special this is, the cafe has developed a wonderful coffee-ecology garden with an impressive array of transplanted coffee trees from numerous areas and hybrid trees as well. There's even an old tree from the Japanese period, still standing tall, firm, and proud.

In many commercial areas, shops like to introduce the special coffee beans produced in Taiwan's Meishan, Chiayi County. Tea was long grown here, and the coffee beans growing here has a faint hint of tea flavor as a result, making for quite a novel taste experience. The house's signature coffee, Golden Mandheling, is gentle and good-natured, giving off wisps of flower and berry, creating a slowly-changing canvas of tastes that you'll see other patrons lingering over, meditating. Be sure to try the house-made biscotti, loaded with a variety of Taiwan's famed fruits, and try what is a popular taste tango that features the aroma of the premium coffee and a selection of the delectably chewy dried pineapple, strawberry, mango, and other island fruits.

At GEO Cafe, Sip on a Coffee, Send the Mind Traveling

One of the main attractions of this spot is sitting along a tree-shaded avenue. Of course the smooth and mellow cafe is a lovely bonus, and all your worldly troubles will drift away. You forget the mundane thoughts and let them travel over the horizon. GEO cafe is located across from a branch of Taiwan Normal University, its owner a well-known coffee-and-travel aficionado. Each Friday night, a different travel enthusiast with an interesting story to tell is invited for a presentation and discussion, everyone immersed in the wonderful world of coffee interwoven with the wonder ful world of adventure.

The cafe makes a special latte with Hami melon that is rich in the fruit's aroma and taste. The silky fragrance of the cream used and the mellowness of the coffee add up to pure pleasure. The owner is an enthusiastic collector of mineral rocks, and you can guess what the main decorative theme is. Even the desserts are named after minerals—care for some Brimstone Ice Cream, or perhaps the Andecite Ice Cream. For the latter, which is in great demand, black sesame milk and chocolate shavings are used. If spongy brownies are added, the andesite treat becomes the Love of Lava treat, first choice and first GEO cafe love for many visiting sweethearts.

Roger Cafe – Quiet, Quiet, and More Quiet

If you are looking for that special hideaway place where you can just sit by yourself and be alone with your coffee, be happy, for it exists. Near the MRT Liuzhangli Station, Roger Cafe specializes in stirring up tranquility. Sit down, open your paper, book, or laptop, and wait for your breakfast. After eating, contemplate your day over a soothing cup of American brew. Spend just a while or spend much of the day—whenever it's time to go, your spirit will be refreshed and ready.

The coffees here have the Arabica bean as their foundation, with a mixture of four other beans added to make the Roger signature brews, all aromatic and inviting. A layer of heavy and rich cream is added to the Espresso, creating an extra-mellow and memorable java journey. Another special mix is the Mon Cheri Coffee, which has strawberry syrup, milk, and coffee brought together to create a tri-color beauty, with chocolate powder added atop to make things even more perfect. It's lightly sweet, sultry and delicious, and—no surprise—loved by young women. Choosing some of the light foods offered, such as the waffle with ice cream, fresh fruits, and fresh cream, the bagel option, or the croissant choice, will make a coffee time of yummy memories that are much more memorable.