Coffee Alley, Taipei

Coffee Alley, Guanqian Road, Taipei

 

Coffee Alley is a coffee franchise, with at least 4 outlets in Taipei. I visited their cafe on Guanqin road (near Taipei main station) recently. Of all the coffee places that I went to in Taipei, this was definitely the most interesting - the quirky, intelligent design really stood out. This a cafe where a lot of things are done very well - even down to the cutlery and menu design!

 

Design, decor and service are only a portion of the overall experience though - the coffee itself should be the highlight. Fortuntely, the same attention to detail was present here also. The espresso had a dark brown crema, and the correct volume for a shot. It had a sweet, almost syrupy mouthfeel - something I love in my shots. There was no burnt taste, which would suggest that the beans used were stale - in other words, this was a good shot, at the correct volume, with fresh beans - can't ask for more than that. An espresso shot tells you a lot about a cafe - if the crema is a pale colour, then the beans are stale, if the volume of liquid is too high, then the shot is over extracted - Coffee Alley easily passed both of these tests. (Unlike a cafe in Bangkok airport, where an espresso arrived in a full size coffee mug, filled to the brim. I sent it back, untouched....) 

The coffees in Coffee Alley come with 2 biscotti, a nice touch that sets it apart from other cafes. The biscotti was fresh, and the mix of dried fruit running through it added a hint of sweetness. This is another exmple of the attention to detail that I saw here. Also, the cups and cutlery are unique! The espresso cup reminds me of a mobius strip!

I ordered a cappuccino also, which arrived with a topping of caramel. This might be too sweet for some tastes, but I liked it - only a small portion of the carmel sank through the foam, so that it imparted flavour but did not overwhelm the underlying taste of coffee.

 

 

 

Coffee Alley is definitely somewhere that I would recommend, and would go back to. It's slightly more expensive than Fong Da or Nanmay, however they are smaller cafes with more limited menus. Overall, Coffee Alley stood out for it's unique design, and for the attention to detail - this is what a cafe looks like when a series of things are done well!Recommended.

 

Fong Da Coffee, Taipei

Fong Da Coffee, Ximending, Taipei, Taiwan

 

Chengdu Road in Ximending is a mini coffee hub. In the space of 200 metres, there are 3 independent coffee roasteries. Fong Da is probably the oldest, opening in 1956 and pulling shots ever since.



 

Fong Da is a roastery, cafe and retail space. Beans were being roasted during our first visit, and on subsequent visits also. This is not surprising - there are at least twelve different blends available in the retail section, and also on the menu.

  

 

I noticed that the twelve blends available in the retail section were all different shades of light / medium brown. This suggests that different roasting profiles are used for each blend. Only two of the blends were a dark, shiny brown colour - this is interesting, and the opposite of what I have seen in other cafes. It could be that the coffee culture in Taiwan is more established, and a higher proportion of cafes roast their own beans. As a result, consumers are used to different varieties in different cafes, rather than the uniform over roasted style that is used in franchise chains.

 

 

 

The coffee itself was great. The thing that immediately stood out in the shot below was the crema. It's a striking dark brown, typical of freshly roasted beans. The shot had a robust flavour that lingered, although on some days the shot was more intense.

 

The cappuccino was very, very smooth. The foam was perfect - steamed at the correct temperature and for the correct duration. The foam was a dark shade of brown towards the edge of the cup, however the silkly smooth foam acted as the perfect complement to the strong coffee flavour. There was also a good range of syphon coffees available.

I can see exactly why Fong Da has survived for so long - the coffee is great. Fong Da became our regular coffee place during our time in Taipei - I would definitely go back.

Nanmay Cafe, Taipei

Nanmay Coffee, Chengdu Road, Ximending, Taipei

Ximending is the Taipei equivalent of Bugis in Singapore, or Shibuya / Harajuku in Tokyo. It's an interesting mix of older shops that have been in the area for generations, and new shops and stalls set up more recently. Nanmay coffee (and Fong Da coffee) both fall into the first category, sitting side by side on Chengdu road.

 

The espresso shot had a medium, light brown coloured crema - this suggests that the beans used were roasted relatively recently. There was also no burnt or stale, oxidised taste. This was a very light espresso, with no dominant flavour or strong aftertaste. The lack of flavour and the volume of liquid in the cup were consistent with a shot that has been overextracted.



The cappuccino above was topped with cinnamon, but not enough enough to drown out the coffee flavour. A lot of cafes serve cauppuccino's which are essentially warm, caffeinated milk - they cease to be coffee! This is not the case here - I could taste both the coffee and the cinnamon, with the smooth mouthfeel of steamed milk. A double shot might have helped though, as their espresso shots are quite light.   

There were also a selection of drip coffees on the menu, as well as cold brewed coffee.

The retail space is great - very well stocked with beans, machines and accessories. This is one of the better retail spaces that I've seen, with a significant attention to detail. The staff have obviously put some thought into what makes a good cup of coffee, selling everything from coffee grinders to water filters - this is a good place for anyone who makes coffee at home.

There is also a (limited) food menu, with a number of breakfast items.

Overall, it's not bad - I've had worse espresso. It's unfortunate that it's located directly beside Fong Da Coffee, which has been in place since 1956, and attracts a lot of potential customers. Worth a visit if Fong Da is packed, or if you want to pick up some coffee supplies.