Taipei: Coffeehouses

I am a coffee addict, so it's a good thing there are coffehouses on every block in Taiwan. Jet lag this past week has only contributed to my need for a strong cup of joe. Therefore the coffeehouses of Taiwan deserve a special mention in my travel diaries as I have and most likely will continue to frequent them daily. There is a great variety of cafe's here, and the ones that I've visited so far range from decent to great. I review the cafes in the order in which they were visited:

Little Bee Cafe
The morning of our first day in Taipei, my Dad and I go on a coffee hunt at 6 in the morning. Later we learn that coffee places usually open around 9 or 10am, which seems an eternity to the very jet lagged me. The place we end up going to is a street-side coffee vendor called Little Bee cafe. The coffehouse itself (if it can be called that even) is no more than a coffeemaker, cash register, and a counter; the cafe has no front wall or door. However, attached to the cafe part is the Little Bee coffee store with walls stacked high with bags of coffee beans and other coffee paraphernalia. It smelled of rich coffee heaven. Dad and I get two regular Little Bee coffees and sip them at a little plastic table next to the cafe and only a few feet from the busy Taipei street. The coffee was strong and steaming, which was good enough for the both of us. A bit of acidity barred Little Bee's from reaching great coffee status, but all in all it was a decent coffee.

7-11
5 hours after drinking at Little Bee's I realized that it was 2am in Texas, and if I didn't get more coffee soon I would start to hate life very much. The urgency of the situation necessitated a coffee fix that was close by to where we were staying; thankfully, 7-11 was right downstairs. 7-11's in Taiwan are a bit different from the gas station versions of America. It is true that both supply hot dogs, coffee, and slupries, but the Taiwan ones don't have gas stations attached and contain a much larger variety of food stuffs and other basic necessities. In this sense, Taiwan 7-11's are more like CVS's and Duane Reade's. My aunt gives me careful instructions on how to order my coffee (a small American style) in chinese, and off I go. The coffee was good, no less so than Little Bee's coffee but at a cheaper price and possibly in a bigger cup as well. Downing that good coffee black, I found myself with a whole new respect for 7-11.

Dante's Coffee
My aunt's favorite coffehouse is Dante's, which is a popular coffee chain in the city. It's recognizable by a green awning with a cursive "Dante's" scrawled on it and glass sliding doors, which really confuse me for some reason because I can never figure out where to stand to make the doors slide open. After hearing my aunt rave about the delicacy that is Dante's coffee, my dad and I felt compelled to try it for ourselves. The ambiance of Dante is a Tawain version of Starbucks with big cushy seats, glassware only, and modern decor. We ordered two American regulars (we are very exciting when it comes to our coffee), and both agreed that the coffee was very delicate indeed - in fact, too delicate. The flavor was smooth but too watered down for our tastes; after all, coffee is as much life blood as it is a drink - no need for the weak stuff! However, the next day due to the sheer ubiquity of the Dante chain, we decide to give it another try. This time we order two Dante's specials, which came with a creamy froth on top. I usually drink my coffee black, but expecting weak sauce coffee I decided it would be okay to go ahead and adulterate it with cream and sugar. I'm glad I did because the concoction turned out to be truly delicious stuff; in fact, I'm still thinking about that Dante special with two creams and two sugars. Dante sugar packets contain crystallized sugar granules instead of the usual fine sugar powder, which I also found extra special. The Dante special actually turned out to be much stronger than the American regulars we had ordered the previous day, and probably would have been very good black as well. However, the creamy, sweet Dante's drink I had that day got an A+ in my book, and I very much look forward to my next chance to have another.

Ikari Coffee
This is the most recent coffeehouse I visited, and is right next to the Taipei running track I go to. Ikari coffee is also a popular chain in Taipei. Ikari is apparently a Japanese word, although I am unsure of its meaning and also unsure if there are Japanese influences in the way the coffee is served. This Ikari cafe is attached to the gym, and overhangs the track. It has minimalist feel with clean lines and glass windows all around but the seats are deep and tables large which makes for an enjoyable coffee experience in my opinion. The Ikari regular coffee was great as is - full-flavored and strong. I had a hankering for something sweet so I added sugar and cream to the coffee, which turned out to be a mistake. The coffee was still good, but after the addition I could taste a slight plastic taste in the coffee that I'm guessing came from the creamer. But it's okay because I will be back for more Ikari coffee.

Ikari Coffe

Nikkoffee
Nikkoffee is a Japanese cafe down the street from where we are living. The ambience is quite nice: minimalist furniture in pale hues, but with plenty of seating. The coffee is served in porecelain cups and saucers with delicate flower designs. And perhaps because of these details, the coffee here is twice as expensive as the coffee other places. The coffee itself was not really worth the price hike, although it was quite good. I didn't appreciate the ambience as much as I should have, as the place was popular and crowed and the fancy atmosphere made it less comfortable for me. But it was a cool place to check out.