Publication Date：11/05/2012
Source： Taiwan Today
By Grace Kuo
Taipei City is one of the world’s 10 best places for coffee, according to a report by USA Today.
“Other cities in East Asia are known for their cafe culture and coffee drinks, but we’re throwing Taipei’s hat into the ring because, as surprising as it might seem to the uninitiated, great coffee is part of Taiwan’s national heritage,” USA Today said Nov. 1. “Freshly roasted high-quality beans are standard, and slow, labor-intensive brewing methods pave the way to genuinely good coffee.”
The USA Today story further pointed out cafes worth visiting in Taipei, such as Barden Farmstead and Fong Da.
Zhang Ju-jin, eldest son of Zhang Lai-en, who founded the first branch of Barden Coffee in central Taiwan’s Yunlin County in 1996, noted that his family grows Arabica coffee. “Our coffee, sun-dried and honey-processed, has a mellow taste,” he said during a phone interview with Taiwan Today Nov. 5. Coverage by the U.S. newspaper will allow more people “to discover that there are high-quality coffee beans in Taiwan,” he added.
Cheng Li-chiun, an opposition Democratic Progressive Party legislator and owner of Cafe Philo in Taipei City, said many local coffee shops incorporate philosophy, social movements, humanity, art and history. “They are more than just a place for a quick cup of java,” she said.
The other nine leading coffee cities chosen by USA Today are Havana, Cuba; Lisbon, Portugal; Melbourne, Australia; Oslo, Norway; Portland, U.S.; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Seattle, U.S.; Vancouver, Canada; and Vienna, Austria. (THN)
