With the highest concentration of cafes in any country worldwide, Taiwan has fostered a coffee scene like no other. Here are our top picks for coffee subscription and delivery services in Taiwan.

Taiwan’s coffee culture has, in recent years, blossomed into an industry that encourages international collaboration complemented by local production. Of the 15,000 coffee shops in Taiwan, international and local chains take up a significant portion of the market, with independent roasters and breweries also contributing to the 2.4 billion cups consumed and 43,500 tons of beans imported in 2020. Now, with many businesses expanding to Covid-friendly coffee delivery and subscription services in Taiwan, both globally sourced beans and homegrown specialty lots can be sent straight to you.

Cama Café

The coffee scene, both worldwide and in Taiwan, has diversified since the pandemic, and consumers can now own their own brewing equipment, buy, and even roast their own beans. Cama Café, one of the country’s biggest coffee chains, adapted to the needs of the market and launched their subscription service last July.

Cama’s Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) certifiepeople standing around table with coffee equipment talkingd roasters prepare their beans to perfection, with their subscription service featuring globally sourced coffees on a monthly basis so customers can sample different specialty flavours. This June, take your pick from the Ethiopia Guji Hambella’s floral notes, or the caramel, fresh bread, and earthy cinnamon notes of the Colombia Finca El Oasis.

Hive Life pick: Colombia Finca El Oasis

Monthly subscription: NT$880

interior of cama cafe

Happen Coffee

With locally grown coffee only taking up a small proportion of the market, Taiwan’s coffee roasters generally rely on imports to meet domestic demand. As such, local farmers are encouraged to improve growing processes and develop roasting methods in order to cultivate specialty lots emblematic of the island’s terroir.

Happen Coffee features locally grown beans alongside the highest quality geishas as part of their premium selection. The Taiwanese-grown beans native to the Alishan (阿里山) region yield a sophisticated aroma of sugarcane, black tea, honey, caramel, red wine, and dried fruit.

Hive Life pick: Alishan Shanmei

Monthly subscription: NT$1,000

happen coffee

Fika Fika Café

Fika Fika’s founder Chen started the business in 2013, soon after competing in the Nordic Barista Cup and bringing home the win in the espresso and overall categories. In Swedish, the word “Fika” refers to a coffee break, a ritual that Swedes, as well as all coffee drinkers worldwide, partake in. A local Swedish tradition and at the same time a universal norm, “Fika” soon found itself in Taiwan.

On the Fika Fika online store, coffee lovers can choose from internationally sourced beans such as the Ethiopia Natural Yirgacheffe Chelelektu and Brazil Daterra, or locally grown beans from the Nantou Baisheng Village which yields a coffee with a wine-like aroma, and beans from the Dongshi region that boast a ripe, fruity flavour.

Hive Life pick: Taichung Dongshi, Yun-Duan organic farm

Monthly subscription: NT$940

fika fika cafe

CoffeeMart

The Taipei-based coffee roaster started out through partnerships with coffee roasters across the country, in hopes that coffee enthusiasts would be able to sample locally grown and roasted coffee. Today, CoffeeMart offers its own brand, roasting beans from Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Honduras, as well as local coffees such as the Chiayi Alisan Geisha, which boasts notes of rum, champagne, and grapes. Their subscription service also offers a variety of blends for you to choose from, both locally and globally sourced.

Committed to the coffee cause, CoffeeMart stays true to its roots by collaborating with local roasters such as Aura, Lyrics Coffee, Insinger Kaffee, and Strange Brew Coffee Roasters.

Hive Life pick: Chiayi Alishan Zhao-Wu Geisha

Monthly subscription: TW$1,380

coffeemart promotional image

The Coffeevine

Instead of roasting their own beans, the Coffeevine is a collaborative effort that emphasises exchange and communication between coffee roasters worldwide. The Coffeevine’s upcoming July subscription features three coffees: Northern Irish roastery Bailies will feature a Kenyan Kamwangi micro-lot, Prague-based Double Shot will supply a Colombia Carlos Imbachi, and Love Coffee, from Sweden, will feature a sweet, floral Ethiopia Guji Anferara.

Hive Life pick: changes monthly!

Monthly subscription: NT$1,000

the coffeevine

 

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