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<\/p>\nThe awarding of 2016\u2019s World Barista Champion to Berg Wu, a barista from Taipei, was overdue acknowledgment of a city that may be most famous for its bubble tea. Eschewing boba, Taipei\u2019s tamperers created a sophisticated coffee scene that marries quality with design.<\/p>\n
For a quick cup of coffee, the options are plentiful. You\u2019ll find convenience stores, plenty of familiar Western chains, and a smattering of Australian caf\u00e9s. Should you make time to wander off the main thoroughfares, the local gems are worth every sip.<\/p>\n
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One such discovery is The Folks in Taipei\u2019s Da\u2019an District. The shop sits tucked alongside a traditional Taiwanese market and a vitamin store. (On foot, look for Lane 198 to find it.) The outside, unmarked and nondescript, may almost go unnoticed when the shop is closed, curtain drawn. But during business hours, it\u2019s hard to miss the steady stream of devout regulars making their daily pilgrimage.<\/p>\n
If The Folks is open, Tzu-Chi\u2019s behind the bar. The space is shoebox-sized but mighty\u2014a mere 12 square meters\u2014and holds all the accoutrements of a much larger space.
\nThe bar, shaped like a backward \u201cL,\u201d seats four along the front, two more at the edge, with a covered patio outside the entrance accommodating just as many. Alongside one wall stands a three-foot-tall cold-drip brewer from the Taiwanese company Bolero. The brewing process takes about seven hours, producing three liters of coffee, one drop at a time, accumulating slowly as the ice melts over the grounds. There are no shortcuts at The Folks.<\/p>\n
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In such a small space there\u2019s no room for extraneous anything, and Tzu-Chi\u2019s attention to detail shines through at every turn. From the collection of design books on the counter to the tunes playing overhead, his stamp is everywhere. A great lover of music and vintage albums, Tzu-Chi creates monthly playlists spotlighting some of his favorites in Brit-pop, indie rock, grunge, electronic, and folk music. The mood of the room is dynamic, immersing the customer in a very personal aesthetic.<\/p>\n
Sights and sounds aside, nowhere is Tzu-Chi\u2019s attention to detail more directed than on the coffee itself. He starts, not surprisingly, by roasting the beans himself, a twice-a-week task on the Diedrich roaster that defies all odds by fitting in the corner. He picks through the green beans\u2014sourced from local companies Tri-Up, Pebble Coffee, or Linking Coffee\u2014one by one, looking for defects that might throw off the quality of the final brew. Once again, this meticulous attention to minutiae sets The Folks apart.<\/p>\n
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Watching Tzu-Chi roast and brew with such focused precision, it\u2019s clear this is a special coffee place. The natural inclination for most business owners would be expansion, but Tzu-Chi says he has no desire to scale up. \u201cTending to The Folks each day, owning a single shop, and making it the best it can be is a lifelong pursuit of excellence,\u201d he says, then turns his attention back to honing his craft.<\/p>\n