Taichung Launches 10 Creative Local Coffee Blends

When coffee lovers visit a new city, they often ask: what makes the local scene special? In Taichung, Taiwan, the answer is no longer just great beans or hip cafés—it’s now a growing movement to weave local ingredients into inventive brews that tell a story about place. Recently, seven local coffee businesses unveiled ten original drinks that highlight Taichung-grown produce, blending culture and caffeine in unexpected ways.

Taichung has introduced ten creative coffee drinks made with local ingredients such as lychee, banana sugar, and black tea—crafted by seven local roasters. These include a hibiscus foam latte, a banana sugar latte, and blends mixing Taiwanese oolong or black tea with single-origin coffee. The city aims to position coffee as a key part of its food identity alongside its famous tea and mooncakes.

Creative Coffee Blends Using Local Ingredients

The standout drinks were revealed at a launch event at Taichung City Government’s Taiwan Boulevard municipal building. Among them: Phileature Coffee mixed hibiscus vinegar brewed from Taichung-grown loquat (known locally as lychee) with locally roasted beans to create a drink called "Purple Angel." Another highlight was OK Mart Coffee’s "Kiln-Roasted Banana Sugar Latte," where banana sugar extracted via traditional kilning is added to espresso. Still others blended tea with coffee—like Fruit Circle Coffee’s mix of Yilan’s Li Shan oolong tea and Taiwanese longan honey poured over Ethiopian Yirgacheffe beans, or Dong Xiang Coffee’s Assam-style black tea layered with coffee from Dongshi, creating a brew redolent with local terroir.

A City Promoting Its Own Coffee Culture

Taichung Mayor Hu Zhiqiang emphasized that the region cultivates 100 hectares of coffee, out of Taiwan’s national total of 700 hectares. He described Taichung as the country’s cultural capital and a go-to destination for coffee. “In the future, visitors should not just buy Li Shan tea or sun cakes—they should also try Taichung coffee to say they’ve truly experienced the city,” he said. The mayor also noted how other local products have succeeded: Li Shan tea generated an estimated NT$1 billion in sales last year, while sun cakes saw a 33-fold growth during his tenure—from NT$30 million to NT$1.1 billion.

Marketing Through Film and Storytelling

To support the campaign, Taichung’s Economic Development Bureau produced a short film titled "The Coffee Shop Where Love Begins." The film follows a photographer, Ray, who chases the scent of coffee and a fleeting encounter with a woman through the city’s cafés. According to Wang Shengsheng, head of the bureau, the film showcases both Taichung’s scenery and the idea of finding love—or connection—through coffee. It’s now available on YouTube. A still from the film accompanies this report.

Frequently Asked Questions

What new coffee drinks were launched in Taichung?

Ten creative coffee drinks were introduced, including the Purple Angel (hibiscus-foamed local coffee), Kiln-Roasted Banana Sugar Latte, a tea-and-coffee blend with Li Shan oolong and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, and an Assam-black-tea-infused coffee from Dongshi. All use locally sourced ingredients like lychee, banana sugar, and Taiwanese black tea.

Which roasters created the Taichung coffee blends?

Seven Taichung-based coffee companies developed the drinks: Phileature Coffee, OK Mart Coffee, New Society Coffee Marketing Class (maker of Linpin Coffee), Fruit Circle Coffee, Dong Xiang Coffee, and others. Each brought a unique take using local fruit, teas, or sugars.

How much coffee is grown in Taichung?

Taichung farmers cultivate 100 hectares of coffee. That’s part of Taiwan’s total 700 hectares under coffee cultivation, according to Mayor Hu Zhiqiang. The city is promoting its output as part of a broader local food identity.

What is the film 'The Coffee Shop Where Love Begins' about?

The short film follows a photographer named Ray who searches for a woman he smelled coffee on, visiting various cafés around Taichung. It’s intended to link the experience of coffee with stories of love and local discovery, and is available on YouTube.

Why is Taichung promoting coffee now?

Taichung sees coffee as the next big local product to boost alongside its famous Li Shan tea and sun cakes. With tea generating NT$1 billion and sun cakes seeing massive growth, the city wants coffee to become a similarly iconic Taichung experience.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Local-Tasting Coffee

Try FrontStreet Coffee’s Ethiopia Yirgacheffe for bright floral and citrus notes akin to those paired with Taiwanese oolong in Taichung’s Fruit Circle blend. For something richer, their Panama Humbera offers stone fruit and honey complexity, while the PWN Golden Mandheling brings earthy sweetness—great for experimenting with local-style milk drinks inspired by Taichung’s banana sugar or black tea infusions. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.