A review of cafe Rufous Coffee in Da’An District, Taipei. Notes are by an amateur coffee enthusiast and digital nomad. Descriptions are equal parts coffee and remote-work suitability. Most photos are shot with a second-hand Fujifilm X100. This is part of my Taipei Coffee Walk: NTU, Zhongzheng, Da’An Districts.

Rufous serves a variety of single origin roasts — Photo by Athena Lam

Cafe Overview:

Rufous Coffee is a 5-minute walk from the Technology Building Station (科技大樓站) — Photo by Athena Lam

Rufous Coffee Roasters is one of those cafes that demands effort from its clientele. Despite being a stone’s throw from an MRT station, the shop location is a distance from both the bustling shopping areas and cafe agglomerations around the universities.

The small cafe seats about 30 people — Photo by Athena Lam

Even with the added layer of inconvenience, Rufous was almost full on an early weekday afternoon. Having said that, the seated guests chattered away and were in no rush to leave, even when I paid my bill almost an hour later.

Rufous Coffee has been around for a decade, making it one of Taipei’s pioneering specialty coffee shops. Unlike its esteemed counterparts such as GaBee, which has a flare for innovative coffee-inspired drinks, Rufous Coffee Roasters is known for its single-origin beans. The menu offering is extensive, and also a bit expensive (roughly around 150-200 NTD).

I was in a rush that day since I had taken my lunch break to come here and I forgot to note the drink I’d ordered, but I remember it being a delightful mix of both fruity and smokey.

The counter seats that offer a view of the syphon and filter brews — Photo by Athena Lam

I didn’t notice any plugs, but there might be one at the back table, where a student was working. Wi-Fi is available for remote work. I would not recommend coming on the weekend, as the place gets quite packed.

A busy weekend afternoon — Photo by Athena Lam

Their Story / What I like About Them:

The small counters are better for reading and writing — Photo by Athena Lam

When I went, the owner wasn’t in, but the grapevine tells me that he was previously in the restaurant business and started the cafe because he was obsessed about the quality of coffee. He’s still involved in everything from sourcing to roasting and the name Rufous comes from the rust-coloured red-brown that he believes the drink should have.

As a side note, everyone writes about the Panama Geisha, so that should be a safe bet if you want to try their best. I remember choosing amongst the lower-priced single origins on the menu just to test their baseline.

Rufous Coffee’s eclectic collections — Photo by Athena Lam

Good For:

• Coffee: Pour-over, syphon, espresso
• Food: Desserts
• Cafe Space: Approx 30 people
• Friends: Small-group hangouts / one-to-one
• Workspace: Coffee counter, a few 4-person tables, 1 big group table at the back
• Remote Work: Wi-Fi available, no plugs

Check out other nearby cafes at my Songshan Coffee Walk post (map included)!

A review of cafe Cafe Macho in Da’An District, Taipei. Notes are by an amateur coffee enthusiast and shoestring digital nomad. Descriptions are equal parts coffee and remote-work suitability. Most photos are shot with a second-hand Fujifilm X100. This is part of my Taipei Coffee Walk: NTU, Zhongzheng, Da’An Districts.

A plump cappuccino — Photo by Athena Lam

Cafe Overview:

I dropped by Cafe Macho on an afternoon when the sky was brooding and sputtering during a walk around the university area. The lanes between National Taiwan University (NTU) and Shifan University (Shida) have an endless selection of lounges, cafes, tiny restaurants, small shops, and galleries. Some, like Picnic, have been around for over a decade while new ones come and go.

Cafe Macho is just behind Guting Station — Photo by Athena Lam

Cafe Macho was one of those places that have stuck around as a haven for students, artists, and political renegades. I came here at the recommendation of another coffee friend.

This independent cafe used to be closer to Shifan University — Photo by Athena Lam

Being in the NTU area, the cafe is like many of its competitors: set up to host students for hours. This means it’s perfect for remote work with individual plugs at the counter seats and under the group tables. Needless to say, Wi-Fi is also free. Though the cafe only opens at noon, if you drop by before 3pm, there should be no problem getting a seat.

The cafe has plugs and Wi-Fi and is a student haven — Photo by Athena Lam

I ordered a cappuccino, as this was my second coffee of the day before I’ve even had lunch. The drink is alright and decent enough as a parking fee for a few hours. I’m not sure what beans they use, but coffee isn’t the only thing they serve. The cafe is more famous as a bar and night hang-out, with events like live performances.

Cafe Macho’s Menu — Photo by Athena Lam

Their Story / What I like About Them:

Barista-bartenders — Photo by Athena Lam

Some people may be more familiar with Cafe Macho’s predecessor, More Relax 多鬆咖啡啡, which was originally closer to Shifan University (Shida for short). It was one of those renegade hangouts that allowed smoking and hosted an animated bunch of patrons. Unfortunately, the local residents above weren’t as appreciative of the late-night energy More Relax and its neighbouring bars drew, so they were all eventually forced out.

Retro-style furniture to go with the underground ambiance — Photo by Athena Lam

Cafe Macho was founded by one of the staff at More Relax to preserve the same artistic and student-friendly hub. You’ll find nostalgic manga collections on the small shelf, flyers at the patio entrance, and plenty of posters. The cafe is also proudly political with a small sign in support of same-sex marriage.

The outside patio is covered with a clear skylight panel — Photo by Athena Lam

Good For:

• Coffee: Espresso
• Food: Restaurant mains, desserts
• Cafe Space: Approx 20 people (including the outside patio)
• Friends: Hangouts, manga reading
• Workspace: Bar counter with plugs, 4-person group tables, work station counters, outside patio seats, and I think a downstairs
• Remote Work: Wi-Fi available, plugs available

If you liked this post, check out the other cafes in my Taipei Coffee Walk: NTU, Zhongzheng and Da’an Districts!

A review of Yan and Coco’s Choice in DaAn District, Taipei. As a digital nomad on the hunt for friendly places with good coffee or food  remote-work suitability. Most photos are shot with a second-hand Fujifilm X100. This is part of my Taipei Coffee Walk: NTU, Zhongzheng, Da’An Districts.

Cafe Overview:

The bakery-cafe is opened by a retired accountant and photographer / travel-writer — Photo by Athena Lam

An afternoon in the area around the National Taiwan University could easily drift into evening, and slide gently into night. Wandering the grid of alleys, every storefront will be a new character to study — is it a wooden Japanese-inspired noodle joint, a corner store, a lounge bar shaded by broad-leafed plants, or an open studio? The ensemble is loosely knit together by that demure Taipei chill.

Yan and Coco’s is one such small shop that one could either glide past, or stumble upon, with one of the owners sitting on the patio chair, people watching.

The homestyle bakery began because the couple couldn’t find French breads quite like what they missed from Paris — Photo by Athena Lam

Like many cafes around the area, they open at 11am, so it makes a great place to drop by for brunch and work through the afternoon. The skylight on the side is one of the most ideal places in the area to work without feeling like you’ve missed out on the sunshine.

Remote work spot with natural lighting — Photo by Athena Lam

The bakery doesn’t try to compete with the other “hip” cafes close by like Picnic, so I didn’t have to compete with as many hip university students with stacked textbooks. The place has free Wi-Fi and I spotted a few outlets, so it works perfectly for remote work. Plus, the couple don’t mind people hanging around and are just as happy to chat as they are to leave you alone.

Their white chocolate cake is nice and light — Photo by Athena Lam

Since the place is more a bakery, I was more interested in their breads and cakes. After trying the sample breads (many of which are European-inspired), I settled on cake (for coffee time!). They have a few in-house options (such as cheesecake), but my favourite is the white chocolate cake because it’s surprisingly light. I normally dislike white chocolate, but this is one of the exceptions. As a cafe, they also serve espresso-based coffee, and I would suggest ordering a drink with milk, as the extraction tends to be on the smokey-bitter end, which works well with their cakes.

One table on their porch for people watching, and one indoors when it rains  — Photo by Athena Lam

Their Story / What I like About Them:

I’ve known this shop since they opened three years ago, so I like dropping by to see what new bread selections they have when I’m in the area. This time around, I noticed new jars in the fridge under the cakes.

Got to sample a French chef’s homemade pate after he quit working at a nearby restaurant — Photo by Athena Lam

Pate? Why? It turns out a French chef who married a Taiwanese lady had a falling out with the restaurant owners who employed him. He had been recommended down the block to this cafe to source baguettes for the restaurant originally and hit it off with the owners, so after he left, he brought a sample for Yan and Coco (the owners) to try. When they liked it, they offered to stock some for him to test the market.

The bakery looks like a local corner shop one would stumble upon somewhere in France or Italy with its olive oils, wines, and other eclectic offerings (they use and sell one of my favourite types of French butter).  Like corner shops around the world that people weave into their routines, I’ve encountered friendly regulars by staying for a few hours. One of them was a Canadian who liked coming for their pumpkin soup (apparently, it’s a Canadian thing) and was also quite obsessed about quality service and ingredients. This other guest recommended me to Yamada Coffee (which I’ve included in my neighbourhood coffee walk).

They sell legit French butter (which they also use in their baked goods) — Photo by Athena Lam

Good For:

• Coffee: Espresso
• Food: Restaurant mains, desserts, bread
• Cafe Space: Approx 15 people
• Friends: Hangouts, meal
• Workspace: Individual & 4-person tables, 1 table on the patio outside
• Remote Work: Wi-Fi available, 1-2 plugs

If you liked this post, check out my Taipei Coffee Walk: Songshan District!