A Stylish Café in a Japanese Colonial-Era Building: From Singapore to Tokyo and Taiwan, Why Is Alchemist Worth Visiting Again and Again?
It’s not just that the owner is a champion coffee cupper — every staff member is also a professional barista!
It’s not hard to find good coffee in Taiwan, but if you’re looking for a cup that’s a little more unusual, Singapore’s Alchemist is definitely one to add to your list. From its first Dihua location to the soon-to-open Dunhua store, the coffee brand, which marks its 10th anniversary this year, has quietly made its way to Taiwan. With its first flagship store, Daan, now open, there’s no better time to get to know Alchemist.
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Newly Opened Cafe: Alchemist Daan 1. Housed in a Historic Japanese Colonial-Era Building
Alchemist’s newly opened Daan flagship in Taipei is located in Hikari Kincho, a cluster of historic Japanese-style official residences built in 1930. Larger than the brand’s other two Taipei locations, the space preserves the nearly century-old building in its entirety, with modern touches added sparingly. Furnishings made from recycled coffee grounds, soft natural light, and the surrounding greenery come together to give this Alchemist location a one-of-a-kind setting.
Newly Opened Cafe: Alchemist Daan 2. Every Staff Member Is a Professional Barista
Alchemist began in Singapore’s business district in 2016 as a tiny, 4-ping takeout coffee shop, gradually expanding from Singapore to Tokyo and Taipei. With “coffee, people, and space” at its core, the brand is built around more than founder Will Leow, a champion cup taster: it also insists that every employee be a professional barista. This allows Alchemist to consistently serve a diverse range of quality coffee.
Newly Opened Cafe: Alchemist Daan 3. Why You’ll Want to Come Back Again and Again
All of Alchemist’s coffee beans are air-freighted to Taiwan from Singapore and come from the brand’s own roasting operation. Its selections span several origins, including premium estate coffees rarely found in Taiwan, along with estate beans from Asian specialty small producers. Alchemist also rotates its menu from time to time and offers four pour-overs daily, so each visit brings a different flavor.
Newly Opened Cafe: Alchemist Daan 4. This Season’s Coffee Bean Highlights
This season, Alchemist has selected three Taiwan-exclusive single-origin pour-overs under the themes of Everyday Balance, Champion Heritage, and Asian Specialty Smallholders.
- Everyday Balance
“Everyday Balance El Cipres” comes from Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua, and features Parainema, a hybrid variety originating in Honduras. In the cup, it offers clear, straightforward orange and citrus notes, with bright, clean acidity and a mellow brown sugar-like sweetness on the finish. The profile is crisp and its sweetness pure, striking a delicate rhythm between tension and balance.
- Champion Heritage
“Champion Heritage La Cueva” comes from Honduras. Consistent, precise processing carefully refines and reshapes its flavors, maintaining a stable profile while preserving layers of variation within a complete structure. The cup reveals bright red-fruit notes and clean sweetness, with balanced, delicate acidity. Soft cocoa and caramel linger on the finish, while the overall profile is dimensional and cleanly resolved, reflecting a world-class estate’s mature command of quality.
- Asian Specialty Smallholders
From Chiang Rai, Thailand, “Doi Pangkhon” reflects the rapidly improving quality of Asian specialty smallholders in recent years. Washed processing and careful post-harvest work bring out the bright fruit notes of starfruit and kumquat, along with a silky mouthfeel, a clean finish, and a light sweetness.
- Signature Espresso
Alchemist’s menu also offers three Signature Blends: Dark Matter, Equilibrium, and Lumos. Each has a distinct flavor profile – rich and full-bodied, balanced and rounded, or bright and refreshing – and can be served as an espresso, black coffee, latte, mocha, or more.
Newly Opened Cafe: Alchemist Daan 5. Light Bites Are a Must, Too
A good cup of coffee naturally calls for light bites, too. Alchemist works with local bakeries to rotate 8 to 9 types of bread and pastries, including sea salt taro croissants, butter croissants, and chocolate croissants. Reheated until crisp before serving, they’re satisfying whether for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
Newly Opened Cafe: Alchemist Daan 6. A Retail Area With Plenty to Discover
A favorite among coffee lovers in Singapore, Alchemist brews large quantities of coffee in its stores each day and has invested in a coffee grounds reuse program. Through a practical recycling system, it extends this effort into the development and use of everyday products, putting the idea of circularity into daily practice rather than leaving it as a concept. Its merchandise collection combines material-processing technology with stable formulations to turn coffee grounds into body care products that are safe to use.
The collection includes Bar Soap, Scrub, and Hand & Body Wash, all made with real coffee grounds as a base ingredient and finely formulated to balance cleansing power with skin-friendly care. Coffee grounds’ natural granular texture gently removes dead skin cells and helps cleanse the skin while leaving it soft and smooth. Inspired by coffee estates and tasting notes, the scents transform the familiar aroma of coffee into fresh fragrances for daily use, bringing “circularity” into everyday life.
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Alchemist Daan
Address: No. 43, Lane 61, Section 2, Hangzhou South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
Hours: 09:00-18:00
Alchemist Dihua
Address: 1F, No. 1, Lane 233, Nanjing West Road, Datong District, Taipei City
Hours: 09:00-18:00
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