Agent Cafe
◎English translation: Peng Hsin-yi
Kezihliao Fish Market in Kaohsiung's Zihguan District has become a tourist favorite over the past couple of years. On weekends and holidays, people from out of town gather in this fishing town like the inflow of high tide. Most of them come here to buy the day's catch from the market's fish mongers, but many also stop by Agent Cafe, a small coffee shop situated right beside the fish market, for a refreshing drink of ice coffee. Many are returning customers who say the ice coffee here has a smooth taste which goes really well with seafood.
Agent Cafe is owned and managed by Mr. Luo Shi-guo. When he got started about four years ago, the coffee shop was actually in the middle of the fish market, and having such an unconventional location helped win him the attention he needed. Through word of the mouth alone, he established a good customer base, and his ice coffee often sold out on weekends and holidays. But good luck only accounts for half of his success. Before getting the spot in the fish market, he spent six month as a street vendor, selling AeroPress Coffee. That is how he did his market research, figuring out the tastes and preferences of his intended customers.
Mr. Luo says a smooth feeling in one's mouth is vital, but achieving that effect involves a lot of steps. He does not use ice cubes, to ensure his coffee remains at the same intensity and texture from first sip to last, and so the flavor does not weaken even when it has been sitting for a while and become room temperature. One of his tricks to keep the ice coffee icy cold is to serve it in a chilled beer mug. He stirs the coffee before serving so the aroma of the coffee comes forth. Also, the stirring produces a layer of frothy foam on top, making the coffee resemble beer. His ice coffee has become so popular; he has even started selling it in bottles so customers can take it home.
On a regular day, this coffee shop is a heaven for local customers. They drink ice coffee and chat with old friends. Coffee with a side-serving of ocean views seems all the more delicious. Nobody notices the passing of time. Mr. Luo checks his phone and casually mentions: "The sun will dive into the ocean between 6:38 and 6:40 p.m. at this time of the year." It is a scene you will not find anywhere else.
| Agent Cafe |
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Kezihliao Fish Market, Zihguan District, Kaohsiung
FB：Agent Cafe |
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野棧咖啡
◎文／侯雅婷
梓官區「蚵仔寮觀光漁市」假日湧進許多前來採買現撈漁獲的遊客，來到觀光漁市場除了拎袋生猛海鮮回家料理，不少饕客特地前來漁市場旁的「野棧咖啡」喝杯冰咖啡。老主顧說，這裏的冰咖啡喝起來很順口，與海鮮很搭！
「野棧」經營者羅世國4年前進駐蚵仔寮觀光漁市場裏賣咖啡，選在非典型咖啡場域賣咖啡格外引人矚目，迅速在觀光漁市場打開知名度，假日冰咖啡更是供不應求，但這不單單只是無心插柳的幸運，進駐漁市場半年前，羅世國在街頭設攤販售「愛樂壓」咖啡，摸索大眾喜愛的咖啡口味。
羅世國強調，咖啡喝起來順口很重要，但喝起來順口的冰咖啡不能偷工減料，為了不改變咖啡的濃度和口感，他的冰咖啡不加冰塊，即使冰咖啡回到常溫，都能保有原來的口感。羅世國以透明的啤酒杯盛著冰咖啡，最上面攪拌至泡泡狀態，讓咖啡的香氣更明顯，冰咖啡大受好評，甚至還開發外帶瓶滿足顧客需求。
平常日下午，野棧的老主顧們喝著冰咖啡，老友談天說地、伴著海景的咖啡時光，格外悠閒。羅世國看了一下時間，「這個時節夕陽會在下午6點38分到40分躍入海裏」，他說。蚵仔寮限定的漁港景致上映中。
| 野棧咖啡 |
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高雄市梓官區蚵仔寮觀光漁市
FB：Agent Cafe |
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Siaoti Coffee Shop
◎English translation: Peng Hsin-yi
Siaoti Coffee Shop has been in business since 1979, and in this place, even time itself seems to linger. Visiting Siaoti on a regular day, one is likely to run into a handful of customers sipping coffee while they read newspapers and enjoy a tranquil home-like atmosphere. The coffee is siphon brewed, and free breakfast is served until 11 a.m. every day. Ms. Yan Hui-lan, Siaoti's only waitress, says the tradition of free breakfast with coffee started as a considerate thought for those who came in during the early hours, so they would not have to start the day with coffee on an empty stomach.
Ms. Yan has been working at Siaoti for thirty years. When a customer sits down, she brings an iced towel to the table, an especially welcoming gesture on blazing hot days. Returning customers do not even have to place their orders, as she can always remember what they want. And in no time, the coffee and the plate with toast, a slice of ham, plus two eggs prepared to order and drizzled with a little soy sauce, appears on your table. The breakfast looks mundane but is incredibly delicious.
Most of the returning customers come for the siphon brewed coffee. In Ms. Yan's practiced hands, each cup is made with two or three kinds of coffee beans which are ground only when ordered, and the cups are rinsed in hot water before the coffee is poured. This is a coffee shop where customers are treated as family members. There is nothing fancy, but the basic principles have been observed day after day without fail.
A customer who has been frequenting Siaoti for thirty years swears by the siphon brewed coffee, saying: "Other coffee simply won't do! Besides, I have made a lot of friends by coming here." Because the coffee is piping hot, one has to sip it and thus savor the flavors rather than gulp it down. The siphon brew has a pronounced note of acidity, but ends with an undertone of sweetness. The aroma profile is complex. The coffee perfectly expresses Siaoti's personality: every sip is worth savoring.
Having developed a loyal base of old customers, Siaoti has become a place where friends meet. As they finish their coffee and breakfast, they bid each other good-bye, knowing they will see each other again tomorrow morning.
| Siaoti Coffee Shop |
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No. 10, Lane 40, Yancheng Street, Yancheng District, Kaohsiung
07-5514703 |
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小堤咖啡專門店
◎文／侯雅婷
時間彷彿停駐在開業37年的「小堤咖啡專門店」，一個平常日造訪小堤，三、兩位顧客邊閱報邊喝著咖啡，靜謐的咖啡館洋溢家一般的氛圍。虹吸式咖啡和每早11點前的免費早餐已成為小堤的傳統，店裏唯一的服務員顏蕙蘭說，基於體貼客人，不好讓客人空腹喝咖啡，所以提供早餐讓客人吃飽。
在小堤工作30年的顏蕙蘭在客人進門時，遞上冰毛巾給客人擦手，熱天裏的冰鎮毛巾再貼心不過，她熟記每位老顧客的喜好，吐司、2顆蛋和一片火腿，淋上醬油的豐盛早餐上桌，不知怎麼的，這頓看似家常的早餐卻出奇的美味。
現煮的虹吸式熱咖啡深受老主顧青睞，顏蕙蘭舀著2至3種咖啡豆研磨，倒咖啡前，咖啡杯得先以熱水燙過，待客如親的服務精神在小堤以不張揚的姿態，實踐著。
一位光臨「小堤」30年的老主顧說：「虹吸式咖啡和一般的咖啡就是不一樣 ！來這還可遇見老朋友。」啜飲著咖啡，帶著酸又回甘，滋味豐富，就像「小堤」的人情味，讓人再三回味。
老主顧們在「小堤」會友，用過咖啡後，有默契地明早再見！
| 小堤咖啡專門店 |
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高雄市鹽埕區鹽埕街40巷10號
07-5514703 |
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