VWI BY CHADWANG

Water first, then the roast

VWI stands for vapor, water and ice, the three states in which green coffee meets water before it becomes a cup, and the brand takes that literally. Water is filtered in five stages across the shops, running from chlorine removal and activated charcoal through mineral adjustment, with regular water-quality checks and extra attention in May and November, when rainfall shifts conditions in Taiwan. For overseas markets the target is a TDS between 40 and 60 ppm and a pH of 7 to 7.4.

The coffee is roasted in house rather than bought from a rotating cast of guest roasters, and the retail shelf maps the programme: Villa Clara Estate Caturra in both Limited and Select tiers, a Bench Maji Heirloom in the Daily range, the VWI Blend, drip bags, a VWI cloth filter and Kalita flat-bottom papers. Espresso, batch brew and pour over are all served, but hand brewing is where the bar is strongest.

A composed Da’an room

VWI BY CHADWANG was founded in 2018 by Chad Wang, the Taiwanese barista who won the World Brewers Cup in 2017, and the Taipei branch sits in Da’an near Zhongxiao Fuxing, part of a network running from Taipei to Hsinchu to Taichung. The room is pale and spacious, with exposed ceiling lines and enough space around the tables to slow a visit down. It is coffee-led rather than laptop-led: espresso and milk drinks are there, but a hand brew is the reason to sit.

Service is deliberately unscripted. Rather than a rigid procedure for guest interaction, staff are asked to receive people as they would guests at home, which in practice means friendly but measured, using conversation to work out what someone wants before handing over more information than they asked for. The espresso machines are set into the wall so the bar stays close to the customer.

Cold brew, then tiramisu

Start with the Roselle Syrup Cold Brew Coffee with Cocoa Foam, the named signature and proof that the menu allows composed drinks alongside the straight ones. Then order a pour over, which is where the water-first thinking shows most clearly.

Dessert supports the visit rather than forming a second menu. The two to know are the VWI House Blend Tiramisu, layering mascarpone, fresh cream and ladyfingers under cocoa powder with a Cointreau aroma, and the Red Guava Tart with Plum Wine Jelly, which turns fruit and tea together through red guava purée, Tieguanyin dacquoise, chantilly and plum wine jelly. Cake and seasonal drinks appear alongside them, but the core is narrow on purpose: coffee first, then one of two very specific sweets.