Committed to bringing good coffee to the locals, Pinzang Coffee doesn’t want to leave Keelung

Photos & Text / Mazikuma (Mr. Neurotic Bear Blog) 

This story began a few days ago.

Speaking of which, a few days ago, the sound of meowing suddenly came from Pinzang Café in Keelung. At that time, the owner and customers searched the shop but couldn’t find the source of the meowing. It turned out that two little kittens had fallen into a drainage ditch connecting the warehouse and the apartment behind the café. The staff had to put in quite an effort to rescue the two kittens. By the time they were saved, the kittens had meowed themselves hoarse and were too weak to even make a sound.

Afterward, the owner spent several days helping the two kittens regain their strength. Currently, these two not-yet-one-month-old kittens spend their time at the café either eating or sleeping, and even more time exploring the world within their reach. They have seamlessly become new members of the team, taking part in the daily operations of the whole shop.

There’s a Taiwanese saying: “A dog brings wealth; a cat brings a big house.” So here’s wishing the kind-hearted Pinzang Café continued success and prosperity.

A few days after these two nameless kittens joined Pinzang, I arrived.

Pinzang Coffee has been cultivating Keelung’s estate-level specialty coffee market for over three years. Despite losing some customers due to a previous relocation, Pinzang hasn’t been discouraged. It continues to tirelessly introduce high-quality coffee from around the world to the local community of Keelung, planning the café’s future with a goal of sustainable operation.

And, I’ve wanted to visit Pinzang for years.

Back when I was just starting to get into coffee, my blog was still on Yahoo’s old platform. I wrote an article called “My First Experience with a Siphon Pot,” which was selected as one of Yahoo Blog’s featured posts. Around that time, Pinzang Coffee responded under the post and invited me to come by the shop for coffee and teach me how to brew with a siphon pot.

Since then, I’ve had the idea of visiting Pinzang one day, but unexpectedly, two years flew by. Two years—neither too long nor too short—but long enough for my brewing tools to go from a siphon pot to a pour-over...

So, you might understand why I’ve wanted to visit Pinzang again and again, even after a few unsuccessful attempts.

On my first visit, I chose a Guji Suke Quto from Ethiopia—the dry aroma was great after grinding.

The café roasts all its coffee beans to a level where the second crack begins after two minutes, which theoretically counts as a medium-light roast. The brewing method mainly uses the siphon pot; after adding the coffee grounds, they do a W-shaped stir, then a second stir before lowering the filter.

To me, this coffee had a nice fruity acidity that came through clearly upon tasting.

I think the shop has many interesting features that create a retro atmosphere—like the old iMac, various handmade artworks, and antique furniture...

But sometimes, certain decorations give off a very modern vibe—for example, the mirror by the bathroom door. When you stand in front of it, your pupils have a blue halo around them, making you feel like some alien or sci-fi character.

After becoming a home roaster myself (though my SR-500 can only roast less than 100 grams at a time), I can finally chat freely with the shop owners about roasting beans. Still, I always feel it touches on their business secrets, so I mostly just ask about roast levels and times—I’d never dare ask about actual roasting techniques.

After all, I’m still a total newbie when it comes to roasting; I’m afraid I might ask something ridiculous.

Time flies at Pinzang, thanks to the hospitable owners, whose presence livens up the whole shop.

Just when I felt it was about time to leave, the owner smiled and handed me a shot of Espresso.

The espresso machine is a Feama E61 Legend, and the grinder is a Super Jolly.

The Espresso is made using the shop’s signature blend.

Although the owner joked that the flavor is mild, I found it quite strong.

One wall in the shop is covered with beer bottle caps—that used to be my dream as a kid.

Back in the days when rock music was my lifeblood, I dreamed of a fridge stacked with beer so I could grab a drink anytime I wanted. And I swore I wouldn’t throw away the bottle caps—I’d nail them to the wall, either as decoration or as some kind of medal-like memento.

But now, I’d be embarrassed to admit that I get tipsy after just one beer these days—something I wouldn’t even dare imagine back then...

I'm not an alcoholic. This is the shop's iced coffee, brewed with an American coffee maker and then put through a homogenizer to create the illusion of beer.

Drinking this in the summer is really refreshing.

"Are you leaving?" the shop owner asked as she saw me starting to pack up.

"No more, no more, I'll get drunk if I drink any more," I said.

After saying goodbye to Pinzang, I headed straight to the train station, boarded a southbound train, and began my journey home.

Bye bye Keelung, Bye bye Pinzang.

【JENSEN'S Pinzang Coffee】
Address: No. 13, Ailu Road, Keelung City
Phone: 02-2426-6086
Business Hours: 10:00–22:00 (Closed every Tuesday)

"Maji Bear" has more great articles here: http://bear-oj.blogspot.tw/