A Healthy Coffee Dream: DHcafé in Neihu

▲ The siphon pot at DHcafé.

Text and photos byMaji Bear

As a baseball enthusiast, seeing the letters "DH" immediately brings to mind this:

The designated hitter rule (DH system) refers to a player in the batting order who is exclusively responsible for hitting and does not need to play defense. The designated hitter allows the pitcher to focus solely on pitching without having to bat, reducing the risk of injury while also enabling more players to participate and increasing gameplay opportunities. ~Quoted from the "Taiwan Baseball Wiki"

But the DH we’re introducing today is not that DH. It’s a café located on Ruiguang Road in Neihu, with the initials DH. You can spot it right after exiting the subway at Hongshulin Station.

The moment you step into the shop, you’re immediately infected by Daniel’s enthusiasm.

Daniel has worked in the IT industry for over 20 years and held a high-ranking position at his former company. Hearing him talk about his previous work, I was instantly reminded of the three Fates in Greek mythology—his confidence and self-assuredness were unmistakable.


▲ Simple and cozy seating.
When talking about why he switched careers to coffee, Daniel’s tone shifted—he suddenly sounded like a mischievous boy, his eyes sparkling with excitement. In fact, even while working in the tech industry, Daniel had already started exploring the world of coffee roasting, accumulating over a decade of bean-roasting experience. By a stroke of fate, he discussed the dream of opening this café with a friend.

And so, on October 31, 2008, Daniel’s coffee dream began to take root in Neihu. Facing practical considerations, Daniel adjusted the café’s business strategy several times. Now, the shop sells nothing but coffee. The café regularly stocks coffee beans from around the world, and after Daniel’s careful selection, there are 36 varieties—each chosen with health in mind.


▲ A variety of carefully selected premium coffee beans, all health-oriented.

Daniel says, “Any coffee beans you buy from our shop, if there’s an issue within three months, we’ll exchange or refund them. If you don’t like one flavor, there are 35 other beans to choose from. And if, after trying all 36, none suit your taste, no problem—just pay for what you’ve consumed, and we’ll refund the rest.” Forgive my limited experience, but I’ve never seen any business operate quite like this.


▲ The Finca La Paz estate in El Salvador.
The iced coffee served for tasting at the shop is from Finca La Paz in El Salvador. Its flavor resembles sun-dried Yirgacheffe, bursting with the acidic aroma of berries—sweet and sour with a hint of fermentation.

By the way, the café uses the KONO-style pour-over method, which I’ve never seen used in serving coffee before among all the shops I’ve visited. If you’re interested in this technique, feel free to check it out here.

In the near future, the café will fully transition to selling only coffee beans—even espresso drinks will be phased out. This means DH Café will become even more focused on the specialty coffee scene, serving everyone with the same passion as always.


▲ The Komoda burr grinder.


▲ A fully equipped coffee bar.


▲ The in-house roasting machine.


▲ Various colored KONO scoops.

【DH Café】

Address: No. 227, Ruiguang Road, Neihu District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2657-5003
Business Hours: 10:30 AM – 9:00 PM (Open year-round)
More great articles from “Maji Bear” can be found here:http://bear-oj.blogspot.tw/