There’s always something new every day. At 8%ice, not only can you enjoy ice cream with your mouth, but also feast your eyes on it.

▲ 8%ice Ice Cream Specialty Store, Yongkang Street, Taipei.

Reported and photographed by Intern Reporter Xu Jiaqi, Taipei

Yongkang Street in Taipei is famous for its array of ice cream shops. In this highly competitive market, if your flavors aren’t unique, it’s hard to win over customers. Take “8%ice Ice Cream Specialty Shop,” for example. Aside from its regular offerings like genmaicha (roasted brown rice green tea), salted black sugar, and blackcurrant rose, the shop introduces a different flavor of soft serve every day, attracting many new customers with its distinctive tastes. Since its trial operation in February 2013 (102 year 2 month in Taiwan calendar), 8%ice has launched over 40 flavors of ice cream, including pumpkin, blackcurrant rose, and corn condensed milk.

The ice cream offered at 8%ice is divided into three main categories: Italian-style low-fat ice cream, sorbet, and soft serve, with about 15–20 flavors available daily. Among them, the ice cream flavors are the most diverse, such as blackcurrant rose, Angel’s Whisky (a limited edition flavor launched in collaboration with the movie *Angel’s Whisky*), and banana walnut. The sorbets are made with seasonal fruits, and so far, they have featured flavors like mango, Kishu plum tomato, watermelon, and rose lychee.

▲ One of the standout features of 8%ice Ice Cream Specialty Store is its wide variety of frozen dessert flavors.

Yu Cheng-yang, the marketing project manager at 8%ice, explained that one of their star products, the matcha soft serve, uses carefully selected matcha sourced from Ippodo Tea, a Japanese tea specialty shop with nearly 300 years of history located on Teramachi Street in Kyoto. They insist on not using any artificial colors or flavors, so what you taste is purely the original flavor of the tea leaves. A customer named Mr. Hong said the matcha soft serve has a rich tea aroma and a smooth texture, and when paired with the included roasted brown rice tea grains, it adds an extra layer of taste.

▲ One of the signature soft serves at Yongkang Street’s 8%ice Ice Cream Specialty Store is the salted black sugar, genmaicha, and matcha flavor.

Yu Cheng-yang also mentioned that during the trial operation period, the store had limited hardware equipment, and each machine could only produce two flavors of soft serve. But the owner, who loves ice cream and has unlimited creativity, wanted to develop more flavors for customers, ensuring they would always be filled with surprises and anticipation. Therefore, he decided to announce upcoming ice cream flavors irregularly on the Facebook fan page.Now, customers are used to 8%ice’s menu release style, and there’s high willingness to try each new flavor. In addition, every soft serve comes with a chocolate stick from a well-known French brand, which is not only aesthetically pleasing but can also be used as a spoon. A loyal customer, Ms. Huang, said her favorite is the matcha soft serve.

The name 8%ice comes from the fact that the ice cream they sell is Italian-style low-fat ice cream. The Italian government stipulates that the milk fat content of Italian-style low-fat ice cream is around 8%, hence the name 8%ice. Additionally, the number 8 resembles two scoops of ice cream, and when viewed sideways, it becomes the infinity symbol, symbolizing the endless possibilities this shop can offer.

▲ There are many artworks displayed inside the store.

Besides enjoying ice cream with your mouth, 8%ice also allows customers to “see ice cream with their eyes.” The shop regularly collaborates with artists to display their works, with each exhibition lasting about one to one and a half months. The art styles reflect the elegant ambiance of the store, creating a cultural space that combines the concept of an art gallery with an ice cream shop. As soon as customers step inside, they are enveloped in a strong artistic atmosphere.

[8%ice Ice Cream Specialty Store]

Official Website
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Address: No. 6, Lane 13, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2395-6583
Business Hours: 12:00–22:00
Price: NT$100 per serving

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