The Formosa Coffee Brings Taiwanese Java to Scarsdale

A new Taiwanese coffee shop has opened in Scarsdale, where it serves up standout latte art, smoothies, tea, and pastries.

Coffee lovers can now visit The Formosa Coffee in Scarsdale to enjoy what may be the county’s only Taiwanese coffee shop — for carefully sourced coffee, tea, and smoothies alongside freshly baked pastries.

Owner Jason Chen held a grand opening on June 15, utilizing his close partnership with coffee and tea farms in the Yun Lin province of Taiwan. “The Arabica coffee beans are grown at an altitude of 3,000 to 4,000 feet in nutrient-rich volcanic soil,” Chen says. “Our farms harvest each coffee fruit by hand-picking only the ripest beans. The beans are naturally processed — sun-dried — to retain our coffee’s distinctive ‘fruity’ taste.”

coffee shop
Photo by Amy Sowder

All the coffee is roasted in-house, completing the direct trade, farm-to-table ethos of the coffee shop, “where we manage the entire supply chain from sourcing, shipping, roasting to brewing,” he says.

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While Taiwan historically produces tea, coffee has become more popular in recent years. After being introduced by the Japanese in the 19th century, it was mostly consumed by the upper class; it wasn’t until the 20th century that coffee became more popular in everyday Taiwanese life. Coffee shops, called kissaten, became important social hubs. Meanwhile, the Taiwanese developed diverse methods of cultivation and brewing, appealing to modern and classic, Western and Asian tastes.

tea
Fruit tea. Photo by Amy Sowder.

To personalize his footprint in this modern corporate building, Chen gutted and built his café in a minimalist style colored by paintings from local artists. It’s dog-friendly with fast Wi-Fi. You can order coffee, tea, smoothies, and pastries, all with fresh ingredients. Coffee beans are never more than three to five days old, and smoothies, syrups, and pistachio butter used in specialty drinks are all prepared in-house.

Coffee is brewed by passionate and talented baristas into sweet, velvety smooth espresso beverages topped with a thick layer of crema (golden foam). You can order traditional espresso beverages such as cappuccinos and lattes, but we recommend the specialties — salted cream coffee, pistachio butter latte, strawberry iced tea, and signature fruit green tea — which come with mochi, Biscoff cookies, and pineapple cake.

The signature fruit green tea, made with orange and mango, and the strawberry-infused tea are two great options. The fruit gives the tea a fresh, sweet, and sometimes tangy flavor.

latte
Latte. Photo by Amy Sowder.

Formosa also offers smoothies, such as the orange-mango smoothie with pineapple, topped with lime and a candied pineapple leaf. This pineapple leaf is meant to be eaten like a sugar cane, like how it is served in the Caribbean.

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Among the pastry options at The Formosa Coffee are croissants filled with fruit, pistachio, and chocolate. The sweetness of the banana bread, which is gluten-free, vegan, and made in-house by pastry chef Brianna Cirillo, is deepened by the earthy, rich chocolate. All other pastries are baked daily and supplied by Balthazar Bakery.

Banana bread. Photo by Amy Sowder.

“… The future of Taiwan’s coffee scene looks bright and promising,” Chen says. “… and it’s truly because of this rich, fascinating history and potential future that I’ve chosen to pursue it and bring it to the Westchester community to the best of our ability.”

coffee shop owner
Owner Jason Chen. Photo by Amy Sowder.

The Formosa Coffee
111 Brook St, Suite G3, Scarsdale; 914.881.9188

Related: 7 Smoothie Spots to Quench Your Thirst in Westchester

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