But First, Coffee

Mr. Fujii, an elderly Japanese man, came to Taiwan just for a cup of coffee he remembered. Fujii is the grandfather of Japanese barista Natsuyuki, who came to Taiwan this year to attend a coffee sharing event with Taiwanese barista Wang Ce. However, Natsuyuki’s purpose for this trip is to fulfill her grandfather’s wish, who was born in Taiwan.

Fujii wanted to find the Taiwanese girl he had a crush on in his childhood and have a cup of coffee made by her again. The first cup of coffee Fujii had never forgotten was a memory given by the girl, a taste that remained on his mind for a lifetime.

During her trip in Taiwan, Natsuyuki met Taiwanese barista Chen Yu-lin by chance. Chen’s father, Chen Bao-zheng, was a coffee farmer who once grew champion coffee beans, and his mother ran a small coffee shop. Two years ago, after his grandmother passed away, Chen Yu-lin went to Japan to learn some coffee-making skills to ease his grief and to seek recognition from his father. He hoped to use what he learned to showcase his own and Taiwan’s coffee to the world.

However, his parents always saw him as childish and did not recognize his passion, which made Chen Yu-lin lose confidence.

During the search for Fujii’s first cup of coffee, Chen Yu-lin helped the grandfather and granddaughter find their way and understood what good coffee really meant bit by bit. He realized that good coffee is not only about advanced techniques but also about caring for the people who taste it. In the end, Chen Yu-lin helped Fujii find his first cup of coffee and made his own first cup of coffee too.