First Dibs: M5 Coffee — Taiwanese coffee chain opens in Somerset, serving cactus cupcakes & edible cookie cups

If you thought the SG coffee scene couldn’t get any better, think again. Famous Taiwanese coffee chain, M5 Coffee has just opened their very first overseas store in Somerset.

The “M5” in M5 Coffee refers to Mountain 5 and is a reference to Taiwan’s hilly terrain. The founder of M5 Coffee started this brand to honour and promote the beauty of Taiwan and its cultural identity.

They first took inspiration from Mt. Fuji when on a trip to Japan, where they witnessed the deep-rooted cultural ties Japanese people have with Mt. Fuji.

Exclusive to the M5 Coffee branch in Singapore is the Mt Faber (S$7), inspired by our very own humble peak. You can get it in both the hot and cold variety. The drink features espresso made from a premium blend, blue curaçao syrup, sea salt and milk. The brilliant blue of the coffee is due to the curaçao syrup, which is a transparent sapphire blue shade.

The drink has a taste reminiscent of a salted caramel, with a hint of orange. It wasn’t too sweet and I found it rather enjoyable.

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If you’re looking for something a little healthier, M5 Coffee also has an edible Oatmeal Cookie Latte (S$8, only available hot), where the coffee cup is an edible oatmeal cookie. If you’re familiar with Puzzle Coffee which opened in Dec 2022, these cookie cups have a similar concept.

Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it? M5 coffee has the cutest Cactus Cupcakes (S$9). Moist, chocolate cake is layered with Biscoff spread and fashioned in the likeness of a table succulent planter.

Swiss buttercream is used to pipe the cutest assortment of cacti atop the pot, and they even give you a small ‘shovel’ to eat it with! It’s truly an extremely insta-worthy dessert. As the cream can be quite stiff, I recommend that you allow the cake to sit for a bit to really enjoy it.

Pair M5 Coffee’s cute desserts with their beautiful drinks and spend a nice chill afternoon at their brand new space.

With their launch, we now have yet another swaggy coffee spot added to the already vibrant cafe scene at Somerset. Guess our cafe-hopping list will only get longer!

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