As the movement of third wave coffee continues to brew in our city, so does the desire to create the perfect café-worthy cuppa from the comfort of our own home. Coffee is made of just two ingredients — water and coffee beans — so it’s essential that the beans are on point when making a cup of Joe. For all you aspiring baristas, here are some of the best spots in the metro to pick up a pack of expertly-roasted beans.
Current Swell Coffee Brewery
This small local coffee brewery is owned and operated by coffee enthusiast Miko Sarmiento and foodie Claude Hizon. Based out of a stall at Pioneer Street Market, Current Swell roasts their own beans and offers coffee, a small selection of food, and whole coffee beans in 250 grams (PHP450 to PHP 600) for home brewing. From the Philippines are coffees such as Atok Benguet, Mt. Apo Davao, and Miarayon Bukidon while from South America are coffees such as Brazil Cerado, El Salvador San Emilio Estate, and Costa Rica Tarrazu Amapola. Grab your beans while they still offer a free espresso or Americano with every bag of beans purchased. Pioneer Street Market, Reliance cor Pioneer Sts, Mandaluyong; +63 9088221179, www.facebook.com/Current-Swell-Coffee-Brewery. Call for operating hours.
Yardstick Coffee
Independent coffee company Yardstick Coffee is the go-to spot for both coffee connoisseurs and newbies in Legazpi Village. Offered here are coffee beans in their signature blends, such as Be Good, which contains coffee from Guatemala, El Salvador and Ethiopia and has notes of lime, green apple, and pear; and Thiriku, which contains beans from Kenya and contains the aromas of blackcurrant, tomato and clove. You can also pick up your coffee tools here, such as Bodum French presses and the much sought after Aerobie AeroPress. G/F 106 Esteban Street, Legazpi Village; +63 2 8450073, www.facebook.com/yardstickcoffee. Mon-Sat 7am-11pm, Sun 8am-6pm.
#YKW
#YKW, the caffeinated arm of the Edsa Beverage Design Group, roasts all of its coffee beans (sourced from all over the world) in house. However, you don’t need to venture all the way to their digs in Mandaluyong to get a fix as they offer monthly coffee delivery subscriptions (PHP900 to PHP8,000) to coffee lovers throughout the metro. Through this service, you’ll be able to try single origin coffee such as Ethiopia Yirga Cheffe and Kenya Karimikui and Signature Espresso Blends such as Dark Matter Theory which is made from Philippine Direct, Rwanda Inzuvu and India Robusta. 209 Edsa CLMC Building, Greenhills-Mandaluyong; www.ykwroasters.com. Call for operating hours.
Toby’s Estate
Hip Aussie coffee specialists Toby’s Estate brews in some of the hippest neighborhoods around the world. But apart from offering great cups of coffee and simple eats, there are various vacuum-packed coffee beans in servings of 200 grams. Available are espresso blends such as their best-selling Australian Wooloomooloo (PHP650), which is full bodied and highlighted with notes of spice, cocoa, caramel, and earth, and single origin beans such as the spicy, smooth, and nutty Rodyk blend (PHP650) which has a berry and chocolate fininish. V Corporate Center, Shop 6, 125 LP Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati; +63 2 5076174, www.tobysestateph.com. Mon-Tue 7am-10pm, Wed-Sat 7am-12am, Sun 8am-10pm.
Kuppa Roastery & Cafe
BGC coffee spot Kuppa Roastery & Cafe sells a good selection of hand-roasted coffee beans (from PHP370) in bags of 250 grams. The range of beans here is vast and if you don’t have a grinder at home, the friendly baristas will happily grind your beans for you. Over a dozen types of delicious beans, from the Philippines and the world’s best coffee growing countries, are available here such as Columbia Supremo, Brazil Yellow Bourbon, Sumatra Mandeling, Guatemala Antigua, Mt. Sinabung Lintong and Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Washed. G/F Commercenter Building, 4th Avenue Corner 31st Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig; +63 2 5521057, www.facebook.com/kupparoastery. Mon-Thu 7am-11pm, Fri & Sat 7am-12am, Sun 7am-11pm.
Bo’s Coffee
This one’s for fans of local coffee. Homegrown coffee chain Bo’s Coffee retails bags of locally grown beans at all of their outlets. Go on a tasting tour of the Philippine’s coffees with beans coming from far-flung locales such as Sagada, Benguet, Mt. Kitanglad, Mt. Matutum, and Mt. Apo. These coffees are decent enough, but if you’re pining for something a little more premium, opt for the Sablan Benguet Reserve, a single origin bean which is deeply-flavoured, fruity, and slightly sweet. G/F Virra Mall, San Juan City; +63 2 7066898, www.boscoffee.com. Sun-Thu 10am-8pm, Fri & Sat 10am-9pm.
Coffee Empire
Their spacious digs in Quezon City is proof that the people behind this café are serious about their beans. There’s an industrial-size coffee roaster enclosed in a glass room and plastic carts full of coffee beans for sale, marked with their names and roast date. Apart from local coffee favourites Benguet Atok Grade 1 and Sagada Coffee Hand Sorted, they also have our favorite indulgence — the atrociously expensive Geisha beans from Panama (PHP3,000/250g). The baristas are knowledgeable though service takes painfully long. Their coffees are ace, but forget about having a meal here as the kitchen is a failure. 74 West Ave, Quezon City; +63 2 4100189, www.coffeeempire.com.ph; Mon-Sat 9am-1am, Sun 9am-12am.
Kalsada
If you like waking up to a pot of coffee with a side of conscience, you can’t go wrong with premium Filipino coffee beans from this start up company whose owners literally go up mountains to look for farmers they can work with. They then provide the machinery, equipment and training necessary for the growers. “We buy only the coffees that express the true flavor of the soil, region and climate in which they are grown,” according to its website. Though Kalsada has no regular schedule for its pop-up stores, their products are available online (www.kalsada.com) and at Habitual Coffee. 2135 Chino Roces Ave, Makati City; +63 2 8339556, www.facebook.com/habitualcoffee. Mon-Sat 7am-9pm. Sun 7am-7pm.
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