MANILA — The Coffee Academïcs, a Hong Kong-based coffee company, is giving Manila coffee lovers a taste of its premium brand of sustainable specialty coffee.
While its Bonifacio Global City kiosk has already been open for several months, serving unique coffee drinks like agave and manuka honey lattes, it has opened a full-service cafe at Legaspi Village in Makati, offering a complete with all-day brunch selections. .
The Coffee Academïcs was founded in Hong Kong in 2012 with the vision of making high quality specialty coffee accessible at a fair price. Although prices may still seem high, The Coffee Academïcs prides itself on using coffee sourced from the world’s best 5% Arabica beans in terms of quality, building community partnerships to ensure sustainable growth and fair trade. . The green beans are shipped to Hong Kong where they are roasted and then shipped to their exclusive cafes and retail partners in Singapore, Indonesia and now the Philippines.
The main draw of The Coffee Academïcs is, well, the coffee. The cafe offers coffee for all kinds of coffee lovers, from those who just want their morning caffeine fix to those who have had their fair share of sips and are looking to expand their sensory experience of coffee.
For those who want to taste the nuances and notes of the coffee, they have an infusion bar where the coffees are meticulously prepared by pour. You can simply wait for your brew at your table, but for home coffee brewers, or stand around the bar to learn brewing methods and settings, as grind rates, water temperature, and even the way water is slowly introduced into the ground are key to getting the most out of specialty coffees. If you plan to take beans home, you can ask the barista for advice and a coffee taste reference.
For those in a hurry, La Marzocco espresso machines pull espressos to provide that caffeine kick. It uses the default TCA blend and these have that typical espresso dark chocolate nutty flavor, but it still happens to have some citrus notes.
Better to try a long black (aka americano) to sip on the TCA mix before moving on to specialty milk drinks like lattes and flat whites.
The special coffee drinks available are truly one of a kind and can only be found here. Of note is the Coffee Conetto, which is a cortado poured inside a sugar cone lined with chocolate inside. It’s a smartly made dessert because the chocolate seals the coffee in the cone. The coffee seeping into the fluffy chocolate makes chewing on the cone an extra treat.
Then there is the famous Manuka Honey Latte. It’s easily one of the most expensive coffee drinks, as manuka honey doesn’t come cheap. However, the café baristas whip up a drink that balances the milk chocolate of a latte and the fruity sweetness of that special honey nicely, making it well worth the price.
For those in a hurry, the bottled Signature Cold Brew made with TCA and HK Blend is still available at the take-out counter.
For non-coffee drinkers, there is a selection of premium loose leaf teas from sister concept, The Tea Academïcs, which can be brewed at your table.
Besides coffee, The Coffee Academics is a solid choice for brunch, lunch, or dinner. Croissants and specialty pastries are great to munch on with sips of coffee.
Discover the pastries in the window. The Beef Tapa Puff is a great value to-go filling option. While crowd favorites Ham and Cheese Pinwheel., Classic Croissant, Koughn Amman, Cheese Puff the Pink La Vie En Rose Croissant are enjoyable with a cup of your favorite brew.
But for bigger appetites, the entrees stand out as they would be typical of an upscale bistro in Hong Kong or Singapore. For staters or a snack, check out Nori Chips, a crunchy umami combination of nori and kropek with an edamame and chickpea hummus dip.
The Hong Kong directors gave local partners the opportunity to make changes to the signature dishes. The Eggs Royale, for example, is accompanied by smoked salmon or ham from Paris elsewhere in the world. In the Philippines, it comes with homemade tocino over steaming hot bibingka.
Stop at the retail area to select goods to take home. Besides shirts and eco-bags, selected beans are available for brewing at home.
For those without specialty coffee equipment at home, the TCA Drip Bag Box is a great introduction to specialty coffee, especially the two premium Panamanian Geshas which are an absolute treat for all. those who have never had coffee of this caliber before.
A recent addition to the drinks list is the cocktail selection, many of which are based on the signature espresso. While a Martini with coffee is nothing new, an Old Fashioned with whiskey and espresso sweetened with elderflower sugar syrup is unusual and a must.
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It looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more Coffee Academics branches in the near future, as the group intends to open cafes and kiosks all over the city, starting with a branch south of Molito very soon.
The Legaspi Village branch of The Coffee Academïcs is located at 109 C. Palanca St. and is open daily from 7 a.m. to midnight. Check their online store for delivery options.