Costa Coffee Sends Off Jyl Orila To London!

Serious. These three judges will be responsible on actually sending off one of the performers to London as Costa Coffee does the finale for #SingYourWayToLondon at the Costa Coffee Galleria Branch in Pasig City. I'm sure blogger extraordinaire David Guison, Paulo Valenciano and Kiana Valenciano will be having a tough time choosing the rightful winner because man... these contestants are gonna give it their all to get that all expense paid trip to the land of the Queen, Big Ben and all things British.

April Almonte of Costa Coffee says "We brought UK's best coffee here so we are bringing the best Philippine artist we could find to the UK, that's the best deal right? We are known to be good singers and this would be an opportune time to make that dream come true for someone and this would be it!"

Jyl Orila did a cover of SEND MY LOVE by Adele, pretty good, her upbeat version of it was done so it would be like coffee in the morning.

Inna Valera sang STOP by Spice Girls with her friend, despite some technical glitches they still sang their hearts out. Just like friends in a Karaoke booth, like no one is watching but in real life, the whole Ortigas Business district was there! LOL

Maqui Castelo sang Yellow by Coldplay, he was a bit nervous, we could actually hear and feel it but later on in the song, it was all okay. He did his best and that's what matters. They did this for fun, and we're already having fun! 

Maki Santos was doing this for her Mom's 60th birthday. She sang a medley of Brit songs. She startes with Adele's Rolling in the Deep, then Amy Winehouse's Rehab then back to Adele again though, she had angst and stuff. I guess the judges would have a hard time choosing the winner now.

Pia Gabrielle Alfonso sang something about moving on from a past relationship, it's called Your Song by Rita Ora. I actually enjoyed that song a lot. She was a little nervous but she did it anyway, she had fun too.

Then they announced the winner, congratulations Jyl Orila. I'm sure you'll love London! Congratulations Costa Coffee too, wish to join this too soon! 

KUMAGCOW

Fresh Blogs Fast!

Costa Coffee Opens In Robinsons Galleria

It looks like the Ortigas Business district is about to get even better as the irresistable London brand Costa Coffee has opened up shop at the Robinsons Galleria in Pasig City. True enough, they opened up with a bang as their expert baristas whipped up several coffee concoctions so you could all taste London Roastery flavors right here in th Philippines. We''ve been in the BGC and Eastwood branch in the past and everyone has been raving about their Flat White and with good gusto I am too, as it's not just pretty but one of the nicest cups I've ever had in my life. I guess the secret is the Cortissimo which was explained to me as the perfect plaform to make latte art as you can see :)

They also have other things on the menu such as Capuccino, Latte, Cafe Caramella, Mocha and Ice Blended Frostino which are all best sellers. They also have fruit blends and I like the Lychee Blossom the most, though you could order the Watermelon Rose, Hibiscus Strawberry Cooler which would still hose you down in this hot summer weather.

The wraps are phenomenal, they have it in different savory flavors and if I were to choose the best, we need another article for that haha!

The Croissants are also good, pair them with coffee because the last thing you would want to happen is a lack of water, as it's flaky and cause that.

I had the Bacon with Cheese sandwich and it was SUPER Phenomenal! I had about 3 slices of it but don't tell people as I'm on a diet.

For Diabetics, don't worry as they also have Sugar Free cake, which I tasted that afternoon and I must tell you, it's not that bad at all.

They also have savory dishes, carrot cakes and New York Cheesecakes available so if you are hungry, this coffee shop can still satisfy you for lunch and dinner.

The pies are good too, it's tangy and sweet which would qualify as desserts right?

There are more things in the store that would make you happy especially the tumblers that you can take home (for a fee of course!). I will definitely make this my hangout when I'm around Ortigas because they have wifi too. I would gladly stay around a few hours, and the whole place is Londonesque so it's Instagram worthy. Have a cup today!

KUMAGCOW

Fresh Blogs Fast! 

How to Become A Good Barista

I've been loving Costa Coffee since they got their London-ish kind of brew here in the Philippines - and by far, my most favorite item on their menu is the Flat White. This doesn't come easy because aside from assuring the ingredients are at par with the world's best, it takes proper skill to whip up an ingenious cup of coffee. It takes years too to get to that level and perhaps sheer talent and I'm glad I've seen that first hand in their branches.

They also are holding competitions for their own baristas called Barista of the Year (BOY) which I covered too in the past and recently, our very own country representative Justin Dela Fuente bested countries from Southeast Asia and India. That says a lot about the quality that we're getting in Costa Coffee Philippines and he also shared a couple of things about how to get that perfect cup!

He's a skilled barista so he deems a couple of things to be the criteria one should have in order to achieve great coffee. 

PATIENCE - It takes time to be an expert. It takes tons of spilled coffee, burns in the machine and cups for willing test subjects if you want to concoct the perfect cup! All you need to do is practice and don't be disheartened if you fail at times, because we all have to begin somewhere right? 

STAY HUNGRY FOR KNOWLEDGE - Make sure you are always thirsty for knowledge. Learn from your mistakes, know the best practices from experts and apply it to your craft. Anything could be a learning opportunity. 

OVERFLOW WITH PASSION - There's nothing more miserable than a half hearted attempt on anything. Take that passion to heights and conquer your fears. Though I must say, always know when to edit. That is the key.

STAY FUN - A cup would be pleasing enough but make sure you still make it fancy. We all have that dream of the perfect cup and a little art never hurt anyone right? Take tons of unfamilliar flavors, introduce it to people and make it fun. There are ways to experiment and it doesn't have to be boring. Right?

SERVE YOUR BEST - Keeping the quality of your coffee and properly doing the process is the key. Make sure it's also the best cup you can make because people use hard earned money to purchase it. It's going to be a reason they'd come back. A good thing to do especially if you're building relationships and not just rapport. Who wouldn't want their perfect cup?

Those are just some of the nice things Justin shared about his goal of getting the championship this January in London. Make sure you support him by posting your Costa Coffee drinks online and use the hashtag #JustinForTheWin as he makes the country proud as he vies for Costa Coffee's Barista of the Year!

I'm posting one now! :) 

KUMAGCOW

Fresh Blogs Fast!