Breville Launches New Espresso Maker to Make Fine Brews at Home!

Tried Latte art for the first time, let's just say it needs work LOL! 🤣

My love for coffee just like a lot of Filipinos, it's just undeniable. To say the least, you're bound to see me in coffee shops while working because I love the ambiance and that certain smell when they grind coffee from the beans they recently roasted. It's addicting, but very good for the soul.

These days, you don't need to spend the whole day at coffee shops, because let's face it, drinks in that place often cost an arm and a leg. The folks at Breville Philippines had us experience how it is to have our own coffee machine at home, not the kind that just has a coffee pot and filter, but the those machines you often dream of having. They showed us the Breville Express Impress, and the Breville Barista Pro.

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Ms. Haj Cortez-Flores the F&B Business Unit Manager of Breville Philippines welcomed us all and said "I want to welcome everyone, thank also my own team for today's event. We have lots of activities for you and lunch, you will certainly enjoy this! Please enjoy the company over a cup of coffee, thank you so much for being here today!"

Chef Joseph Datu, the Breville Corporate Chef

Chef Joseph Datu the Breville Corporate Chef adds "We replicate the good machines in commercial establishments and put them at home. Our Breville Express Impress has lots of features that also tamps on its own, it's the perfect thing for beginners. The Barista Pro on the other hand has all the information set on screen, it's like the Barista Express on steroids, as it takes 3 seconds to brew because it's built fast and reliable. It's not too big, perfect for that coffee nook you've been planning to construct at home."

The Breville Express Impress is an espresso machine that has the Impress Puck System to make sure you get that cup and dose you need for the day. The tamping gets 10Kg of pressure and 7 degree barista twist without the need of measuring it yourself. From the coffee content, to the temperature and steam, it just needs your hands to whip up a cup. It only costs Php 69,999 and is available in stores Breville is available. You can also trade your older Breville machine and get this new one from the line. 

Thank you for the tons of activities you had us try Breville! Plus the entertaining song and dance numbers that came right after!

If you're up to it, visit the Breville website and social channels to know more about it!

London Style Brew now in Manila: Costa Coffee

Great news for coffee lovers out there, there's a new brand in town and this really came in the right time when we're almost all bored about the usual coffee shop we see in major thoroughfares. London based Costa Coffee is now in the Philippines and they're gearing to put up more stores in the country soon.  Costa Coffee was founded in London by Bruno and Sergio Costa sparked by their love for premium quality coffee. They've got 40 years of experience to back that up and over 3,000 Costa stores around the world to prove it. Their goal is to be the worlds most loved coffee shop brand, a feat that they can well do in the next few years I bet.

The Interiors

The place has 2 floors and is pretty much reflected to be much like the streets of London inside complete with a red phone booth outside which you can take photos with. The interior's made of several brick walls, upholstered and regular seats that would gladly be reminiscent of an Austin Powers movie.

It's the London culture, the vibe, the colors that they would like you to see inside the store. There several corners in this place that I would have loved to reserve for myself when I get the chance to hang out in Eastwood, especially the window seats. Remember, the Brits are some of the worlds most demanding customers and if they want quality on their drinks or food, they need to get it and this is much of a standard thing in Costa Coffee shops I'm sure.

Come To Italianni's This Mothers Day!

Italianni's has been pretty special to my family, as each time my brother comes home from Ireland and feel to dine somewhere, we end up being in this restaurant so we kinda have a lot of memories here. I've also dated a couple or more instances here because I like the ambiance. It's non constricting, not too formal, but you get the classy food and comfy tables that go with it. Also, the food is delish! I mean, who doesn't love Italian food right?

The Interiors

The place can accommodate 80-100 people. Their walls are lined with murals reminiscent of the Italian countryside, hardwood exposed beams, wrought iron chandeliers and garden vine configurations on the window treatments. These are usually seen in Florence, Venice, Rome, or some places like that. I also like the group tables that would be able to accommodate a family or two especially the one on the private room at the restaurant's left part. You get to feel you're in Italy even for a while and sit in warm colors all throughout the restaurant. 

They also have a bar which can whip up mixed drinks, good wine and espresso coffee too. The restaurant also sits on the back part of MOA facing the MOA Eye and the gorgeous Manila Bay. They close it out with shades in the afternoon so you won't feel the heat.

The Food 

We tried their new "Shareable Combos" that only costs Php 945.00. You practically are saving around Php 520.00 in these combo meals and it's intended for 2-3 people. Their servings are huge so if you're just out for lunch with a group of friends, this is definitely something that you could consider. This first one is called the Ribs and Fish Combo.

The fish is local, it's Tilapia and you would probably mistake it for cream dory. It's topped with a velvety Caper Cream Sauce so you get something a bit salty with the bland fish. They've got Pesto Rice with this too so you won't feel shortchanged when having this meal. After all, it's a Filipino staple. I also super duper love the Half Rack Baby Back Ribs which further intensifies when you put the paired steak sauce with it. They have their own home made marinade for the ribs and the sauce felt like it has some fruits it in. It's savory and sweet which makes it totally a hit!

This other shareable portion is called Pork and Chicken Combo. It's got a pasta dish called Aglio Olio, which is like spaghettini in chili and garlic oil. Their version is intensely garlicky, so it's not a good date food. Well actually you can, as long as you both eat it and have mints after. The next one was Chicken Parmegiana, which is fried chicken breast topped with a little tomato sauce, basil and mozzarella cheese. This would be something for the kids. it's crunchy and cheesy, not too tangy. It's just right. Then they also have two large Real Pork Chops with gravy which was surprisingly soft despite its size. The gravy was nice too. They said it's got a chicken base and several aromatics, onions, carrots and potatoes with it. Really filling and can feed 3 grown men. We didn't even get to finish the chops actually.

Aside from these deals, they're giving away small gift cards this Sunday because it's Mothers Day. This will get your Mom another reason to go back to Italianni's for a FREE Caesar Salad. Remember, it will be only available this Mothers Day so pleas come to Mall of Asia this weekend!

For more information about their restaurant:

Italiannis PH

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Visit their official website

http://italiannis.com.ph/

Summer Lovin With J.CO's White Choco Frappes!

Visited J.CO in the Shopwise Cubao branch in Quezon City. I think it's the nearest one in my place and I miss it quite a lot. I used to have their donuts quite often and I'm not aaaaaaaaaaaareally choosy. Whatever they have on the counter, I can take it, especially the J.Club Cheezy Rich which I adore. My folks on the other hand dig the Al Capone, a pretty popular one with most J.CO patrons.

I think it's a little bigger now than when I first came to this store. I frequent the one in Eastwood City which I think is still their biggest one by far. I also dig their coffees so if I have a lot of time in my hands, I usually take a couple of hours and put my self in one of their comfy seats just to relax, listen to their mood music, and perhaps finish an article or two.

Since it's summer I opted for something frozen. There's something new in their J.COFFE section called White Choco Frappe. You can ask for it from your favorite J.CO barista and tell them how you want it. The White Choco Frappe would be the perfect drink for those who love Vanilla and White Chocolate as these are their ingredients.This thing is fused with Vanilla and mixed with white chocolate sauce and sprinkled with some white chocolate chunks and shavings. If you were braving the streets of Manila the whole day, taking a break at J.CO would be something that could extinguish the almost 40 degree weather. Enough of those hot things, it'll just make you perspire more.

After a few hours, I was getting a little sleepy. Although I needed coffee in my system, I didn't want hot ones, instead I ordered their new White Choco Espresso Frappe, which almost had the same ingredients with the earlier one but with the exception of a shot of espresso in it. They suggested that I also take this in with the Don Mochino, it's one of J.CO's best selling donuts that's got dark chocolate outside and a cream filling.

I think the next good thing to do is to come and visit the nearest J.CO branch nearest you. There's a couple more in Makati, Mandaluyong, Eastwood City, and the whole of Metro Manila (Even SM Malls have them!). You'll be glad to see them offer these two drinks that's available in stores until May 31st! Take a sip, relax and enjoy the summer with these new flavors from J.CO donuts and J.COFFEE. Visit their website www.jcodonuts.com for their latest offerings.

For more information about their products:

JCO Philippines

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Visit their official website

http://jcodonuts.com.ph/

The Gear4 Espresso Wireless Bluetooth Speaker from Digital Walker

When this arrived in my doorstep, I couldn't believe my eyes. This is the Gear4 Espresso, it's a Bluetooth Wireless Speaker from our friends in Digital Walker, the premier gadget store in the Philippines. I have never ever used one before so I had to read the manual. Although, I think it works just like any Bluetooth speaker where you just had to pair it with your gadget and the audio would immediately come out of the Espresso cup. Design wise, it's got my vote because everybody else in Facebook was telling me how cute it was on photos. They just didn't know how much power it holds which I'll tell you about in a bit. 

The box contains only a few items, the Espresso Gear4 Bluetooth Speaker, the USB cable and the Quick Start Manual. I had to charge the speaker of course, so I just plugged it in one of my laptop's spare USB port and a red light turned on the Speaker. It's on the same line with the port (on its left) so you wouldn't really miss it. 

As I mentioned earlier, it was so cute! It looks so nice on top of my office table, but I usually take it around my house and even use it while in the shower. It even saves on the batteries of my phone because I don't have to use my iPhone's loudspeaker anymore. 

The one on the top left bares the construction of the speaker itself, because it was a little concave it made the speaker's output become more on the "base" side. I like it when it becomes powerful like that. Don't ever mistake this small wonder to sound inferior to other speakers because it really packs a punch. The one on the top right shows that the side of the speaker unit, it has a hook which can be pretty useful if you want to hang it out on walls, or even belts when you are outdoors. The one on the bottom left shows the mini USB port and the status light on it's left. It basically turns red when charging, it turns off when it's full, it blinks when it's trying to pair and turn solid blue when already paired. The one on the bottom right shows the bottom part of the speaker which has the power button. Press to turn ON, then press again to turn OFF. It's a no nonsense gadget that I absolutely love because it's simple, and doesn't have to be too complicated to work with other devices.

So I went ahead and connected this iPhone to the Espresso Gear4 Bluetooth Speaker. If you detect it on the devices, just choose and connect. You will also see that the light will turn solid blue on the speaker and see the Espresso link up on the iPhone's display. 

And you'll really see it glow!

After establishing the connection, I opened up Deezer Premium on my phone so I could stream my playlist. The speaker even at high volume did not disappoint. It was like having a party inside my room and I didn't have to have huge speakers at all. This small one was enough to enjoy mood music I wanted to have in that same day, in that same morning that I'm having my cup of Espresso. This Espresso Gear4 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker from Digital Walker is so good I'll probably have to get more for my love ones. As I said, don't let the size fool you... this one's really good.  

For more information about their products:

Digits Trading

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Visit their official website

http://www.wdc.com

Say Hi To CBTL's New Professional Suite

Your coffee machines don't come this pretty. You might think this one's sloppy but NO, it's one of the most advanced coffee machines ever made from CBTL. They've been in the business for over 50 years and if they don't know what they're doing, who else would be doing a better job than them? =)

The one above is part of their new line. It's called Office One. As the name implies it's perfect for SOHO. Small and medium enterprises comprise about a third of our country's businesses and they consume around 3.1 cups per person, per day. Now imagine if that number is multiplied to hundreds of employees and not to mention spend about P150.00 for that too. What value would you get with an Office One then? Of course, you'll end up saving a ton. It's also easy to do because everything's done with ONE TOUCH.

They've got 14 different viands of espresso, coffee and teas to choose from.

It's also got Energy Saving mode so if you are not using the machine, you know how that works LOL.

Here's another new model from CBTL. They call this the Desto. It almost looks like a Mac tower with its modern design. It performs better and more efficient since you don't have to worry that much about the capsules. There's a container on the center that catches it once used. Pop in a new one and it's going to a chute that collects them all. Pretty smart, design wise.

The one in the back is the water container. You don't need to bother with plumbing in order to get coffee machines like these to work.

Plus they still have the classics, the first ones which they have also successfully released.

CBTL also can partner with businesses. If your restaurant or office needs world class, commercial grade coffee or tea, they can help you set up these machines and work with you.

These gorgeous ladies even got us to make our own concoctions using the espresso, tea and coffee pods from CBTL. We also got a little competitive since our drink will be pitted against others during the event.

We loved our fantasy drink and we got the judges to taste it. We won this round! =)

If you wish to have these machines and pods on your small office/home office, make sure to call the right people.

Check out their official website

http://www.cbtl.com.ph


Or email them

cbtl@coffeebean.com.ph