Philippine Tea & Coffee Alert

Pardon the long absence dear readers as I took a much needed R&R, away from this maddening Philippine coffee & tea industry.

So what did I miss? To keep abreast I spent a whole afternoon chatting with close allies from the industry: an active coffee roaster GM, a cafe owner from the south, a milk tea giant, and an equipment supplier. Sorry, no photos since this is a no holds barred chat-fest. Here's our conclusion:

1) Among the BIG roasters, still no once could match the quality, technique/style and work/business ethic of "Retired Coffee Guru" who has long sailed into the sunset, happy with his invigorated psyche! We all envy your current state, and wish we could all jump into the "retired" bandwagon soon.

2) 3rd Wave Coffee is at its peak, despite claims of a decline in the US. Well, we are almost-aways 6 months to a year behind world beverage trends, so it's safe to say that we'll see them (more of them) still for a long period of time.

"3rd Wave for the 3rd World." Hmmm, nice slogan!

Just a small request to those in the 3rd wave brouhaha - "Brownie Points" to the latte art, but don't forget to extract good espresso shots too. The overall drink is rated not only in presentation, but taste as well.

3) Small-batch/micro roasters pride themselves with Product QUALITY and ACCOUNTABILITY. They do not resort to DOUBLE-STANDARDS by boasting HACCP or ISO accreditation, yet cower into possessing them once a customer complains about quality issues.  No wonder micro roasters are able to collectively swing tons of monthly volume away from the Big Guys.

4) Snooty Tea Salons are struggling, but Milk Tea Shops are here to stay. Nope, it's not a fad! Despite a slow-down as far as hype is concerned they have etched themselves in our beverage culture, just like the never ending Air Supply concert in our country.

To cap off our animated discussion, our caffeinated group vowed to meet again before the year ends. As a parting shot, we all agreed: "Money May Be The Desired End, But Passion Is Still The Key To One's Success!"

Mother Of All Milk Teas

If a picture paints a thousand superlatives then consider the one above as such! SERENITEA (yup, all caps and extra "sinkers" for this beloved brand) is the undisputed god of all milk teas, as evident to their claim to fame:

"Every tea is freshly brewed by our (their) tea espresso machine to ensure the finest taste and richest aroma." 

The end masterpiece ensures freshness and full flavor - cup, after cup, after cup, with no bitter aftertaste as a result of tannin release, a common NO-NO of competitors who soak their teas for hours in large vat, dispenser or container.

My all time faves, MINTY CHOCO
and STRAWBERRY TOFFEE

After a properly extracted tea espresso shot, signature flavors and sinkers (optional) are incorporated to give it that OOMPH it is well-known for. Consumers and competitors alike are aware that the undisputed "Milk Tea god" does not scrimp on quality. What matters for SERENITEA is a highly satisfied consumer who will keep patronizing the brand and the yummy drinks they churn out.  Many happy returns!

24 branches and counTEAng, both locally and abroad! Need I say more???

Pocket Workshop In Progress - Coffee, Tea By ME!

Six (6) "Coffee, Tea By ME!!! POCKET Workshop" batches and counting... Far Skyes Enterprise in cooperation with Studio SnR wish to thank everyone who inquired and participated for believing in us and the priceless beauty of learning!

In line with our commitment to TOTAL Customer Satisfaction, allow me to highlight this particular batch (our 5th) conducted last August 5, 2012. Our two participants are from Cagayan de Oro (CDO), and they flew to Manila to attend the WOFEX Show from August 1-4. No thanks to the strong rains, massive floods and horrendous traffic experienced during that week (take note, there's no typhoon), here are their constraints:

The Pocket Workhop in progress...

1) The terrible weather messed up their schedule, thus they are requesting if we could do the Pocket Workshop on a Sunday since they are leaving early morning the following day. ✓

Highlighting the Jura Ena9, the DO-IT-ALL
Fully-Automatic Espresso Machine

2) Due to the floods, and since Studio SnR is closed during sundays, the only solution is to conduct the training in our humble abode, situated on high ground and is conveniently located. ✓

Making-do! It's all about flexibility,
love-for-work and professionalism

3) They are more inclined in opening a Milk Tea place in CDO, so they asked if we could tailor-fit the the Workshop to suit their requirements. ✓

Hokkaido Milk Tea 

Strawberry-Yakult Smoothie anyone??? 

All their requests we found a solution to in our never-ending commitment to the Coffee, Tea By ME! Workshop we love and which has given us the added OOMPH in terms of product mileage and brand recall.

One for the road, the all-natural
Blueberry smoothie!♥

Off to serve the succeeding batches, despite the conditions and limitations. Proving that Far Skyes Enterprise and Studio SnR are NO fair-weathered friends. Staying true to our oath of Spreading the Caffeinated & Creamy Love - One Drink At A Time! 

Cheers to learning!!!