Starbucks Coffee Tasting Seminar: Guatemala Casi Cielo and Caffe Verona

“Coffee”, just that word and I’m hooked! A “Love”-ly person e-mailed and reserved slots for me and my sister for a delightful coffee tasting seminar at Starbucks last weekend. They featured Guatemala Casi Cielo and Caffe Verona plus the company’s commitment to ethically source coffee through Shared Planet.

*Guatemala Casi Cielo - smell: floral, cocoa; taste: lemon acidity, smooth body, dark cocoa finish; mouth feel comes from the cocoa-powder texture that coats the tongue characteristic of the Antigua Region; an elegant coffee which complements sweet desserts, herbs and cheeses.

*Cafe Verona - roasty, sweet; low acidity, full body; a blend of coffees from four farms in the Antigua Region; complex and a multi-region blend (Latin America and Asia/Pacific with Italian Roast; a post-roast blendto bring out all the four coffee flavours.

*Shared Planet - (2008) is focused on three key ideas: Ethical Sourcing, Environmental Stewardship and Community Involvement; the company’s way to share their Global Responsibility efforts with their customers.

Needless to say my sister and I really enjoyed every bit of the seminar and have showed intent for the next seminars (another one as early as te first week of March). So for coffee lovers, new coffee drinkers or just simply foodie peeps..check out the Starbucks Coffee Seminars at a branch near you!

Coffee 101 With Ms. Chit Juan at Le Bistro

I made this capuccino with Le Bistro's Staff's guidance

The R.E.A.L. types of coffee beans

Last Novenber 17, 2009 I attended a lecture about Coffee 101 by Ms. Chit Juan. Truth be told I started drinking coffee at the the tender age of seven (alternating it with my chocolate drink and salabat when there’s a choir practice). At that age I already liked strong coffee like Barako, have definitely tried Rice Coffee and the parents then had two mini coffee trees at our backyard..needless to say we support and buy Philippine coffee.

The seminar was very concise starting from coffee myths and history, its different species, phases of specialty coffee, coffee trivia-benefits all the way to espresso 101 which we also learned hands on. So I definitely recommend not just hardcore coffee lovers to experience the workshops but anyone that is curious about the coffee lifestyle.

The small group seminar was held at LE BISTRO located at Fraser Place in Salcedo Village which offers a special sustainable food menu which ensures that food products support earth-friendly initiatives and help sustain local farmers.

I just love the interiors, free internet and the serene laid back ambience which is great for holding meetings, seminars and intimate parties. Their main dining room seats over 30 people but for stand up cocktails they can accommodate around 60 people which is perfect for exclusive press conferences. The function room where we had our seminar, can fit up to 2 meetings held simultaneously or a medium size gathering of 30 people. And for a taste of Paris in Makati, there is an outdoor seating area for those who wish to enjoy al fresco style.

I have visited their branch located at Serendra where they share the space with ECHO (Environment & Community Hope Organization STORE) a few months ago so I was elated to have received ECHO tokens after the Coffee 101 seminar. Aside from the fact that their products are eco-friendly, non-toxic, natural or organic and biodegradable, it also supports women’s health care. I recommend as a fellow advocate and as a fresh alternative, buy their Christmas green gift baskets instead.