With the booming economy and culture in Metro Manila, it was only a matter of time till places with unique concepts that emphasised on small group hang out spots that served beverages aside from alcohol came to fruition. Commune PH in Poblacion Makati serves a place for people to 'commune.'

The place is vibrant with little details that say 'a woman's touch' was the inspiration for the interior design. This is why it feels like home. Think of it like how your mom would add finishing touches to your home.  

Well lit and relaxing!

The Ambiance

Commune is the building on the corner of polaris street in poblacion. You can not miss it because of the huge glass windows and the long balcony on the second floor. The thing about Commune is that it screams 'a woman's touch' in its interiors. Most of the furnishing is custom made which gives this unique feel whenever you stay.

Huge windows with custom made furnishings!

There is the long bar in the middle with the high table on the left and the low tables on the right. The huge windows give this feeling of openness that makes the place perfect for either working calmly or relaxing with a group drinking coffee. 

Commune's Mocha comes with adorable Latte Art! (in this case a pug)

The Coffee, The Beverages and The Service

They offer the coffee classics like the Espresso, Capuccino, Mocha, Latte and the like. To pair with your coffee they offer decadent deserts like Cookie Bar's cookie shot glass and Fog City creamery's Ice cream. You can even have the cookie shot glass and the ice cream in one.

Cookie Bar's Cookie Shot Glass with Fog City Creamery's Vanilla Ice Cream!

The beans they use are all locally sourced. They proudly market their Philippine coffee advocacy. I personally prefer the local beans while their house blend is has a nice balance between flavors where it has the coffee kick that is strong enough to keep you up but the flavor never over powers which is good if you will be having this blend as your regular beverage. I highly recommend trying their Commune blend prepared via the Aeropress.

The Commune Latte!

They also offer foam art for your cappuccino. In this case we got a puppy trying to hug you. Isn't that just heart melting?  A bit of warning though, the foam tends to add a lot of air into your drink and may affect the flavor. 

A puppy trying to hug you!

The service is wonderful. The waiters and baristas have made a habit of being near your table should you have any additional request. There were times where the wait time was extended because they were still in soft opening but I think this will be ironed out after a while.

One of the better Red Velvet cupcakes I've had.

 The Price

The basic espresso starts at Php 90.00, while the rest of their coffee line can vary from Php 110.00 to Php 158.00. Their sandwiches, their pastries and their deserts start at Php 75.00 and can reach Php 400.00 while their classic rice meal will set you back Php 220.00. At the end of your stay, you'll also be charged an extra ten percent for their service. As you can see their prices are reasonable and within the expected prices from a coffee shop.

Do you want to Contact 'Commune PH?'

Address: 36 Polaris cor Durban Street, Poblacion , Makati City, Philippines
Telephone number: (02) 275-6324

Instagram: @communeph

 Operating Hours: Mon-Thurs: 12NN to 10PM; Fri-Sat: 12NN to 12MN; Sun 10AM - 6PM

Before one becomes the master, one must first be the student. Shortly after I became eighteen while I was earning my college degree, I was getting burned out for studying anything related to it. I set out to make the most of my spare time by delving into other studies and curiosities. I have always been curious and earnest in learning new and different things. Most of the time I would find something interesting but find that it wasn't for me. It was fun but nothing compares to finding something that you are passionate for.

Learning about specialty coffee was one of those things, and at first I hated the idea of spending at least Php 150.00 for a cup of coffee from Starbucks. My resolve mellowed down after a couple of years where I started to like it but then grew sick of it because of sugar fatigue. I then tried the CBTL but it ended up the same way. 

Black Painted Steel and Varnished Wood evoke a modern version of a Log Cabin

A couple of months later I met a business consultant that predicted that the third wave coffee businesses will be the next big thing. It was then did my curiosity piqued because I recalled that when I was in Seoul Korea for some time and one of the things that left a huge mark was that there were coffee shops on almost every block that I went to. 

Months passed and I saw the business consultant's prediction come to fruition. Multiple establishments that are, and that promote coffee businesses have appeared. All of them are here to stay.

Wooden Animal Silhouettes and Animal horn trophies add to the Log cabin feel

It was then that I saw Department of Coffee's signage along Wilson St. whenever I went home coming from Greenhills Shopping Center. It was here that I got to taste my first specialty coffee. It also helped that the owner was there to teach and explain to me that coffee was far more complex than I had thought. He said that each origin has a unique flavors which I had to know to find the beans that would suit my tastes. At the time I only knew that I didn't like strong fruity flavors and high acidity. He recommended the beans from brazi; hence, my very first specialty coffee was a mocha Brazilian latte.  Sadly at the time they were moving to Tomas Morato which is a little far from my usual hangout spots.

Intermission!

The cool people of DOC has been kind enough to open the opportunity to make a simple how-to video of coffee you can brew at home. We made two using the more home-friendly methods of brewing with a french press and with the manual pour over method. You can check them out on these links: French Press and Pour Over.

They have a second floor for groups who prefer privacy!

The Ambiance

DOC's aesthetics is a wonderful combination of rustic and modern. The use of black painted steel and the thick varnished hard wood with accents that you would find in a log cabin. It strikes a balance between homey and productivity. Although at times it feels like I'm in the woods.

When you step inside you will see the wonderful counter with the huge La Marzocco Strada. It is an awe inspiring piece of machinery if you've ever seen one. The kitchen is behind the counter with a huge glass panel that lets you peak inside.

Right beside the counter is their huge coffee bean roasting machine. Behind it are wooden cut outs of animal silhouettes that serve contrast to the grey walls.

A conference room for a more intimate affair

The Coffee, The Food and The Service

They serve beans from international sources like Brazil and Ethiopia and from local sources like Benguet. It just so happened that my latest cup is a Benguet Cappuccino.

Less than ten minutes after we coordinated our order with their lovely waitress, Karen, the cups came and immediately you get a whiff of intoxicating aroma of the coffee. It was lovely and evoked a "I want to get to work" state in me.

As I take my first sip, I notice right away the smooth transition from the initial distinct coffee bitterness to the sweetness of the beans and then to milk seemingly taming the fruity flavor of the beans.

When I started drinking speciality coffee, I really hated the fruity taste. I would praise the baristas who are able to tame that flavor and bring out the others to make a balanced beverage. After a while, I began to realize that I am warming up to it. I still don't like it but I feel that it is a inevitable part of the coffee experience. I owe my first foray into this world because of the passionate owner of Department of Coffee and I highly suggest you try as much beans as you can until you find that one bean you can bring home to your mother to.

The Price

Their coffee starts at Php 80.00 and max out at Php 120.00. They also serve home made ice cream for Php 30.00 per scoop,coffee partners like cookies, and breakfast dishes like eggs Benedict.

The Verdict

Overall Verdict: A

Beverage Quality: A

Service Quality: A

Bang for your Buck: A+

Do you want to Contact 'Department of Coffee'

Address: 87A Don Roces Ave, Kamuning, Quezon City
Telephone number: (02) 374-6194

Instagram: @departmentofcoffee

 Operating Hours: Mon-Sun: 7AM to 11PM

After having my first specialty coffee at Department of Coffee, I felt that I could never come back but unfortunately DOC had to move so I had to find another Third-wave coffee establishment located nearby.

In my search, I found several establishments within a couple of miles of DOC. One of which is EPIC Coffee at Kapitolyo, Pasig. One would think that after 2011, the word epic would lose its efficacy because of over use. So I aim to answer whether this place lives up to its name.

EPIC sits on the ground floor of a building along East Capitol Drive with two big round signages that you can not miss. Parking like in most establishments in Kapitolyo is very hard to come by so remember that patience is a virtue. Usually the security guard will let assist you with this should you have difficulty. 

It feels like you've stepped into a cozy log cabin.

The Ambiance

From the outside is a slender facade that may give an impression of a tight space, but you'll be surprised at how long the space is. Once inside, you feel like you've stepped inside a cozy log cabin of a bicycle enthusiast that has been remodelled with modern touches.

As I took my seat, I felt the warmth of this place, and it made me feel like I was coming home. Thoughts on how my parents are flood my mind with the last thing being 'I should get some work done and give them a call.'

A long counter with all their utensils and their offerings on display.

The counter is long with most of their utensils and offerings on display. The different beans and different teas are on on top for you to take your pick. They also display the different cakes they offer and you'd better be careful because all of them can break your diets.

The Toasted Marshmallow Flavoured Latte

The Coffee

They offer beans from the usual bean sourced countries with the EPIC bean blend their home blend. What is unique to EPIC is their take on the Sea Salt Caramel, Toasted Marshmallow, Affogato and Frappes.

The sea salt caramel is straight forward. I wasn't really a big fan of the hype it had but when I had it with their Coffee it was way beyond my expectation. The sea salt perfectly clashed with the sweetness of the caramel, and the bitterness of the coffee. The flavors then danced in unison as they balance each other out in your mouth, but the flavors never dissolves the other. You taste all of them distinctively, and together. It is fine hot, cold or frappe. Pick your poison.

The toasted marshmallow is a little different. Toasting the marshmallow brings its sweetness out, and on its own it would overload your tastebuds. It did serve as the perfect contrast to the flavours of the beans from the coffee. I found it a good alternative to caramel when you want to have that hint of fluffiness from the marshmallow.

On the other hand, their affogato is different. It is a scoop of Ice cream served with a shot of espresso which they serve separately. You will notice that when you pour the espresso that it can't hold the scoop of ice cream and the whole pitcher of espresso which adds a different dynamic to the usual affogato where they are served together. By doing this, they let you add more coffee as you eat the ice cream bit by bit. It is also mesmerising to see the hot coffee collide with the cold ice cream. The way the ice cream melts so gracefully is quite appetising.

Enjoying the affogato is a balancing act. It exists as both liquid and solid. Drinking too much of the coffee will make it taste more like the ice cream. Eating too much ice cream will lead to a sweetened coffee mixture. The latter is less likely to occur since there is mire ice cream than coffee.
Overall the affogato is a sweet treat where it is more dessert than beverage, and more indulgent than energising.

The Service and the Price

The Baristas are kind, and are open to your requests. They welcome you warmly as you come in and patiently take your order and questions. 

Coffee prices starts  Php 80.00 with an espresso and can get up to Php 260.00 for the COLD Affogato. (the hot affogato is Php 160.00) while the cakes start at Php 125.00. They also serve sandwiches like turkey ham, smoked salmon and vegan sandwiches that start at Php 130.00. Prices are reasonable and well worth your time and taste buds. I just find the premium offerings to be a little pricey. I hope to see you there.

The Verdict

Overall Verdict: A-

Beverage Quality: A

Service Quality: A

Bang for your Buck: A-

Do you want to Contact 'Epic Coffee'

Address: 102 East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig, Metro Manila, Philippines
Telephone number: (+63) 916-355-4129
Facebook: www.facebook.com/epiccafeofficial
Instagram: @epiccafeofficial
 Operating Hours: 8AM to 10PM