Barista Magazine

OCT-NOV 2012

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MANILA, CEBU AND BORACAY; PHILIPPINES A FASCINATING COFFEE CULTURE We had been anticipating our trip to the Philippines for well over a year, so booking our tickets was monumental. We have an affiliate barista training school called the Philippine Barista & Coffee Academy (PBCA), Inc., located in the bustling metropolis of Manila, and this was our first trip to work directly with their team. PBCA successfully organized and hosted a series of events that marked important milestones in the Philippines specialty coffee industry including "Coffee Conversations with Bruce & Matt Milletto, " in which I would join my dad, who founded Bellissimo Coffee InfoGroup, for a discussion with the attendees. We would begin our time in the Philippines with Bruce spending two days delivering seminars to business owners and entrepreneurs, while I spent two days training nearly 30 baristas in advanced espresso and milk, as well as menu preparation, workstation management, and latte art fundamentals. The classes and seminars filled up right away, and that enthusiasm gave us a lot of insight into the growth of specialty coffee locally. Beyond the managers, trainers, baristas, and shop owners, there were representatives from the big names in the food and beverage industry both local and international such as Bo's Coffee, Dunkin' Donuts, Cinnabon, J.Co Donuts & Coffee, and others attending this coffee-focused educational event. Following the two days of events and classes, the Philippine Barista Cup 2012 kicked off. The Cup showcased the top 12 baristas in two divisions: student and professional. The competition was held at the main hall of the SMX Convention Center in conjunction with the Philippine Culinary Cup and the World Food Expo 2012. Jose Paulo Abiog of the University of Santo Tomas (student division) and Paul Vincent Asuncion from Bo's Coffee (professional division) were the victors. Asuncion went on to represent the Philippines in the ASEAN Barista Championship in early September, in Bangkok, Thailand. It was my great honor to serve as the head judge for the competition, while Bruce was a sensory judge. We delighted in seeing so many local baristas come out to celebrate coffee and support each other. Many signature drinks included local ingredients, and all were very creative. I was able to try quite a bit of local Philippine-grown coffees, and was excited to meet some local producers and coffee roasters. Our friends at PBCA are passionate about education, and work tirelessly to foster a true specialty coffee community in Manila. Their two trainers, Michael Ross Canlas and Anj Ferreria, are top-notch baristas, and it was great to see such passionate pioneers in a city with so much coffee growth potential. I also got to meet the guys behind Craft Coffee Workshop, a micro-roaster with an espresso bar and small wares showroom in Quezon City. They excitedly told me about a latte art throwdown they had scheduled for later in the week, and while I was disappointed to miss it, I was thrilled to see such initiative and excitement among the local baristas. Due to jet lag, I was up around 5 a.m. each day for breakfast and a workout, followed by our drive through Manila traffic to the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City where the trainings took place. The days were long and comprehensive, and our hosts from PBCA were gracious and very hospitable, taking us out to enjoy local cuisine and showing us around Manila. www.baristamagazine.com 41

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