Share Tea {Boracay}

I just realized I still haven't shared all the food trip stories from Boracay, so might as well continue before I go back to the book I am reading.


What a gloomy time to travel to Boracay! We were blessed to have two hours of sunshine, which allowed us to enjoy the not-so-clear beach water, but as soon as lunch time came the rains just kept pouring. The Tides Boracay allows visitors to stay inside the guests' rooms until 10pm, so I decided to stay with mom and sis that afternoon - watching TV and share stories as well as taking pictures.

Time passed so quick that weekend. Next thing we know it was already 4pm and mom suggested we go out to check the shops and eat snacks. I wanted to try the crepe place, but it was still raining and the kiosk didn't have umbrellas to cover their tables, so we went to sister's choice of snacks - Milk Tea.

The walls, menu, and cups say that Share Tea is Number 1 in Taipei, and for a moment we felt as if we were in Taipei or any Chinese-speaking place because we were the only Filipinos (apart from the store's staff) enjoying the drinks.


Milk Tea shops may specialize in milk teas (obviously), but I  always go for the Yakult drinks whenever I visit a milk tea shop. They offer Passionfruit Yakult, but I chose the Grapefruit Yakult (with nata de coco) instead, just to try something new. I loved it! It tasted like real grapefruit - tangy with a hint of bitter taste, but leaves a sweet taste on the taste buds.

Sister obviously went for the Wintermelon Milk Tea (with tapioca pearls), which she enjoyed, too, but she has tasted so many Wintermelon Milk Tea already, so this tasted typical for her already.

Mom chose the Mango Milk Tea (with nata de coco). It was a very interesting combination, but it worked well.

We were very surprised at how much we enjoyed the drinks. All were refreshing and great tasting, definitely worth every peso paid.

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Share Tea
Unit 116, Phase 4
D’Mall Station 2, Boracay
+63 (036)260-2397

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Moonleaf Tea Shop {Maginhawa QC}

My siblings and I received Moonleaf Tea Shop gift certificates that would expire by the end of September. I really thought I would never get to use my GC anymore, but because mom was able to finish submitting documents by lunch time, I asked them if they wanted to use it. Good thing that we were just near the Maginhawa branch.



Just like the many food shops along Maginhawa Street, this one was also a house turned into a shop. Because of its location, many students from schools near the area come here to enjoy their favorite Moonleaf Tea Shop drinks, pastries and choice savory dishes, while doing their school assignments. It was a good place to hang out with friends or enjoy a quiet time to study because not only does this shop have free WiFi access, they also have available electrical sockets for people to charge their laptops and/or phones.

One thing I liked was that aside from the foods and drinks was that this store has a craft corner that sells different stuff - washi tapes, twines, pouches, jewelry, even iPhone cases... all from Hey Kessy.

We just had our lunch so we were just there to enjoy drinks. I took my sister and my mom's order and allowed me to choose other drinks to maximize the amount of our gift certificate.



With the help of the friendly barista, I was able to get six cups of drinks:

• Wintermelon Milk Tea with nata de coco
• Peach Yakult with nata de coco
• Wintermelon Milk Tea with tapioca pearls
• Lychee Jasmine with aloe
• Yogurt Milk Tea with nata de coco
• Hakka Milk Tea with tapioca pearls

My sister's first choice was the Wintermelon Milk Tea (Oolong based), but it was not available so she just went for the basic Wintermelon Milk Tea, same as mom. My favorite Moonleaf Tea Shop drink is the Passionfruit Yakult, but when I saw the Peach Yakult, I decided to go for it instead. Peach Yakult was sweeter compared to the Passionfruit one, but very very delicious! Sister's next choice was the Hakka Milk Tea and my second choice was the Yogurt Milk Tea, and because I know their drinks cost near or a little over 100 pesos plus the add-on sinkers, so I thought I could only get five cups of drinks, but the barista told me I could still order for one more drink and suggested I try Lychee Jasmine with aloe. I love it when the barista knows which add-on goes well with the drink.

We were still full from lunch, so we only drank one cup of drink each and took home the rest. Supposedly, the Yogurt Milk Tea was something I chose for mom and the Lychee Jasmine would be for me, but when mom checked the chiller, she decided to go for the Lychee Jasmine and loved it a lot! 

If you want to visit this branch, you can take the Teacher's Village tricycle from Philcoa and just ask the driver to drop you off at Moonleaf Tea Shop. Fare cost 25 pesos.

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Moonleaf Tea Shop

103 Maginhawa Street

Teacher's Village, Quezon City

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My First Taste of the Civet Coffee

Alamid Coffee, also known as the Civet Coffee has had such a reputation for many years now. It was through my brother that I learned how and why this coffee is considered one of the most expensive, but the idea that this kind of coffee comes from the Civet Cat's poop sounded a little icky and weird. However, knowing that the cats would only eat the freshest and sweetest coffee cherries, the beans they excrete along with their poop meant that it was of high quality.



I am not a big coffee drinker, but it is one of my foodie wishes to taste the Civet Coffee, but the price tag that comes with made me feel this would remain but a wish... until I visited Green Bean Organic Coffee Company. For a very affordable price of 130 pesos a cup, I think this is the cheapest Civet Coffee you will find, considering some coffee shops offer this at 300 pesos a cup.

The secret? The company went straight to the coffee farmers and by not going through the middlemen, not only did they get to buy the beans at a lower price, they also got it fresh.

How did it taste compared to the typical brewed coffee? I found this richer and stronger, which has a surprisingly very mellow hint of sweetness, even if you drink the pure black blend. Even without cream or milk and sugar, I was able to enjoy the coffee.

Green Bean Organic Coffee Company started years ago when Dr. Gary Bunagan went to New York to practice medicine. Being a "promdi," he learned his ways around New York and offered to get his boss' coffee. Soon, he also started appreciating the unique blend of the organic coffee and upon seeing a contact information about Irving Farm - the supplier of the coffee, he set up a meeting and thought of bringing this coffee here in the Philippines, knowing that even if there are a lot of coffee shops here, there is nothing (or very few, if there are) that offers organic coffee. He learned the ins and outs of coffee - from growing it, harvesting, to brewing it - even trained to become a barista, and this new found coffee passion, coupled with help from family and friends is where Green Bean Organic Coffee Company was born.

Last Saturday, I was able to tour different Green Bean branches around the Metro with fellow blogger friends...



...starting with their branch at the lobby of Hotel H2O in Manila, where we had breakfast.



Here, we learned the secrets of what makes a good cup of coffee, as well as the different kinds of coffee. They take pride of their organic coffee... and although they acknowledge that there is an existing organic coffee farming in the Philippines, none is is certified organic yet, so in all of their shops, they serve coffee from Irving Farm, which is USDA certified organic.




Next stop was at this branch inside the NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) Terminal 3. Co-owned by celebrities Jeffrey Hidalgo and William Thio, this branch has been existing for two years. In this branch, we got to taste their Organic Chai Tea with Dalandan, which was refreshingly good!



Along Pasong Tamo Extension, we got to see the soon to be opened branch inside the Tow & Stow Industries in the YMC Building. This branch is going to open sometime in August or September, and aside from serving drinks, they will also serve sandwiches, using organic meat. Here, we got to taste the Gangnam Cooler, which uses the Honey Citron Tea, made from Yujae Fruit. Another refreshing drink, but I think I prefer this with hot water.




The rain started pouring by the time we had our lunch... which was a little blessing in disguise, because we got to taste a very rich and comforting cup of Hot Chocolate at this cute branch located inside the St. Luke's Medical Center. Just like their coffee, they also got their chocolate tablets straight from the farmers.




Last stop for the day was at this homey branch in New Manila, which is basically a long walking distance from St. Luke's. This isn't just a coffee shop, but an art gallery as well - and all of the art pieces inside this shop is up for sale.


Green Bean Organic Coffee Company serves drinks, but they also serve snacks and pastries. Must try are their Banana Chips - which is one of the best I have tasted because it wasn't so sweet - and their Panini Pressed Ensaymada. The heat created by the panini press caused the sugar and queso de bola toppings to melt, providing a different taste to the ensaymada.

My coffee experience at Green Bean Organic Coffee Company was very pleasant. At breakfast, I was served with a cup of coffee with cream and sugar - just like I love my coffee, but I was told that customers have the option to tell the barista how they want their coffee to be done. One of the things I didn't like about brewed coffee in general is that I tend to add a lot of sugar and not getting the right mix of flavors I wanted, and I was surprised that them serving me a cup of coffee with cream and sugar hit the kind of flavors I want in my coffee - rich, creamy, and slightly sweet. Although customers have the option to have the cream and/or sugar served on the side, they do recommend you let them mix the coffee for you. They also offer muscovado sugar, which I learned that doesn't change flavor even with hot water.

Also, knowing that their coffee is sourced from New York, they don't overstock and that they grind and brew the coffee beans in little batches to ensure that each cup of coffee served has all the elements - smell and flavors.

One of the things I loved about this coffee company aside from their drinks and food is their sense of social responsibility. By promoting organic coffee, they offer people a healthier way of drinking coffee, but they also help the environment and small groups of people. A good example was their coffee cup sleeve - which was made from recycled paper, hand cut and hand stamped with food grade ink. Costing is a little more expensive, but this created a small way of people to earn money - by cutting and stamping the paper.

If you are seeking some comfort from a good cup of coffee, I recommend you try Green Bean Organic Coffee.

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Figaro Opens a New Branch at the Patriarch Building

Just a few days ago, a new Figaro branch opened - at the newly erected Patriarch Building in Chino Roces cor. Don Bosco, Makati.


That day, there were simultaneous celebrations - the opening of this branch, and the bank fronting the coffee shop, and the blessing of the Patriarch Building.



Part of the celebration was the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the blessing of the store, and the much-awaited coin and candy toss.


This Figaro branch is smaller than the other branches I have visited and only serves drinks and pastries - no hot meals and pasta dishes. Even so, every drink and pastries available at every Figaro branches are available here, too, so if you're in the area and you fancy some drinks and pastries, please do drop by this branch.



A catered breakfast buffet was served, but Figaro offered pastries and drinks to everyone who attended the event. It was my first time to see their newest cake - Blue Velvet - but for my choice of pastry, I went for My Little Oscar, which is basically their version of Sans Rival. I loved this cake because it was lightly sweet and packed with lots of cashew nuts! It was just a sweet ending to a sweet celebration.

Figaro at the Patriarch Building (Chino Roces cor. Don Bosco) is open from Mondays to Fridays - 8am to 5pm.

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