Saturday, the day after my last day of work. Usually is the kind of day that you would see in a classic black and white film where everything starts out slow and quiet. Could be because of the pile of stress that I got through the week or perhaps because I haven't drank my morning cup of coffee? Surprisingly, I pictured this one to be a tad different since I got invited to a (coffee) Home Brewing workshop at the Institute for Coffee Excellence, and being a coffee lover myself, I looked forward to new wonders this workshop would unravel.

Before I share with you the details of the workshop, let me give you a bit of a background of the Institute for Coffee Excellence.

 

The Institute for Coffee Excellence is an educational institution that offers world-class training standards for the specialty coffee industry. Founded by Michael Harris Lim, the 2019 Philippine National Barista Champion, and the first Filipino to make it to the semi-finals of the World Barista Championship in Boston, USA. While sharing his advocacies in the international stage, Harris continues to carry out his life's work of creating a fully-sustainable coffee economy and takes another step by officially opening the Institute for Coffee Excellence.

 

Since he first ventured in the coffee business in 2001, he has been committed in providing solutions to elevate the quality of local crops and equip the Filipino farmers with tools and knowledge to help them keep up with the evolving industry. But through the competitions, Harris was able to see the industry in the perspective of a barista which made him realize that they also needed training in delivering the best coffee experience. As he stated, “This journey has inspired me to create a space to nurture the baristas and our Filipino coffee farmers.” Thus, he built the Institute for Coffee Excellence to have it thrust work at both ends of the spectrum: for farmers and baristas.

Going back to the workshop, here’s what transpired:

The Basic Manual Coffee Brewing Workshop was facilitated by Sir Argenel “Argie” Vegas. The 2019 Philippine Brewers Cup 3rd Placer, and Henry and Sons’ in-house Barista Trainer.

He showed us eccentric coffee brewing tools and taught us how to use them along with the important factors to take note of, like what type of coffee grounds and filters to be used in each tool, what’s the recommended brewing temperature of the water, how to use brewing scales , and more.

V60 (Pour-Over)

From the Japanese brand “HARIO”, the name “V60” comes from the vector 60. The 60 degree angle cone shape and spiral ribs inside the dripper allows paper filter to create enough space for the air to escape. Giving the coffee a bolder and richer taste.

*Uses medium grind coffee, and is best enjoyed on medium brew.

Chemex (Pour-Over)

Designed by a German Chemist named Peter Schlumbohm, this tool uses a paper filter that is 3 times thicker than other Pour-Overs. This is best used for intense tasting coffees like Barako Coffee as it gives it a better developed and smooth flavor.

*Grind Size: Medium Course

Aeropress

Photo Credits: crateandbarrel.com

Invented by Aerobie President, Alan Adler. Here, coffee is steeped for 10-50 seconds and then forced through a filter by pressing the plunger through the tube.

*Filter: AeroPress paper filter or disc shaped thin metal filters
  Grind Size: Medium-Fine/Fine

Syphon (Vacuum Pot)

Syphon brewing is rather advanced, and takes roughly 12 minutes. It’s a brewing method that’s done mostly by hand, requiring precise temperature, attention and skill.

It has two chambers where the bottom one is filled with water and is heated (by a burner or open flame), then the vapor pressure forces the water to rise into the top chamber where it mixes with coffee grounds. After that, the heat is turned off and the loss of vapor pressure causes the water to drop back into the lower chamber through a filter placed at the bottom of the upper chamber. This drop is caused by gravity and vacuum effect, which is why it is also referred to as Vacuum Pot.

*Grind Size: Medium

Among those coffee brewing tools, I personally liked the V60 because of the richness in taste it gives to your coffee, as well as it’s aesthetically pleasing design.

We also had the chance to try brewing coffee using the V60 by ourselves.

All in all, having a go on making your own coffee using these coffee making tools was what made this workshop a really fun learning experience. It brought me to a whole new dimension of the coffee world apart from the usual routine of just ordering coffee from Cafés. Big thanks to the Institute for Coffee Excellence for having us!

Want to take your brewing experience in a whole new level? Visit them at Sheridan cor Pines St Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City,or their website: coffeeexcellence.org for more details.

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For Wilfred Dy, what began as a casual search for a way to convert bank rewards points to something more useful became the rewarding experience of his life. The 53-year-old stockbroker from Binondo, Manila is the grand winner of the much-coveted GetGo Points to a Million promo.

“I was really excited when I heard about the promo. I’m a Citibank cardholder and I’ve earned so many points from my everyday purchases. I thought, saan ko kaya siya pwede magamit,” shares Dy. Fortunately, the answer to his question popped out when he heard about GetGo’s biggest bank-wide promo.

As a loyal GetGo member, Dy was thrilled to hear that the lifestyle rewards program is giving its bank partners’ cardholders a chance to win 1 million GetGo points. With this much points, he thought about the many beautiful countries that he and his family can visit and explore.

“For the three years that I’ve been a GetGo member, lagi lang ako nakakakuha ng points from grocery shopping. So, when I found out about this promo, I decided to convert my Citibank points to GetGo points to get those raffle entries for me and my family,” he recounts. “Pero it wasn’t until the last day of the promo that I converted my credit card points and luckily, I won.”

Before winning the promo, Dy has already been enjoying fun travels within and outside of the country. There was even a year when he flew more than five times for leisure trips. Now, as a GetGo Points Millionaire, he is taking his travel lifestyle to new and exciting heights with free flights!

“I was shocked ‘nung may tumawag sa akin from GetGo. It was just a normal morning on my way to work and when I answered the call, I was grateful to have received the good news,” Dy remarked when asked about what he felt when he learned that he won the promo.

Among the destinations that he is excited to fly to with his GetGo points are different international countries, including South Korea and Japan.

Just like Dy, you can also experience a fun and fulfilling lifestyle with GetGo. The rewards program of Cebu Pacific will stop at nothing to bring amazing travel possibilities as they continue to make daily activities like shopping, dining, watching movies, and fueling up more rewarding with points to fly for free. Who knows? You might be the next GetGo Points Millionaire! 

For more information on memberships and partners, visit www.getgo.com.ph. Never miss out on exclusive member offers and the latest news on partner promos by subscribing to GetGo email alerts. Just log in to your account, go to ‘Profile’, select ‘Preferences’, click ‘My Settings’, and choose ‘Count Me In’. You can also like and follow GetGoPH’s official pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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May 12, 2019 - MAKATI, Philippines - When was the last time we took some time off to create a lasting memory with our mother? This question and our tendency to be overly connected to technology led to popular Litson Manok chain Andok’s to take a back-to-basics observance of Mother’s Day. This year, Andok’s seeks to inspire families to disconnect from their mobile devices and create lasting memories with their mothers on their special day.

Dubbed as #HourMama, Andok’s campaign seeks to encourage people to dedicate at least an hour for some uninterrupted bonding time with their mother.
“Over the years, we have seen technology successfully bridge various gaps in human experience. However, we tend to be so excited with the advancements and the connections we can make from afar that we forget to give the gift of being present to our loved ones who are right beside us,” shared Maverick Javier, Executive Vice President of Andok’s Litson Corporation.“This inspired us to encourage everyone to take an hour of their time to take a step back, look around, and create new core memories with the people around them. And we thought it is best to kick-off this campaign by sharing new memories with our mothers on their special day.”

The campaign kicks off at Andok’s branch in Makati Avenue where customers and guests go offline from 12 noon to an hour and connect with the mothers in the restaurant. The branch’s WiFi will go WaFi (walang WiFi) as the restaurant’s wireless Internet connection shuts down during this hour. Fueling these personal and live interactions among families is the signature taste of Andok’s offerings, allowing the families to punctuate their connections with Andok’s iconic dishes.
“Andok’s has always been about doing things with heart and appreciation. With #HourMama, we aim to not just have a heart-to-heart connection with our valued customers, but to build meaningful relationships and memories within families. We are hoping this activity will pave the way to more observances of #HourMama as our fellow Filipinos spend more quality and uninterrupted time with their moms – even beyond Mother’s Day. Of course, this is best done with the offerings of Andok’s that we’ve all come to know and love,” adds Javier.

Everyone is also encouraged to join the campaign on Mother’s Day by taking a photo with their mothers after a dedicated offline hour and posting it using in social media using the hashtag #HourMama.

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It's the season for play and adventure once again, with summer just around the corner! As kids look forward to having the time of their lives with loads of fun and free time, it's also an opportunity for parents to find activities that can be enriching as well. 

Get you kids ready because the McDonald's Kiddie Crew Workshop is back, and this year, kids can experience an exciting adventure of fun and learning with the Kiddie Crew Workshop: Explorer Edition!

Now on its 27th year, McDonald's Kiddie Crew Workshop continues its tradition of making learning an adventure for the kids and giving them a unique and memorable experience at McDonald's. Through play-based activities, kids aged 6-12 will experience all the fun things that make up McDonald's, and at the same time, learn good values, build confidence, and discover new talents, all in the company of new friends!

The workshop will turn kids into budding adventurers as they set out to complete fun and educational tasks, like making their all-time favorite McDonald's Cheeseburger, and serving delighted customers from behind the Front Counter or the Drive-Thru window! They also get to sing, dance and let their creative juices flow with different activities that make for a memorable summer experience. 

Front Counter:

Drive-Thru:

Making Mcdonald's Cheeseburger:

Kiddie Crew Workshop starts on April 8, with various workshop schedules you can choose from. The weekday workshop runs for 5 days with each day lasting for 2 hours, while the two-day weekend workshop lasts for 3 hours per session. You're sure to find a schedule that will best fit you and your kid's summer activities!

All these fun activities, new friends, happy memories, and loads of goodies await them for just P695 for the weekday workshop, and P595 for the weekend workshop. 

But the fun and surprises don't end there! McDonald's has a special treat for those joining the Kiddie Crew Workshop, with free membership to the new Kiddie Crew Club -- offering members exclusive and exciting perks all-year round!

So what are you waiting for? Enroll your little explorers in the McDonald's store nearest you and give them an unforgettable summer experience! To know more about the McDonald's Kiddie Crew Workshop, visit https://McDoKiddieCrew.com.


  

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The lifestyle rewards program of Cebu Pacific, GetGo continues to open up travel possibilities for everyJuan as it introduces its newest mobile app. With the app, you can earn and redeem points to fly for free, as well as enjoy amazing offers with just a few taps! Booking Cebu Pacific flights with GetGo points is also made easier through simple clicks inside the GetGo Mobile App. Here are other features that members can enjoy from the all-in-one travel rewards app: 

Bring your GetGo points anywhere you go

The GetGo Mobile App lets you track and access your points wherever you are, so you can book that flight whenever you want to! Need to update your personal details? You can also change email address, password, and other contact information through the mobile app.


Special promos and offers from lifestyle partners

Making the GetGo Mobile App experience more thrilling, GetGo has lined up app-exclusive offers and services from lifestyle partners. With your GetGo points, you can also unlock benefits and discounts on various lifestyle partners so don’t forget to check the app from time to time!


Book flights as easy as 1-2-3

Ready to fly to your dream destination? With the mobile app, you can now conveniently book flights wherever you are, whenever you want. Just go to the Flights tab and you will find a low fare finder calendar that shows flight dates with their respective points so you can easily choose the most affordable flights. Upon selecting the dates, you can proceed to pay using GetGo points. You can also choose to top-up payment using any credit or debit card, or via any accredited payment centers.


Enjoy app-exclusive seat sales

GetGo is known for its year-round low fares and flash seat sales, and with the GetGo Mobile App, you can score those promo flights ahead of everyone else. GetGo Mobile App users have the privilege to get first dibs on GetGo seat sales and promos. You can even turn on notifications on the mobile app so you won’t miss any alerts on partner promos or flight discounts.


Don’t miss out on the rewarding experience of living the GetGo lifestyle. The GetGo Mobile App is available for download on App Store and Google Play Store or via http://www.onelink.to/getgo-ph. 

For more information of memberships and partners, visit www.getgo.com.ph. Never miss out on exclusive member offers and the latest news on partner promos by subscribing to GetGo email alerts. Just log in to your account, go to ‘Profile’, select ‘Preferences’, click ‘My Settings’, and choose ‘Count Me In’. You can also like and follow GetGoPH’s official pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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