affogato – Jellybeans in the City

Counter the summer languor: 5 ways to cool down with Stay Up Espresso Bar

The onset of rain showers and the lingering summer heat in June can often leave us feeling lethargic and unmotivated. However, there’s a delightful solution to counter both the heat and laziness: an iced espresso drink from Stay Up Espresso Bar.

With a refreshing menu of espresso-based beverages which have iced variants, this newly opened café in Kapitolyo, Pasig is the perfect spot to chill out and enjoy a rejuvenating coffee experience during the last days of summer.

About Stay Up Espresso Bar

Located along United Street in Kapitolyo, Pasig, Stay Up Espresso Bar boasts neat and cozy interiors with a minimalist aesthetic. It offers a welcoming space for coffee lovers to work remotely, find moments of leisurely solitude, or gather with family and friends while indulging in their favorite brews which are all freshly made upon order, handcrafted from roasted select local beans.

Before setting up their café in Kapitolyo, Stay Up Espresso Bar initially opened a to-go coffee bar in Las Piñas and a convenient grab-and-go outlet in Katipunan.

5 ways to chill out while perking up at Stay Up Espresso

There are so many ways to pass the time here at Stay Up Espresso Bar, and best of all, you can do these while enjoying an iced espresso-based beverage, such as:

Wakey Bakey (Hazelnut)

Start your refreshing coffee journey with the Wakey Bakey iced espresso drink. Infused with the delightful flavor of hazelnut, this beverage provides a balanced blend of sweetness and the rich, robust notes of espresso. Sip on it while working remotely, and let the aromatic hazelnut aroma fuel your creativity.

Awaken (Breve, Espresso, and White Chocolate)

For a decadent treat, try the Awaken iced espresso drink. Combining the smoothness of breve, the boldness of espresso, and the creamy sweetness of white chocolate, this beverage is a delightful wake-up call for your taste buds. Indulge in it while learning a new skill such as pottery, and let the foamy texture and rich flavors spark lively conversations. (And yes, Stay Up Espresso Bar collaborates with other establishments such as Reine’s Pottery to bring fresh experiences like Coffee & Clay pottery classes to its patrons.)

Hello Good Morning (White Chocolate Mocha)

If you’re seeking a luxurious pick-me-up, the Hello Good Morning iced espresso drink is a must-try. Made with white chocolate mocha, this beverage offers a velvety texture and a harmonious blend of sweetness and espresso. Grab a seat, enjoy a moment of solitude, and pair it with a good book or some journaling to kickstart your day on a serene note.

Up All Night (Café Latte)

When you’re in need of an energizing yet comforting drink, the Up All Night iced espresso drink is the ideal choice. With a classic combination of steamed milk and espresso topped with frothed milk, this beverage provides a smooth and velvety texture along with a bold espresso kick. Savor it while catching up on your favorite novel or engaging in a relaxed conversation with your loved ones.

Off to Mars (Affogato)

For a unique twist, the Off to Mars iced affogato is an absolute must-try. Combining the indulgence of generous dollops of vanilla ice cream with the refreshing chill of iced espresso, this beverage is a delightful journey to another world of flavors. Enjoy it as you unwind while listening to a relaxing playlist or simply appreciate the serene ambiance of Stay Up Espresso Bar.

As the summer days wind down, there’s no better way to cool down and perk up than with an invigorating iced espresso drink at Stay Up Espresso Bar. So, head over to this charming café in Kapitolyo, Pasig, and savor the last days of summer while powering up with a freshly made brew.

Stay Up Espresso Bar is located at 16 United Street, Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig City, open Tuesdays to Sundays from 8am to 10pm. For inquiries, contact +63 905 3935274.

Know more about its menu and offers by following Stay Up Espresso Bar on Facebook and Instagram.

Manila’s affogato is here at Affojeans, SM North EDSA

You would think that with the onset of rainshowers that announced summer’s end we would be feeling a lot cooler by now.

Not so, apparently, if the sweltering heat that continues to pervade Metro Manila is anything to go by.

So how to cool our bodies and our tempers despite the mercury rising?

How about a sweet frozen treat like an affogato?

The affogato is an Italian dessert which is made of a scoop of ice cream or gelato, poured over or “drowned” with a shot of hot espresso, resulting in the combination of creamy sweetness and a strong coffee flavor. It is a perfect item for lovers of dessert and coffee.

Recently, affogato specialty brand Affojeans set up its first-ever dessert station at SM North EDSA, providing foodies up north with their sugar and caffeine fix in one delectable cup.

During a recent foodie meetup together with my #SaanSaPH foodie buddies, Affojeans’ co-owner Megs filled us in on what makes Affojeans special.

According to Megs, many premium coffee shops already offer affogato but these are usually priced high. Given the relative ease in producing the dessert, Affojeans’ affogatos are priced affordably (with cheekily named variants shorts for regular-sized and jeans for large-sized cups). These flavors include:

Affoshot (Php89 shorts | Php120 jeans). Classic affogato.

Cinna-Bun (Php89 shorts | Php120 jeans). Cold cinnamon bun.

Black Panda (Php99 shorts | Php130 jeans). Made with mocha and oreos.

Caramello (Php99 shorts | Php130 jeans). Made with salted caramel and nuts.

Tiramisu (Php99 shorts | Php130 jeans). Made with chocolate and cheesecake.

Avococo (Php109 shorts | Php140 jeans). Made with avocado and coconut.

Matchago (Php109 shorts | Php140 jeans). Matcha affogato.

The espresso shots poured into the affogato are made made fresh in small batches using a mocha espresso percolator, guaranteeing freshness.

When enjoying these desserts, you will notice that even when fully melted, the ice cream (house-made by Affojeans) remains creamy. Too bad these ice cream flavors by themselves are not available on retail.

Affojeans’ beverage menu also includes Cold Brew floats. Cold brew is a process of steeping coffee from ground coffee beans at cool temperatures for an extended period of time, around 12 to 24 hours. Because the beans never come into contact with heated water, the resulting brew has a different chemical profile from coffee brewed via conventional methods. This includes a lower acidity and caffeine content than regular coffee which makes Affojeans’ cold brew floats suitable for those suffering from acid reflux or caffeine sensitivity. We were served Affo Cold Brew (Php155 shorts | Php175 jeans) and New York Cheesecake (Php165 shorts | Php185 jeans) floats.

Got a fellow caffeine addict or a sweet tooth buddy? Why not take advantage of Affojeans’ Buy 1 Take 1 offer on cold brew floats and treat yourselves to these yummy drinks? Get two short floats for Php199 or two jeans floats for Php249.

Affojeans is a great new concept store that’s sure to satisfy the sweet and caffeine cravings of foodies up north. I hope a branch opens nearer to my neck of the woods.

Thanks to Kian (@kainventures) for extending the invite!

Affojeans is located at the Upper Ground Floor, Main Building, SM North EDSA, Bago Bantay, Quezon City (in front of National Bookstore), open daily from 10am to 10pm.

Disclosure: Together with other foodies from #SaanSaPH, I was invited to join a foodie meetup held at this restaurant. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.Check out my reviews of other dessert places in the metro:

A Matcha Treat at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Tomas Morato

The last among The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s limited-edition matcha line that I tried is the Matcha Affogato.

On one of my lunchbreaks, I headed on to the CBTL branch in nearby M Place along Mother Ignacia Avenue to try it out. This branch offers coffee and tea addicts like me a place where they can relax and just hang out while getting our caffeine fix. Its open concept layout and floor-to-ceiling glass windows give the place a bright and airy feel that provides an interesting contrast to the vibe provided by dark wood furniture and colorful accents.

Did you know that CBTL invented Ice Blended drinks over 20 years ago? In 1987, an employee brought a blender to the Westwood, LA store and mixed together ice, coffee extract and chocolate powder. This paved the way for countless coffee lovers to enjoy their favorite drink cold.

This new addition to CBTL’s Ice Blended drinks, the Matcha Affogato (price starts at Php185), basically brings a caffeine, dessert and matcha fix in one delicious concoction. With the addition of frothy cream and a shot of espresso to its Matcha Green Tea Ice Blended drink, CBTL serves up an energy boost from the caffeine and the sugar rush. The icy drink also provides a welcome refreshment during the hot midday.

While my favorite among the three new drinks in the matcha line is the Matcha Raspberry Latte, the Matcha Affogato Ice Blended still is a welcome addition to the arsenal of icy drinks that I can beat the heat with.

This Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf branch is located at M Place, Panay Avenue, South Triangle, Quezon City and is open daily from 6.30am to 1am. For queries, call +63 2 7539372.

For more details on Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s limited edition matcha line, visit CBTL’s website, Facebook and Instagram pages.

Disclosure: I was provided promo codes that I can present to CBTL branches so I can sample the featured drinks for free.

Matcha Good Time at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, SM East Ortigas

Matcha seems to be one of the trendy food items these days. A fine green tea powder, it was originally produced and consumed in Japan. A BBC Good Food article even relates that matcha was used by Buddhist monks to help them stay calm and alert during meditation. Its health benefits are well-known too; its bright green color comes from high levels of chlorophyll produced when the tea leaves were initially grown in the shade, a process that also boosts antioxidants.

Today, matcha flavors a lot of trendy foods – from mochi balls to ice cream. To satisfy the matcha cravings of its avid coffee fans, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf recently introduced three new matcha-flavored drinks, two of which I was able to sample together with my daughter, #ExhibitA, during a visit to the nearby CBTL branch in SM East Ortigas. This is thanks to a batch of promo codes I was given to try the drinks out. 🙂

Since I want my post-dinner coffee drink hot, I ordered a Matcha Macchiato (price starts at Php155). It is a blend of matcha green tea, steamed milk and espresso that features the richness of the macchiato with the herby taste of the matcha.

As #ExhibitA needs her beauty sleep in preparation for her exam the next day, she opted for the decaf among the new match drinks: an Ice Blended Matcha Raspberry (price starts at Php185). In this drink, the sweet fruity taste of raspberry serves as a foil to the earthy taste of the matcha.

The drinks were served promptly by the servers and my daughter and I were able to while away the post-dinner hours in peace and quiet in CBTL’s sprawling and well-appointed store.

I look forward to trying out the third matcha-flavored drink: the Matcha Affogato (price starts at Php185). It is CBTL’s classic Matcha Green Tea Ice Blended drink combined with cream and a shot of espresso.

This Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf branch is located at Ground Floor, Main Atrium, SM City East Ortigas, Ortigas Avenue Extension, Santa Lucia, Pasig City and is open daily from 10am to 10pm. For queries, call +63 2 6356715.

For more details on Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s limited edition matcha line, visit CBTL’s website, Facebook and Instagram pages.

Disclosure: I was provided promo codes that I can present to CBTL branches so I can sample the featured drinks for free.