Breville Philippines, the premium lifestyle home brand, firmly believes that everyone deserves a better coffee-drinking experience. Besides being known for its line of high-quality kitchen products that unlock endless food and drink possibilities, the brand also pushes for more people to try better coffee.
With the 2023 Breville Coffee Festival, held at the SM Makati on August 1 to 15, the brand actively accomplished its goals of exciting the market with new products and educating the audience on specialty coffee. Moreover, after the joyful annual festival, consumers are discovering what they can do when they
#BringBrevilleHome. For the world of coffee specifically, the brand wants to dispel the notion that good coffee can only be created by professionals and enjoyed by hardcore enthusiasts. Through its products, Breville brings the market closer to the culture, therefore empowering them to explore their unlimited potential in the kitchen.
Breville Philippines’ annual coffee festival is a true testament to its market promise, which is to elevate the consumer’s experience in their kitchens by providing them with innovative home partners. The brand’s history has seen a lot of exciting product releases that have elevated food preparation, cooking, and brewing, and Breville is set to do more with its upcoming launches.
THIRD WAVE COFFEE ADVOCACY
Breville is advocating the promotion of the Third Wave Specialty Coffee that could be experienced by everyone anywhere with its line of espresso machines.
“Third Wave Coffee represents a shift from the mass production and standardization of coffee to a focus on the unique characteristics of individual beans, cultivation methods, and brewing techniques. Third wave coffee enthusiasts often prioritize direct trade relationships with farmers, sustainable farming practices, and meticulous roasting and brewing methods to highlight the flavors and nuances of
the coffee. This movement has led to an increased appreciation for coffee as a craft beverage, similar to the way wine or craft beer are appreciated,” Vanessa Caceres, a pro in the field, explained of the third wave movement.
For reference, third wave coffee started in the 1980s when more focus was given to the coffee beans and the roasting methods used in crafting the drink. The goal of the movement was simple: bring exotic flavors out of well-grown beans to start a whole new level of appreciation for coffee. The third wave movement was a whole 360 turn from the first wave—where the beverage was highly commercialized for fast consumption with low priority given to quality (think 3-in-1 and instant packs)—and second wave coffee, where cafe culture rose.
As third wave coffee continues to evolve, the appreciation for its culture continues to grow. Unlike the early years when the understanding of third wave coffee was limited to a certain niche, however, access to it has now become more open to everyone. Breville Philippines, the leader in premium lifestyle home and kitchen partners, is one brand that has definitely helped unlock the appreciation for third wave coffee with its top-of-the-line range of espresso machines. For Breville, their mission was simple—give everyone a chance to bring home their love for third wave coffee through their products.
The Barista Express is for those who feel more confident of exploring more ways to enjoy their coffee with its features that allow easier customization, while the Barista Touch is recommended for coffee lovers who still need help in other aspects of coffee brewing with its auto milk function, user-friendly touch screen for customization and personalized brewing settings.
The rise of brands like Breville has totally changed the game of third wave coffee culture by making it more accessible to the market all while retaining the ‘romance’ and precision that comes with it.
Quality-wise, all coffee lovers can expect the same refined taste and experience regardless of their level of understanding of the culture.
THE WORKSHOPS
Consumers had the privilege to learn from experts and masters from the coffee and culinary industry through workshops. They were a deep dive into the coffee culture and educated people on how they can create their brew regardless of their experience.
The workshops were complemented by a special live-streaming event for those who preferred to stay at home. The live event was about “Coffee 101: Brewing Your Coffee at Home,” and touched base on the basics of coffee from beans selection, basic recipes, to having the best equipment to match your needs. Breville Product expert Dave Dource and coffee enthusiast Marie Field-Faith hosted the live event.
On August 6, Jose Margo Flores, owner of Coffee Home Brewers, Taguan Café, and Gypsy Baguio by Chef Waya in Baguio City, taught participants on how to master their espresso game by through the “Espresso 101: Level Up Your Coffee Game” workshop, where they learned about the four keys formula of making your brew at home and the essentials for your coffee home set-up.
“What is an espresso?” Flores asked. “Espresso,” he said, “is a highly concentrated coffee shot.”
How to make it? “Place your beans into the hopper. Grind your beans and put it in your portafilter. Tamp your coffee. Put it in the group head. Extract your espresso shot by pushing the button.”
You now have your espresso shot! But is this a good shot? Flores still wanted the participants to level up their espresso gaming, because “behind every cup of coffee you drink is a blend of imagination and precision. When you know your foundations, that’s the time you can play with your coffee.”
Filipinos are said to consume more coffee than what we can produce. In 2021, the Philippine coffee industry produced 60,600 metric tons of coffee. We imported 212.3 metric tons more of coffee beans.
What can we do as consumers to help the Philippine coffee industry? Flores asked.
“Learn more about what’s in your cup. Engage with conversations about coffee. The best cup of coffee is the one you make. The best cup of coffee is the one you enjoy,” Flores said.
After Flores’ enlightening talk was at “Brewing Creativity: Latte Art 101” session by Vanessa Caceres, where she discussed the basics of doing latte art designs.
Latte Art is a method of preparing coffee by pouring Microfoam into a shot of espresso resulting in a pattern or design on the surface of the Latte. It can also be created or embellished by simply drawing in the top layer of the foam called Etching Latte Art.
There are two main types of Latte Art: (a) Free Pouring - pattern created during the pour and (b) Etching - using tool to create a pattern after the pour. Free Pouring is far more common in American cafes and requires additional times preparing the drink.
Participants learned that the two most common forms of poured Latte Art are the “Heart” shape, “Rosetta” or “Rosette” aka the “Fern,” which resembles a type of flower. Of these, Hearts are simpler and more common in macchiatos, while Rosettas are more complex and more common in Lattes, Cappuccinos, Flat white.
Etched patterns range from simple geometric shapes to complicated drawings, such as cross hatching, images of animals and flowers, and generally perform with a coffee tool called Latte Art Pencil. Etched Latte Art typically has a shorter life span, compared to free pour latte art as the foam dissolves into the latte more quickly.
On August 12, Chef Ave Bayle, the founder of one of the biggest baking Facebook communities: Bakemania PH, held a special workshop on coffee and dessert pairing, featuring two recipes that anyone can do in their kitchens.
Finally, coffee pro Dave Dource headlined the “Introduction to Specialty Coffee” workshop on the same day where he will cover the history of coffee down to the basics of brewing espresso and teach coffee recipes.
“THE COFFEE WARS”
On August 13, the most exciting portion of the Coffee Festival was held---“The Coffee Wars,” brought by Breville Philippines and cosponsored by SM Home, SM Makati, Pathfinders PH, Alaska and Monin.
The contenders were home brewers and coffee enthusiasts who were eager to engage, participate and challenge their skills in crafting delightful coffee creations in a friendly yet fierce competition. They battled by creating their original espresso-based coffee drinks. The twist? They have to work on their brew using random ingredients like herbs and spices and fruits. Exciting, indeed!
In the elimination rounds, The Coffee Wars participants, who are digital-content creators, and their coffee creations were Kyle Vergara - Tropical Dreams; Azrael Coladilla - Spiced Latte; and Alex De Vera Dizon - Espresso Au Chocolat for Batch 1. For Batch 2 were Seph Cham - Iced Espresso Euphoria; Gian Borlongan - Islander's Coffee Cloud; and Jessica Uy-Godinez - Picante.
The judges were Chef Chad Joseph Datu, the corporate chef of Breville Philippines; Makki Orprecio, the daddy behind the Rooftop Tent Family Campers- “Bunch of Adventures” and the owner barista of the Beans of Adventures and Twelve Wicker Baskets Event Management Services; and Edgard Hilario, assistant Tech News Editor at Manila Bulletin and consultant of MB’s own coffee shop, the Paper Cup.
For the Final Round, called the “Black Box Challenge,” contenders were asked to create an espresso-based coffee break, with one recipe equal to three sets. The catch? They can only use ingredients pre-selected by the Breville team. They were allotted 30 minutes. Black boxes were already randomly placed inside the finalists’ working stations/demo tables.
The Final Three and their creations were Seph Cham - Iced Stellar Espresso; Alex De Vera Dizon - Oreo Cream Cheese Espresso; and Jessica Uy-Godinez - Warm Bliss.
In the end, the Grand Winner was Seph Cham, who won a Breville Barista Express; 1st Runner Up was Jessica Uy-Godinez - Breville Smart Grinder Pro; and 2nd Runner Up: Alex De Vera Dizon - Breville Kinetix Twist.
Show your love for coffee and get the chance to expand your knowledge about it by adding The Coffee Festival 2023 to your August must-dos. To stay updated on the event, follow Breville Philippines on their Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounts. You can also visit their website to know more about its products by clicking here.
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