By Margarita Medrano-Tupaz
THERE’S something very special about a good cup of coffee, especially when you enjoy it in a public space and not at home. Coffee shops feature all sorts of interesting sense stimulators—from the sounds, the interior designs and the smells. Oh, the smell!
In 2014 Australian-based Toby’s Estate Coffee Roasters opened its flagship branch in Salcedo Village, and a few other express cafés in dedicated neighborhoods in the metro. Just a few days ago, Toby’s Estate Philippines opens its biggest branch in Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City. It is set as the brand’s headquarters in Metro Manila, with a roasting facility and a spacious storefront, where everyone can dine in and get together. It’s not only meant to be a place where one can get his or her coffee fix, but it will also be a space where coffee enthusiasts can learn from and mingle with people in the industry.
Toby Smith, founder of Toby’s Estate, left his career as a lawyer to follow his passion for coffee. He is now a leading roaster, barista and coffee authority in Australia. Smith has traveled the world and lived in many places where local farmers produced coffee. While living in these communities, Toby Smith witnessed firsthand how dedicated the farmers were to the quest for growing exquisite coffee, and was naturally inspired by their passion. He went back to Australia to work on perfecting the art and science of roasting coffee. Today Filipinos are able to benefit from Toby Smith’s global experiences.
One of the brand’s flagship blends is the Woollomooloo. Their beans are currently being sourced from Uganda, Costa Rica, Panama, Indonesia and India, among other places.
They also offer several single-origin coffees. The most special is the La Trinidad Gesha (which comes from Toby Smith’s own farm in Finca Santa Teresa, Panama)—an award-winning coffee with a very strong cult following among coffee lovers.
The results are Toby’s Estate’s famous varieties of coffee-based beverages, such as the espresso, macchiato, cappuccino, piccolo and cortado. Their signature blends include their Australian version of a latte, the mocha, which is a double ristretto spiked with chocolate, my favorite—the flat white, and the Australian version of an americano, called the long black. I was told that there are off-the-menu items that are definite must-tries, so next time you find yourself wanting an exceptional cup of Joe, head on over to any of the Toby’s Estate branches, and ask the baristas to hook you up with a Gibraltar!
Interior design plays a big role in getting customers into restaurants, along with the good food and great service. Being creative with the dining environment is a good solution for doing that, as people want to eat in a pleasant atmosphere that brings them that recreational feeling.
Toby’s Estate in Salcedo Village provides a unique ambiance and absolutely differentiates them from the ordinary restaurants or coffee shops in the city. The white tiles, wood floors and furniture with black accents showcase a variation in color, pattern, texture and style. Some coffee shops feature coffee-related accent details, others focus on architectural details.
Toby’s Estate at Whitespace is a bright, airy and welcoming space that will wake up this quiet little corner of Pasong Tamo. It is reminiscent of a cabin with all the wood interiors and so much natural lighting. Cupping sessions and coffee workshops will be held regularly, and the space will be offered for pop-up event—in an effort to achieve this branch’s vision to eventually become a hub for the local community and the people from the coffee industry.
“We are opening three more branches in the last quarter of 2015. Now that Whitespace, our headquarters, is operational, we are so fired up. Toby’s Estate will soon be serving the folks in Legaspi Village, Greenhills and Edsa Shangri-La,” managing partner Marco Antonio said.
Toby’s Estate believes in great coffee, in traveling the world to meet growers and cooperatives, and working with them to improve their production. They believe that the investment of time and energy needed to choose products that demonstrate the best of their unique origins, is utterly worth it. They also believe in developing relationships with people who are dedicated to honoring the work of the coffee farmers, and to crafting coffee with complexity and character. And most important of all, they believe that each cup has a story to tell and they would like to share those stories with everyone.