By Dolly Dy-Zulueta / Photography by raphael r. zulueta
IN the beginning, there was first-wave coffee—which referred to coffee that was both affordable and easy to prepare. It started in the 1800s and stretched on to the 1900s.
The age of frozen dinners and instant coffee, first- wave coffee took the path of coffee growers to local roasters to supermarket shelves, and it popularized easy-to-prepare coffees that one can mix with hot water and enjoy at home using technology that allowed coffee to take the form of instant, water-soluble coffee. After reigning supreme for a long time, people started criticizing first-wave coffee for allegedly sacrificing the quality and taste of coffee for convenience by mass producing coffee.
So, second-wave coffee had to come to take up the slack, since first-wave coffee failed to produce truly impressive quality coffee. Older and wiser, consumers now wanted to be in the know as to how their coffee is being produced and demanded to be served better-quality, freshly brewed coffee. Second-wave coffee shops impressed coffee lovers with espresso, latte, cappuccino, macchiato and fraps, prepared fresh upon order, using carefully selected coffee beans of different origins and roasted to different levels. Second-wave coffee made coffee not just a beverage but a pleasurable experience. After a while, however, second-wave coffee started being criticized for becoming commercialized and sacrificing the sources of the bean for the social experience of drinking “specialty” coffee that it gives consumers who frequent second-wave cafés. Suddenly, they were there to be seen and not to truly enjoy the coffee-drinking experience anymore.
Thus, third-wave coffee arrived to finally put coffee in its rightful place, treating it as an artisan beverage much like fine wine and craft beer. This means choosing coffee beans based on their origin, subjecting them to artisan methods of production, such as roasting level and temperature, then brewing them with utmost care and respect for the beans. Consumers are supposed to enjoy the unique and exquisite flavor of each type of coffee bean, especially single-origin coffee. Third-wave coffee shops take the time and effort to explain the nuances of each source of artisanal coffee, be it local or imported, as well as the processes involved in the harvesting, roasting, sorting, blending and brewing of coffee, so people can better appreciate coffee and enjoy drinking it more.
One such third-wave coffee shop that is thriving in our midst today is UCC Clockwork, which is UCC Coffee Philippines’s first foray into the third-wave coffee revolution. It offers coffee, both single origin and blends, from local and foreign sources, prepared using the Pour-over Method (single origin) or the Syphon Method (blends). Local origins include Benguet, Bukidnon, Mount Matutum and Mount Pullol; while foreign sources are mostly Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Portugal, Italy, Vietnam, Greece, Hong Kong, France, Germany and Ireland. UCC Clockwork also has a whole line of signature spiked coffee concoctions for those who want a little kick in their coffee aside from the caffeine rush.
To make the coffee appreciation a truly well-rounded experience, UCC Clockwork also sells coffee-making paraphernalia, as well as fresh coffee beans, and the staff takes time out to answer questions customers may have about different coffee-extraction methods, such as Pour-over, Halogen Syphon and Cold Brew.
UCC Clockwork has a full menu that features comfort food with a few UCC all-time favorites—from all-day breakfast, appetizers, soups and salads to pasta, sandwiches, entrées and desserts. Its dishes are highly impressive, but it is its wide selection of coffee concoctions paired with its sinfully delicious desserts and cakes that people really come for.
A top favorite among UCC Clockwork’s lineup of desserts is Mango Crêpe Samurai, which is brulèed mango crêpe drenched in creamy custard.
Among its cakes, the best-sellers are Green Tea Sans Rival, Hokkaido Malt Cake, and Mango Crème Brulee.
As for the coffee, UCC Clockwork’s coffee concoctions, both hot and cold, are unquestionably superior in taste and quality over other cafés. Since it is third-wave coffee that UCC Clockwork serves, each cup conforms to the distinctive features that come with third-wave coffee, including latte art. It is normal to find the image of a bear, creative hearts, swan, Mother and Child, Man and Woman, leaves, flowers and swirls on a cup of coffee ordered, particularly cappuccino. The baristas also do latte art on a cup of Matcha Latte, which is also a specialty beverage patronized by lots of customers at UCC Clockwork.
UCC Clockwork has five branches—Estancia Mall, Capitol Commons, Pasig City; Blue Bay Walk, Edsa corner Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard, Pasay City; Robinsons Place Manila; Venice Grand Canal Mall, McKinley Hill, Taguig City; and Ayala Malls, The 30th, Meralco Avenue, Ugong, Pasig City.
Image credits: Raphael R. Zulueta
