Toby's Estate serves the best Espresso-based beverages in Metro Manila. It's no secret how much I love their Cappuccino or Gibraltar made with their popular Woolloomooloo blend - with rich dark chocolate notes and a bit of spice that's a perfect base for most espresso drinks. It's the reason why a lot of coffee lovers keep coming back.
I understand that some customers might prefer a more mellow version of the Woolloomoolo blend. Rather than richness of dark chocolate, they would much rather have subtle milk chocolate notes that's a tad bit fruity (think Malagos). That's how the Salcedo Blend came about to cater to these types of coffee drinkers, but I'll get to the new blend in a bit.
We were invited to Toby's Estate Whitespace at Chino Roces Avenue Extension for a roasting demonstration and were introduced to the new Salcedo Blend. It was my first time at their roasting facility and it was great to see the level of detail and care that Toby's Estate Philippines puts into making sure that the quality of their coffee is kept at a high standard.
Here's what you need to know about their Whitespace store and the Salcedo Blend.
The store at Whitespace is as beautiful as all their stores in Metro Manila. It's a great place to just sit back, enjoying a cup of coffee, and quietly reading a book. I love the beautiful art on the wall over there.
We were then given a bit of insight on the thought process when Toby's Estate creates a blend. In summary, the roaster asks "What tasting notes would I like this blend to have and which single origin coffee beans can I combine to bring out those flavors?"
You can get both good and bad notes in coffee (depending on the quality of the coffee bean) so this is how Toby's Estate is able to train the palates of both the roasters and baristas as a reference to what notes they want to bring out in your cup of coffee.
We were also given the treat of watching the step-by-step process on how coffee is roasted. The coffee's roast is one of the the many things you should look out for when buying coffee beans because it's critical to enjoying a good cup of coffee.
Coffee that's under-roasted tastes like cardboard while coffee that's over-roasted just tastes burnt. There's a fine line, which is why being a Master Roaster like Toby's Estate's Raoul De Peralta is very hard work.
Now let's talk about the Salcedo Blend. The blend is "a seasonal blend named after the vibrant community where the Toby's Estate flagship store is located. Offering notes of ripe guava, smooth chocolate, and toasted hazelnut with a sweet muscovado finish."
The blend is made with a base of Brazil coffee beans for the chocolate and hazelnut coffee notes but with highlights of Sumatra coffee beans to bring out that ripe guava flavor and add a bit of sweetness. We had each single origin coffees first before trying out the blended product - to get an idea of the tasting notes they want the blend to having. Mainly, it's milk chocolate with a bit of fruity sweetness.
I liked the Salcedo Blend and I would recommend you order it as either a Cappucino (Php 130) or a Gibraltar (Php 120) so that you can really bring out the tasting notes as it's lighter and fruitier than the Woolloomooloo blend.
My personal preference remains to be the dark richness of the Woolloomooloo blend, which is like dark chocolate to the milk chocolate sweetness of the Salcedo Blend but that's just me. I'm sure most casual coffee drinkers would prefer the Salcedo blend, and that's probably what Toby's Estate had in mind when they came up with this blend. Give it a go and tell me what you think of it!
It's great with both the Salcedo Blend and the Woolloomoolo blend but given the richness of the dessert I'd personally go with the lightness of the Salcedo Blend when I grab this dessert again. Yes, it's a must try with the Salcedo Blend!
You can also get a Bagel (Php 90) if you would like a more filling snack, with the option of either Plain, Whole Wheat, and Black Sesame. For cream cheese you can choose between Garlic & Chives, Jalapeno Chedar, and Scallion & Cheese.
I found the sesame bagel (shown above) to be a bit tough to eat so I'd recommend the Whole Wheat bagel paired with either Garlic & Chives or Jalapeno Cheddar (if you're up for something more spicy and exciting).
Food Quality: 4.5
Service Quality: 5.0
Ambiance: 5.0
Overall Rating: 5.0
Overall Rating: 5.0
The Salcedo blend is great for casual coffee drinkers or if you are just looking for a lighter blend of coffee. It's a good alternative to their classic blend and you definitely have to try it with the new Apple Tart.
It's a blend I hope you'll love and let me know what you think about it in the comments below.
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Cheers,
Chef JayDisclaimer: This is a sponsored review. The author did not pay for any of the dishes mentioned in this article. This, however, does not impair the unbiased opinion of the reviewer.
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