Bo's Coffee: Freshness of Newly Roasted Coffee in every Cup

Summer is here and we will all be getting our much-needed breaks as we unwind, drink, eat and travel. From experience, this is also the time of the year I find myself sipping more than a cup of coffee, soda or iced drinks in just a single day. Perhaps it had something to do with the sizzling heat of the summer sun that makes me thirsty all the time. And I recently discovered another coffee shop called Bo’s Coffee.

Well, it isn’t really new to begin with. Actually, they were already in the coffee shop business even before the likes of international coffee giants dominated the coffee shop industry, but through all these years, Bo’s Coffee had held its own followers. 

Bo’s Coffee started out in Ayala Center Cebu in 1996. The owner, Mr. Steve Benitez had been passionate about coffee and traveling. And it was during his travels that he met an American Italian roaster and taught him everything he needs to know about coffee, thus he named his shop, Bo’s Coffee, in honor to the man who started his flair for coffee. Their first branch in Manila was in Glorietta 4, but they later moved and transferred to Glorietta 5. Soon Bo’s Coffee had expanded its branches in other strategic locations. Now that further explains why Bo's Coffee sounded like an American owned. 

They have really tempting cakes and pastries. But the best seller remains to be the Blueberry Cheesecake. Although for those with diabetes, fret not, Bo's Coffee also had the Sugar-free Cheesecake. I liked their Super Moist Chocolate cake, although I'd strongly recommend that you share a slice with a friend when you order this yummy choco cake. Well, my loyal readers know I'm not really much of a chocolate-lover so maybe that's why I had a difficult time finishing that slice of Bo's Coffee's Super Moist Chocolate Cake. 

A wide range of choices in Bo's Cafe Menu.

Summer's fave: Amaretto Biscotti!

For this summer, Bo’s Coffee had made a special concoction called Amaretto Biscotti, exclusively sold for the summer. What I like most Bo’s Coffee, unlike other popular iced coffee drinks, they aren’t too sweet nor too bland—they’re just right. Biscotti for those not familiar with it--is an Italian cookie that goes well with coffee and it's baked twice. Bo's Coffee Amaretto Biscotti is perfect for summer because it had the goodness of newly roasted Bo's signature Coffee, some chocolate and whipped cream and of course, bits of chewy Biscotti cookies that you'll be enjoying while sipping it under the horrible heat of the sun. Hurry though, for this special concoction is only available for the entire summer (that means, it'll only be around until the end of May). Get it now while it's on the Bo's Coffee Menu!

Mr. Jojo Cayabyab, Bo's Coffee Operations Manager

“We value freshness, that’s why the coffee that we serve are freshly roasted beans. It’s something about us that our customers had loved.

“It is important to consider the freshness of coffee when you roast them because it is just enough when it comes out into flavor. When the beans are moist and shiny, it comes out with its oil and aroma. When you prepare it in its freshness, it really has that bold taste of coffee. You get a better body and you get the best taste. That’s also the reason why our coffee can stand for itself without the added syrups or anything additive with the flavor,” shares Mr. Jojo Cayabyab, Operations Manager, Bo’s Coffee.

They serve both Arabica and Robusta coffee beans—a mixture of both from highlands and midlands. They make sure to serve freshly roasted beans in every cup. 

This is the super moist chocolate cake I've been raving about!

For the health conscious, there's also an available Fruits and nuts trail mix being sold at Bo's Coffee shops. Mix them with a fresh cup of milk, and voila! You have a great breakfast paired with a fresh cup of roasted coffee from Bo's Coffee. Nothing could be any better than that to start one's day, right?

Fruit trail mix from Bo's Coffee.

Here's the twice-baked biscuits I've been telling you about. 

If you're up for a Green Tea, Bo's Coffee also had that iced Green Tea drinks. For that refreshing zing to inspire you as you go through your day! 

Green Tea Iced Drinks that'll surely make your day!

Perfect pair of Amaretto Biscotti and Biscotti!

Wondering where can you sample these yummy treats? You can find Bo's Coffee at Cyberzone, 4th flooor in SM North Edsa-Annex, Ayala Center Cebu and  Glorietta 5 Makati. 

Check out this play which will have another run sometime in the middle of the month of May, "Kapeng Barako Club: Samahan ng mga Bitter" staged in Bo's Coffee: http://blog.boscoffee.com/2012/02/kapeng-barako-club-samahan-ng-mga.html, http://pinterest.com/pin/279434351849712374/

Have a Sassy Summer with Hurom Slow Juicer

Summer days call. Are you itching for a great adventure? Or are you planning to laze at home? A fantastic summer is never fully planned. With the Metro sizzles under the heat of the sun, it’s sometimes best to do some form of staycation and sip some fruity smoothies to quench your summer thirst.

Hurom Slow Juicer then comes to the picture. It’s a very useful tool to make fruits and veggies very interesting. With the help of Hurom Slow Juicer, you can afford to pamper yourself with a luxurious R & R and still be revitalized with refreshing drinks even without leaving the comforts of your home.

What makes this juicer special? For one, it isn’t your typical blender. The Hurom Slow Juicer is an innovative technology and uses advanced engineering that offers you nature’s taste and nutrition. You just have to cut your fruits and vegetables into smaller pieces, turn the machine on, insert the ingredients into the inlet and voila! The juice comes out and drags coming out in separate outlets. 

Fruits such as mango, melon, strawberry, pineapple, grape, apple or citrus fruits have found their perfect companion. For veggie lovers, celery, tomato, carrot, potato, and corn may also be used. Whatever your taste buds enjoy, the Hurom Slow Juicer’s improved GE ULTEM strainer can make both coarse and fine juice based on your choices.

Compared to traditional juicer that crushes the ingredients by means of grinding alone at high speed, the Hurom Slow Juicer gently squeezes and extracts the fruits or veggies by low speed. This distinct low speed extraction results in more amounts of juice and extremely dry and less pulp. It also protects all the ingredients’ original quality that you can actually see and taste with vitamins, minerals, and nutritious enzymes. Why choose commercially manufactured fruit juices, which are full of artificial flavoring when you can have 100% all-natural juice extracts made from the freshest and finest ingredients at home?

Hurom Slow Juicer guarantees all these with its low-noise operation. Plus, cleaning is so easy because of its built-in spinning brush that cleans itself automatically with water.

So even if the sun sizzles like crazy on a really hot and humid day, one can sit back and relax as he indulge in pouring fresher, richer, and more nutritious juices in every glass with the Hurom Slow Juicer. It’s convenient, economical, ergonomic, flexible and timesaving. It’s worth your every cent and worth all the wait.

Here's a simple summer drink you could do for you and your family:

FRESH PEAR

3 PEARS

½ LONG CUCUMBER

1      SMALL BUNCH FRESH MINT

THERE ARE MANY JUICES LIKE THAT OF A CUCUMBER TO QUENCH YOUR THIRST, AND COMBINED WITH PEAR AND THE MINT TOO.

NUTRIENTS in the said Drink:

BETA CAROTENE, FOLIC ACID, VITAMIN C, CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM, PHOSPOROUS, POTASSIUM, SODIUM, SULPHUR

The Hurom Slow Juicer is available at Rustan’s Department Stores (Makati, Shangrila Tower, Alabang), Rustan’s supermarket, S & R (The Fort) also coming soon, The Landmark (Makati and Trinoma). For deliveries, please call Home TV Shopping at 817-7000.

Zinven International Corporation distributes Hurom Slow Juicer. 

For more information, log on to www.hurom-slowjuicer.com

Lucky Me Special: Curly Spaghetti Korean Style (BibimMyun)

I went to the grocery last week and I found a new Lucky Me Special item called Lucky Me Curly Spaghetti Korean Style or BibimMyun. This product had not yet been shown in commercial on national television, but I’ve always been a fan of Lucky Me products so I decided to give it a try. And just as always, I immediately bought it so that I could try it at home.

It’s just like any other instant spaghetti, except that this one had some kick of Korean flavor known for being spicy. It comes with dehydrated carrot bits and some seaweed that you need to boil together with the noodles in order to gain back its size.

If you’re a fan of Jjampong (Korean Seafood Spicy Noodles), you’ll definitely enjoy this new Lucky Me Special item because it’s almost the same except that the other one comes with a soup and this one had sauce.

And yes, Lucky Me Curly Spaghetti Korean Style (BibimMyun) had that distinct Korean flavor. I was able to try Korean dishes that tasted the same. I would recommend that you eat this on a rainy afternoon or at times when the Philippines had a cold weather. Sad to say, I had eaten my BibimMyun in the summer and it wasn’t really a good idea. The scorching heat of the summer sun on my back and with my tongue all fired up due to the spicy spaghetti, consuming an entire water bottle wasn’t enough to keep me from getting red all over my face.

Lucky Me Special Curly Spaghetti Korean Style (BibimMyun) is now available at all supermarkets nationwide. 

Gong Cha Araneta Branch Drink and Service Review

There’s another hype going on in the market today—Filipinos had began to appreciate the kind of drinks countries like Taiwan, China, and Japan had been up to…It actually brings me back to the time (probably during the late 90’s) when the likes of Orbits, Zagu and other Pearl Milk or Iced taro stores had sprouted like mushrooms within the Metropolis.

And nowadays, people would often go for a chat not just in popular coffee shops but also in Tea Shops like Gong Cha! What makes these teashops different from the likes of Pearl Milk or Taro drinks in the past, Gong Cha isn’t your typical “to-go” drink. They do have kiosk style stores, but they have some posh shops where you get to see typical teenagers and yuppies engaging in conversations to whatnots.

And the price of each drink is actually a bit pricey—when compared to the old pearl-milk-taro-drink-in-your-neighbor-style drink. For Gong Cha, my friends and I ordered Wintermelon drink and grass jelly. Truth to tell, it had that real tea taste and the froth was just fine. It was just too bad that the staff at the Araneta Center branch wasn’t too friendly. It was about to close and even if we were talking, the girl from the counter had blasted off the radio speakers loud. We tried to talk with them and asked them to minimize the sound since we could hardly hear each other. But to no avail, they probably thought since it’s almost closing time, we were not treated fairly as customers.

If you ask me, the drink’s all right except for the service and the staff’s attitude. So if someone would ask me if I’m going back to Gong Cha, I’d say perhaps I will in some other branch. No matter how good the drinks are, if there’s bad service or staff, I’d bet count I a few more years and that business will eventually closed down. So I really hope the Gong Cha Araneta (near Shopwise) branch will soon be friendlier to their customers. 

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf's Pineapple Vanilla Ice Blended and Fruit-tea Drinks, perfect for the Summer!

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's Summer Concoction: Fruit-Tea and Pineapple Vanilla Ice Blended Drinks

Do you feel the scorching summer heat? Well, Summer has officially arrived. And with the heat going on, a nice refreshing drink would certainly make one smile. So have you found the perfect summer drink? If you're still looking for that extra Ooomph, I strongly suggest you to stop looking for it because as you read this blog, your eyes must have been fixed into these lovely drinks and you must've been salivating too given the fact that it's another ice blended drink from my favorite The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf store.

So they had another "Open House" last time, and being the ice blended addict that I am, I decided to ask for two drinks (to try both variants). As expected, both had that tropical flavor of Pineapple. What makes the distinction was the presence of creamy milk and vanilla on the Pineapple Vanilla Ice Blended. the Fruit-Tea on the other hand, tasted something like a cool slush with bits and pieces of real honest-to-goodness pineapples.

Pair these summer drinks with any of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf favorites like a slice of their Blueberry Cheesecake, it perfectly goes well and complements the flavor. Mix and match with the sweety sourness of pineapple and berries. Yum! I think I could hear my stomach grumbling by the mere mention of that combination.

For chocoholics, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's Chocolate Fudge Cake is the one one for you. For only P115 per cake slice, you're assured that it's worth all your cents once the heavenly dessert lands on your spoon.

I love The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Gateway Branch (not the one beside the cinema), they have really courteous staff and very friendly. They are also attentive to all their customers. Well, except that i wish they could improve their Wi-Fi service to Swirl Card holders like me. I don't know why I've never been able to connect to their Wi-Fi service even after the staff giving me the code.

Now, let's get back to the Pineapple Vanilla Ice Blended drink: my verdict? This one's perfect for the summer. It tastes like coconut with the presence of vanilla and the zing of pineapple. However, it leaves a different aftertaste. Take a sip, relax and close your eyes and you'll feel like you've just been whipped off to Boracay. That's how good this drink was for me.

For the Fruit-Tea Pineapple drink, this is more sour in taste, so I'd suggest you have to really like pineapple as a fruit to order this cool drink. If we put this drink on a simple layman's term, it's more "concentrated" as oppose to the Pineapple Vanilla Ice blended I've previously explained above.

Whatever drink you choose, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It will definitely quench your thirst this summer! So head on to the nearest The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf store near you and get to taste these babies. Just a piece of advice though, do not order both at the same time and drink them both together like I did...or you'll be getting some BRAIN FREEZE like me! Enjoy your summer guys!

Kenny Rogers Roasters’ Introduces Saucy Roast Chicken and Three New Side Dishes

Kenny Rogers Roasters Saucy Chicken Roast with three sauces to choose from: Creamy Mushroom , Sweet BBQ and Cracked Peppercorn.

 Kenny Rogers Roasters had always been a popular choice for diners with their numerous mix of healthy side dishes that make visits definitely delightful.

This summer, Kenny Rogers Roasters brings to the table another exciting and innovative concept of dining. Chicken is undoubtedly one of the world’s favorite foods. Thanks to the pioneering invention of Kenny Rogers Roasters who continues to improve, enhance and develop the restaurant’s menu by adding more healthy food choices. 

This month, Kenny Rogers Roasters introduces Saucy Roast Chicken.  Immersed with flavorful peppers and garlic, the new chicken flavor is best enjoyed with any of the three available sauces to choose from: Cracked Peppercorn Sauce—for that piquant gravy experience with the sauce heavy on dotted cracked peppercorns for that extra kick we’d all surely love.  It’s really tasty and flavorful enough to tickle one’s taste buds. Sweet BBQ Sauce is perfect—for diners who’d go for the sweetness of a typical barbecue sauce and last sauce but definitely not the least, Creamy Mushroom Sauce—a heavenly creamy savory gravy peppered with mushroom bits.

“These delightful chicken and sauce matches are our gifts to foodies. It’s a new set of pleasant surprises for our guests. It’s definitely another way of enjoying the unique Kenny experience,” says Meggie Bolinao-Jose, Kenny Rogers Roasters’ Marketing Director.

Among the three, I love the Creamy Mushroom sauce the best. I am partial to button mushrooms and I super love its buttery taste. Although for those who are into anything spicy (for the subdued and friendly kick), I’m definitely sure they’d fall in love with Cracked Peppercorn Sauce. Just a piece of advice, enjoy the Saucy Roast chicken with just one sauce and not the entire three sauces. Whatever your pick is, all the sauces perfectly pair the Saucy Roast chicken.

Saucy Roast Chicken is available with Solo Plates, Group Meals, Healthy Plates and Combo Meals, and is also available for dine-in, take out and delivery. This limited special Kenny Rogers product is available in all branches nationwide until June 30, 2012.

As if introducing the Saucy Roast Chicken wasn’t enough as good news, Kenny Rogers Roasters also introduces three new healthy side dishes: Mediterranean Pasta, Eggplant Pomodoro and Mashed Sweet Potato.

Three new additional side dishes: Mashed Sweet Potato, Mediterranean Pasta and Eggplant Pomodoro.

Ms. Tina Papera of Kenny Rogers Roaster and our night's host. 

Mediterranean Pasta

 Mediterranean Pasta is cold pasta that has roasted eggplant, slices of black olives, chunk tomatoes and Parmesan cheese tossed in Kenny’s very own tomato vinaigrette.  I liked it, it’s refreshingly light yet flavorful.

Mashed Sweet Potato

Mashed Sweet Potato is a sweet, buttery and slightly creamy taste and aroma.  When it arrived on our table, I was a bit hesitant to try it. I really didn’t liked eating sweet potato. But upon my first spoon, I went totally speechless. Surprisingly, I love this side dish! Honestly, I’ve never enjoyed eating sweet potato (well, aside from the one where caramelized sugar is present) until this side dish came along. It’s nutritious and unmistakably delicious, it’s perfect even for babies.

Eggplant Pomodoro

Eggplant Pomodoro is a fire-roasted eggplant baked with chunky, Italian-style tomato sauce, topped with Parmesan cheese.  I’m not really a fan of eggplants because they sometimes taste a bit “itchy” on the tongue, but I find this side dish great. I would recommend it to vegetarian friends; they’ll surely love this side dish. It leaves a “smoky” flavor because of the fire-roasted eggplant. It’s truly healthy.

These new sides are available in regular and large sizes. Along with the Saucy    Roast Chicken, these are available in all Kenny Rogers Roasters branches nationwide. With Kenny Rogers Roasters giving all diners and foodies more reasons to enjoy good food, healthier choices and great dining experience, what more could you ask for? All these and more are enough reason to head off to the nearest Kenny Rogers Roasters branch nearest you.

And since it’s officially summer, Kenny’s Strawberry Froyo is your best bet. Kenny’s Strawberry Froyo (frozen yoghurt) has that signature creamy yoghurt topped with rich strawberries and rich strawberry syrup.  It’s sure to keep those with a sweet tooth raving about the unique taste of this latest indulgent treat.  It makes a visit to Kenny Rogers Roasters berry unforgettable.

Call 555-9000 for Kenny’s delicious healthy delivery. For more information, log on to their site, www.kennys.com.ph.

Kenny Rogers Roasters Strawberry Froyo

Other sides to try Corn  Salsa and Bacon and Beans,

Strawberry Froyo to beat the summer heat!

Security Blanket thanks Kenny Rogers Roasters, Ms. Tina Papera for the invite. 

Disclaimer: I am not compensated for this post. Opinions expressed are 100% my own.