Coffee Tales and The Curator's Coffee and Cocktails

Tomorrow is a Thursday, and as most of social media will be abuzz with throwbacks, I am reminded of all the drafts I have lined up in this blog, and that they are - essentially - throwbacks. Not one to waste any coffee story, I will once again (ONCE AGAIN!!! Never give up, never surrender!) revive my coffee blog; this time I will intersperse with throwbacks of my own, thus doing something about my photo storage as apple keeps reminding me to.  I will begin where I left of.


Long ago, in my coffee lifetime, I was told of a place called, "Craft". It was generating so much buzz, I should've headed out and tried their specialty brew. In fact, friends who knew I love coffee, wondered why I never rushed over there in the first place. That time, I was in a coffee rut.

I heard that Craft was put up by a group of coffee lovers. It was a fantastic concept place for learning, cupping, experiencing, and enjoying the brew. Unfortunately, that maiden effort supposedly closed, with the group agreeing to disagree on certain issues or concerns, and part ways (as I was told).

Turns out, it didn't close. The partners did part ways (partly), with two staying with the company, and one continuing onward with his own coffee adventure. Well, you can't expect coffee lovers who are able to, to just pack up and sulk in a corner.

This one member opened his own coffee company, which he calls The Curator. And while the main coffee shop was still undergoing renovation, they opened a counter where award-winning baristas prepared and served coffee, imparting helpful information while doing so. My friend C and I couldn't wait for the opening of the bigger place, so we tried out this counter.

It's located along Gamboa Street in Legazpi Village, Makati. You might miss it because it's inside Archives (Homme et Femme).

Once inside, the enticing aroma of coffee will let you know you have arrived and your brain will start doing all sorts of crazy stuff with its circuitry to let you know that you need some of that coffee you smell.

This is the main counter. It's all they need, apparently.

Don't be deceived by the size. You all know about looks that can be deceiving and great things coming in small packages. Be dazzled, instead by the equipment, if you can manage to snap out of the hypnotic smell of coffee (and sight of fabulous shoes lined up for the taking) surrounds you. At The Curator, multi-awarded baristas Kevin and Mikko (pictured here), make your coffee for you. After the standard - what would you want? what are our options? how do you like your coffee? - we decided to try one of each: full-bodied brazilian and the lighter/fruity/tea-like Ethiopian.

Since this first taste of The Curator, I have visited their renovated digs several times: once to do a story for a glossy magazine, and the rest of the times to have coffee and/or cocktails. 

As one of the partners, David Ong, shared, The Curator turns into a bar after 5pm. From that time onward, one can enjoy their unique alcohol-based concoctions, choosing from just about as many options as they offer with coffee. 

The Curator's David Ong at work

The hand-brewed Espresso

Pourovers

The Curator's Menu

David Ong with a fan ;-)

Love the group, love the vibe, and I love how the group's business continued to bloom. And that leads to the story of EDSA - Beverage Design Group. Another entry, but yep, same people.