Instagram and Tumblr got Still JavaJiving

Ah, the convenience of advancing technology and the new media. It's awesome on one hand, but on the other - it made posting my coffee pics and short reviews so easy, I just kept pressing the snooze button on this blog till I got such a pile-up of coffee experiences and photos I was planning to share.

I'm going to do a feature on the best ones (promise!), but in the meantime, I'll just let instagram (and tumblr), with my handful of followers, take the rap for my delinquency.

What I can do for now is share some snapshots that I first uploaded via those oh-so-easy sharing apps. Hang on for a bit, because I'll be a better java jiver. I have at least a couple of new coffee places I just can't wait to share with you, plus the rest of the pics that have piled up. Very soon.

Stackers in Eastwood Mall

Gourmet-to-Go inside Rustan's Fresh Supermarkets

Packaging helps a lot. A present from my friend,
from Siem Reap.

French Baker. I love the presentation and the brownie on the side.

RUB Ribs, no other pic, sorry.

Pancake House. Sometimes very strong, sometimes not.

Stacy's in Capitol Golf. Nice country/vintage-y place. 

Their chai tea is fabulous, and so's their coffee. Not bad at all.

Fleur De Lys, Tomas Morato, Q.C. Very strong brew.
You'll need all the powdered creamer that comes with it.

Brewed Coffee from Le Maison, Cebu City, Cebu.
Strong brew, lovely restaurant.

18 Days in Cash & Carry, Manila. More about this stall later.

Solaire Hotel. Hotels should ALWAYS have good coffee.

IHOP's refillable brew. Diner-ish.

Il Padrino in Robinson's Galleria. Very affordable for good coffee.

Good way to end a hearty meal. Batangas Brew
from Corazon, East Wing of Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong.

North Park. Yes, they have coffee. Already with milk,
served with simple syrup on the side.

MoMo, Eastwood Mall. Very strong, full-bodied,
almost cocoa-ish.

Chateau 1771. Sugar and cream needed, added,
and it's still that dark.

Sci-Fi Cafe. The experience of dining in the midst of
all those superheroes was better.

Soy Gingerbread latte, my first Starbucks Holiday2013 coffee.
Nutmeg powder beat the coffee into my mouth. 

Coffee Chemistry

You have to find something good out of every potentially traumatic experience. A hospital visit. A trip to the supermarket. No? Try going on a payday, during holidays, or to high-traffic ones like Landmark Supermarket at Trinoma.

What good can wipe out the bad from grocery shopping there on a bad day? Coffee. Make that, coffee to the rescue! Do I sound like I'm madly addicted to coffee? There's comfort and strength to get from a no-nonsense dose of caffeine before reviewing your grocery list, or after that harrowing experience of lining up and paying for your essentials. Relatively low prices alone aren't enough reason to venture into a supermarket when it's crowded.

A few steps from Landmark Supermarket at Trinoma's basement is the refreshing and welcome sight of Coffee Chemistry's counter. Yes, there are no easy chairs and couches, just the fast food area's typical fixed swivel-y hard dining sets. But easy chairs and couches aren't what you're on that floor for anyway, right?

Coffee Chemistry uses the siphoning technique to give us three of their specialty brews: Morning Blend for a kick, Afternoon Medley to cap a meal, and Midnight Express to savour the goodness of coffee. If I recall, those would translate to strong, medium, and mild, respectively. I've tried all three -- at separate times -- and they're all good AND affordable at P39.00. Good enough for my purpose there. I have yet to try their iced and blended offerings.

If you are, indeed, at that particular mall for your daily essentials, it's a treat not to have to walk to the nearest cafe, which would be crowded anyway. I hope enough people patronize the place so the gem of their coffee would always be a comforting prospect to associate with grocery shopping at Landmark Trinoma.

True, there are cafes near my other grocery faves like Unimart in Greenhills, outside nearly every Rustan's supermarket (but of course), but this one just leaps right out of the fast food melee calling out to you, and I, for one, can't say no to trying something new and not regretting it.

Mudshake Original Cappuccino

Here's something with the rich creamy flavor of cappuccino but a different kind of buzz.  Introduced to me by my bro A during our trip to Subic, it is vodka-based (which I love and can have because I'm over 21) and a fab chilled drink. 

It gives quite a punch, which reminds me of Mule, something that became such a hit during the rave party period shortly before the turn of the century. Unfortunately, with the same speed it rose to fame, Mule's popularity took a nosedive to obscurity. What makes Mudshake better is it is creamy and flavored with coffee and/or chocolate, resulting in something like a black russian, or the Bailey's and vodka concoction served at several launch events. 

A warning for the younger ones, below-legit-age, and those with little or no control over their alcohol intake, this could be dangerously traitorous, because the creamy flavor candy-coats the strong hit of the vodka. 

One bottle gives a good enough buzz for one person, but with ice, you can enjoy half a squat glass of each flavor -- cappuccino, chocolate, mochachino, if I remember right -- within the bounds of a bottle's content. 

This drink is good only for those who like coffee, chocolate, and vodka. If you're only a coffee and/or chocolate lover, stay away from this wolf in sheep's clothing.