Chocolate drink from Thailand

On cool days like today, I usually drink hot chocolate in the morning. I found a box of chocolate mix that I picked up during a trip to Bangkok earlier this year.

Amazon's Dark Choc chocolate drink mix

 It's supposed to be a dark chocolate with rich and intense taste. I thought thought that it wasn't rich or intense enough for me. Even for a cup, it wasn't as satisfying as the Swiss Miss dark or non-dark chocolate drinks. Still, it is sufficient for quick hot drink on a cool morning.

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Anyone for Korean orange juice?

I was curious about the orange juice from Korean brands so I decided to get a couple of bottles from a store in the nearby mall. I actually bought one of two orange juice variants they have and both taste good. Both claim to be 100% orange juice and not just juice drinks like what most are in the market. From what I understood, they were not necessarily the concentrate type or the blended type like what many bottled or tetra-packed 100% orange juice are.

Fresh Mandarin from the No Brand store

Price-wise, I thought the price of a bottle was reasonable enough for a 100% orange juice. I say this in comparison with the typical Happy Day, Ceres, Harvey or other brands you'll find in supermarket shelves. Satisfaction-wise, these Korean orange juice are really good. I thought the Mandarin was flavorful (perhaps full bodied can be used to describe it). You may add some water if you want the taste to be lighter especially if the juice will be to wash in the food you're eating or as a refreshing drink after a workout. I will definitely get more of these the next time I pass by the store.

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K-Pop coffee?

I went to a nearby convenience store to get some ice cream. I ended up picking up a few of these to sample the coffee with the wife who was quite amused about the variants for the hot brew and cold brew.

We have to admit that the Vanilla Latte was good even if its not heated.

Found these in the refrigerated section.

The Americano proved to be strong so I think it can substitute for 'barako' for a wake up effect.

 

I am not familiar with the members of BTS but I have heard and watched them on TV. Pretty catchy tunes and nice dance moves! Our daughter seems excited about them despite her being only seven. Our teener was more familiar with the names, which I forget easily. I assume they're the most popular group in the world now? No matter... the coffee is good!

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Artisans Italian roast coffee

The wife usually bought her coffee from a shop at a nearby mall that had a very good selection of coffee from local and foreign sources. They're definitely cheaper than Starbucks or CBTL and it was convenient for resupplies since we went to that mall almost every other week before the lockdown. I found that their brand is at the supermarket shelves now (thanks to the latter's purchasing people) so I could get a bag or two whenever our coffee supply runs low.

Italian Roast - we usually get their Kilimanjaro and Colombia in addition to Barako

Details on the coffee brand at the back

Storage suggestions and bar code

Recommended brewing methods and contact information on the company

I will post on coffee again soon!
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More on coffee choices at the supermarket

Last Friday, I took this photo as I was deciding on which coffee to pick-up in addition to the usual bag of Barako Batangas to replenish our supplies at home. This work-from-home scheme has led to more coffee consumption as in addition to my wife's breakfast brew, she would have coffee at least once more after lunch. At times, she will make another mug at mid-afternoon if she had a meeting.

In the photo and at the bottom shelves are coffee from Healthy You, Gourmet Farms and Tanay Hills.

I'm not sure if the bottom shelves are the most appropriate for these but I think local coffee deserves a better place on the shelves. Let the instant coffees, especially the imported ones, be on the lower shelves so local coffee can be promoted better and people encouraged to buy them.

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Coffee choices at the supermarket

The recent trip to the supermarket allowed me to get a few photos of local coffee being sold in beans, ground or instant form. I just wanted to show that there are so many to choose from among the many brands and blends from locally grown coffee. I think we have gone a long way in as far as coffee is concerned and this is something that should be pursued and promoted with or without government help.

Among the local brands are Kickstart, Healthy You, Artisans and Bo's Coffee

There is also Blue Notes coffee nestled here among the instant coffee jars that include Nescafe, Key Coffee and UCC coffee. The latter two are Japanese brands; both having a chain of coffee shops in Japan even before the arrival of Starbucks there.

More local coffee in Silcafe (from Silang, Cavite), Cafe de Lipa (from Lipa, Batangas), and Gourmet Farms (also from Silang, Cavite but usually attributed to nearby Tagaytay, Cavite). These areas in Cavite and Batangas produce some of the best coffee in the country. Batangas, of course, is famous for its Barako blend of coffee that's perfect for morning cups. 

Not in the photos are other local coffee like those from the Cordilleras, Rizal province and Mindanao. These also grow high quality coffee in these regions/provinces. I will try to take a few photos of these brands in the next trip.

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Local coffee renaissance?

It is nice to see a lot of local coffee brands on supermarket shelves. The many choices now available means that higher quality coffee is now being produced at significant quantities. It helps, too, that the packaging has improved. I took the following photos at one of supermarkets we frequent for our groceries. This one's located in Cainta, Rizal.

Coffee from Amadeo and Silang, Cavite (don't mind the KitKat)

Coffee from the Cordillera region and Lipa, Batangas

More coffee including packs carrying a popular cafe chain brand that competes with Starbucks

We usually get local coffee whenever these are available. The wife is a 'coffeeholic' of sorts so rarely run out of good coffee (in beans or ground) at home. I am more of a chocolate guy but I do sip a cup of coffee once in a while so I know if the coffee is good. Of course, we also try to get good coffee whenever we are abroad especially if the country we are in produces good coffee (e.g., Vietnam, Indonesia).

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