By Art Sta Ana
There are very few things that define an experience that’s truly Italian. Eating spaghetti prepared with actual tomatoes and not with catsup and sweet-style spaghetti sauce? Maybe. Eating a salad and putting in a dressing made up of lemon juice, white vinegar, and olive oil? Probably. Taking your time drinking that perfect cup of cappuccino perfected through eight decades of Italian ingenuity? Definitely.
The Italian way of making and drinking coffee is said to be of a craft unlike no other. There is a pure focus on the coffee itself in creating a cup of almond-colored espresso or flavorful cappuccino, while drinking it brings about a sense of connection and camaraderie as each cup is enjoyed with company both new and familiar, reminiscent of the family-centered Italian culture. Taking an on-the-go coffee cup is somewhat unheard of, because really, each cup of Italian perfection needs to be slowly taken in all its caffeinated glory.
With Illy Caffé opening its third branch at Paseo Center in Makati, distinct with the use of the small letter ‘i’ in its name and in the perfection of each Italian blend in every sip, a more premium coffee experience is now available for the sophisticated business citizens of Makati.
Founded in 1933 and based in Trieste, Italy, Illy’s founders had one ambition: to produce the best coffee in the world, and bring it all over the world. This vision required commitment and passion that were carried down through three generations of the Illy family. And over the years, they have perfected creating a single blend made out of nine distinct types of pure Arabica sourced from around the world to produce a perfect cup of flavor and aroma, the only type of blend the café utilizes and markets.
As the company grew to 230 stores in 39 countries throughout the decades, Illy has been a leader in using technology to create the best cup of coffee all over the world, from roasting to grinding to packaging and brewing. The café has amassed dozens of patents, including the first one for a pressurized can that allowed coffee to be shipped around the world and retain its freshness, and the first modern espresso machine that used mechanical pressure to produce true espresso in the 1930s.
Illy Caffé Paseo Center recently held its grand opening festivities to the delight of coffee lovers in the biggest business district in the country, bringing with it 85 years of Italian coffee heritage. Present at the opening ceremonies were general manager of Illy for Asia-Pacific Andrew Nathan, Italian ambassador to the Philippines Giorgio Guglielmino, distributor and franchisee of Illy caffe Philippines Joey Esteban, and retail director of Illy Asia-Pacific Douglas Ting.
“Quality, excellence, and beauty. We are bringing to Makati the global standard of coffee culture that is undeniably Illy,” said Andrew Nathan during the grand opening.
Indeed, Illy’s style has its roots in exceptional Italian tradition, and this commitment to coffee excellence is none more evident than through the company’s very own Università del Caffè (the University of Coffee), of which master barista Fabricio Aqué, also on hand during the opening festivities, graduated. Fabricio, by creating perfect cup after perfect cup, showed just what is to be expected by the sophisticated coffee crowd of Makati.
“The Filipino coffee market has matured to be very discerning with the quality,” said Joey Esteban. “There’s a desire to identify beans, preparations, and types of coffee, among others, a desire to upgrade their coffee experience to a more premium setting. And we are excited to share the Illy story to them.”
Truly, Illy is obsessed with providing the perfect experience with every cup of coffee. Even as Illy coffee has been in the country for a while now, distributed to several restaurants and hotels as premium drinks for the blessed few, the opening of select branches in the Philippines now makes getting that perfect Italian cup of a foamy cappuccino or a caffeine-forward espresso shaker easier than figuring out how to navigate the streets of Makati.
There are very few things that define an experience that’s truly Italian. Eating spaghetti prepared with actual tomatoes and not with catsup and sweet-style spaghetti sauce? Maybe. Eating a salad and putting in a dressing made up of lemon juice, white vinegar, and olive oil? Probably. Taking your time drinking that perfect cup of cappuccino perfected through eight decades of Italian ingenuity? Definitely.
The Italian way of making and drinking coffee is said to be of a craft unlike no other. There is a pure focus on the coffee itself in creating a cup of almond-colored espresso or flavorful cappuccino, while drinking it brings about a sense of connection and camaraderie as each cup is enjoyed with company both new and familiar, reminiscent of the family-centered Italian culture. Taking an on-the-go coffee cup is somewhat unheard of, because really, each cup of Italian perfection needs to be slowly taken in all its caffeinated glory.
With Illy Caffé opening its third branch at Paseo Center in Makati, distinct with the use of the small letter ‘i’ in its name and in the perfection of each Italian blend in every sip, a more premium coffee experience is now available for the sophisticated business citizens of Makati.
Founded in 1933 and based in Trieste, Italy, Illy’s founders had one ambition: to produce the best coffee in the world, and bring it all over the world. This vision required commitment and passion that were carried down through three generations of the Illy family. And over the years, they have perfected creating a single blend made out of nine distinct types of pure Arabica sourced from around the world to produce a perfect cup of flavor and aroma, the only type of blend the café utilizes and markets.
As the company grew to 230 stores in 39 countries throughout the decades, Illy has been a leader in using technology to create the best cup of coffee all over the world, from roasting to grinding to packaging and brewing. The café has amassed dozens of patents, including the first one for a pressurized can that allowed coffee to be shipped around the world and retain its freshness, and the first modern espresso machine that used mechanical pressure to produce true espresso in the 1930s.
Illy Caffé Paseo Center recently held its grand opening festivities to the delight of coffee lovers in the biggest business district in the country, bringing with it 85 years of Italian coffee heritage. Present at the opening ceremonies were general manager of Illy for Asia-Pacific Andrew Nathan, Italian ambassador to the Philippines Giorgio Guglielmino, distributor and franchisee of Illy caffe Philippines Joey Esteban, and retail director of Illy Asia-Pacific Douglas Ting.
“Quality, excellence, and beauty. We are bringing to Makati the global standard of coffee culture that is undeniably Illy,” said Andrew Nathan during the grand opening.
Indeed, Illy’s style has its roots in exceptional Italian tradition, and this commitment to coffee excellence is none more evident than through the company’s very own Università del Caffè (the University of Coffee), of which master barista Fabricio Aqué, also on hand during the opening festivities, graduated. Fabricio, by creating perfect cup after perfect cup, showed just what is to be expected by the sophisticated coffee crowd of Makati.
“The Filipino coffee market has matured to be very discerning with the quality,” said Joey Esteban. “There’s a desire to identify beans, preparations, and types of coffee, among others, a desire to upgrade their coffee experience to a more premium setting. And we are excited to share the Illy story to them.”
Truly, Illy is obsessed with providing the perfect experience with every cup of coffee. Even as Illy coffee has been in the country for a while now, distributed to several restaurants and hotels as premium drinks for the blessed few, the opening of select branches in the Philippines now makes getting that perfect Italian cup of a foamy cappuccino or a caffeine-forward espresso shaker easier than figuring out how to navigate the streets of Makati.