A Shot of Espresso

Ever since I realized that coffee makes my palms sweat even more than the usual, I tried to stay away from it as much as possible. A matcha latte (sadly, exorbitantly priced) from a coffee shop would do the trick any time. But strangely enough I’ve been having daydreams about affogato, a coffee-based drink that simply involves the marriage of really good vanilla ice cream and Italian espresso. The taste of which would probably be (because I’ve never tried it before) pure bliss.

It’s a shame that I didn’t get to my have my share affogato, but I did get to understand more about espresso as the base element, thanks to the great people of Segafredo Zanetti Espresso.

The company with Italian roots has branched out all over the world through coffee shops, machines, plantations and roasting plants. They pride themselves by being a “fully integrated coffee company” – the meticulous coffee-making process from bean to cup is 100% theirs.  That is a feat in itself because a stamp of authenticity means nothing is watered down and compromised. With a mission to “spread the taste, the culture and preparation method of the true Italian Espresso”, these people mean business and yes, take their coffee very seriously.

these remind of me of printer ink cartridges

Bloggers and some people from different online publications were treated to a presentation about the company and their products.

Ms. Xenia Germino, the operations manager, together with (from L-R): Andrea Borghesan, export manager and Ilija Naumovski, grand chef barista

And true to form, the food from the cafe needs to be given a special mention:

this pizza was really tasty. I’ll definitely come back for another slice. or two

As a cafe, they can serve up rocking finger food. The best of the best would have to be the deconstructed lasagna (pictured above, deceptively like a fat lumpia). Dipping it into the rich tomato sauce is a home run for lasagnas all over the world. I kid you not, it’s really good.

Tessa Prieto-Valdes, social butterfly and wearer of many hats (literally and figuratively) was a special guest. She can’t stop gushing about how good the espresso was. True enough, their signature blend is thick just how espresso should be. It was strong and had a kick, but the bitterness was not off-putting.

My friend, who is not (and probably will never be) a coffee drinker was impressed. My other friend, who has the love for coffee in her veins, was blown away. The realization that espresso isn’t your run-of-the-mill coffee hits you with every shot.

Afterwards we were treated to an espresso-making demonstration, done by Slovenian master, Ilija Naumovski, the grand chef barista for Asian operations. Baristas can geek out over this because he’s kind of a big deal.

thickening/foaming the milk

This and that:

How did I pass up the chance to have slice of this? Next time. Next time.

If and when I’m in Bonifacio Global City, I’ll definitely stop by to get to know the espresso shop a bit more: more pizzas, cakes and hopefully an affogato if the fates allow it. Like any other coffee shop, the feel is definitely casual, with free WiFi to boot. Naturally their name isn’t the first to pop up when you think of a popular coffee shop, but the fact is, this little coffee shop has branches all over the world, and carries with it the promise of an authentic Italian espresso experience. It’s a good enough reason to stop and give it try.

Segafredo Zanetti Café

G/F Net Plaza Building, 31st Street

E. Square Zone, Crescent Parkwest

Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

The funny thing is most of us invited to the event got lost on the way. My sage advice would be to just look for the JPMorgan building. The cafe is located at the ground floor.