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| CBTL's hot cocoa, desserts & swirl rewards card |
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is my ultimate go-to coffee place when I wanted to relax with a hot cup of brewed coffee (or their Ice Blended drink, depending on my mood) and a dessert. As compared to the more popular Starbucks Coffee (yes, lets name names, shall we?), its always less busy and the hush ambiance is more palpable which makes this cafe more conducive to a relaxing coffee experience.
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| double chocolate ice blended and turtle pie |
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| a view from where I sit in CBTL, Emerald Avenue |
CBTL's Emerald Avenue branch is a glossy structure to behold. I marvelled the great view of the beautiful wall fountain from where I sat behind the glass-paneled walls as I sip ever so slowly of my Double Chocolate Ice Blended drink. Composed of dark chocolate, coffee extract and non-fat milk. Startling in its darkness, nevertheless I was rewarded with a rich and creamy chocolaty flavor with the hint of coffee trailing behind. As if the chocolate-coffee drink was not enough, I also partnerned this drink with a slice of Turtle Pie. Chocolate as dark as night, Oreo cookies and grounds of pecan composed this oh-so-rich dessert that I can't help but close my eyes in submission. I also find the single pecan placed on top of the cake slice a nice touch to this indulgent dessert.
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| espresso & cream |
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| white chocolate raspberry cheesecake & Toblerone cheesecake |
I was back in their Emerald Avenue branch one night right after we attended my friend Darlene's birthday celebration in Kuya Jay's Cabana Grille. I was with Karen and Deny that night, all of us "wasted" so to speak due to the booze that we took (although I only just took a bottle of Tanduay Ice that night). Both Karen and Deny wanted to go to Starbucks Coffee to get their coffee fix. I, however, persuaded them that we get our caffeine mix at CBTL. Don't get me wrong, I'm still fond of Starbucks, will always be. But sometimes, one would get tired of it after a while, especially if you frequent the place way too much. A diversion from the norm is something I always welcome.
Karen ordered the Moroccan Mint Tea Latte which she enjoyed immensely. Deny had the Caramel Macchiato. After a tentative sip, he said with a slow nod of his head as if in reverie, "Masarap pala." I had the Espresso & Cream Ice Blended drink. An espresso drink with counterpoints of milk topped with a delicious whipped cream.
For the desserts to go with our coffee, we had the White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake. The sweetness of the white chocolate blended well with the tartness of the raspberry filling and the crumbly texture of the graham crust. And the not-too-sweet Toblerone Cheesecake is a three layered cheesecake with some Toblerone chocolate shaved on top.
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| CBTL, rockwell business center branch |
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| love that ceiling light |
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| blueberry cheesecake |
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| nai cha green tea latte & cheesecake |
On one occasion, after a sumptuous meal that I had in Buon Giorno at the Rockwell Business Center, I decided to get cozy with a hot tea latte and a dessert slice. I remember how hard the downpour at that time, with brilliant lashes of lightnings that shoot out from dark, nimbus clouds followed by the booming crackles of thunder. I felt scared and my spine tingled a little as my childhood fears came back to me on Thor's fearsome lances of lights. I sought comfort with my Nai Cha Green Tea Latte. A hot cup with an earthy taste followed by a minty feel to the tongue and creaminess from the steamed milk. And the Blueberry Cheesecake, which is just a Chicago Cheesecake with globules of blueberry mixtures placed on top. Decidedly on the sweet side with just a hint of tartness. A whiff of that minty smell, then a quick sip of the green tea latte, followed by a nibble of the cheesecake, my fear of the colossal gutsiness of the weather outside slowly ebbed away.
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| CBTL branch in Gateway Mall |
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| red velvet hot cocoa |
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| guitless chocolate delight |
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| stroopwafel |
One time, after I indulged myself (or should I say, overindulged myself) with two patties of Angus Beef hamburger in The Burger Project which I almost put all the add ons listed on their checklist sheet that pegged the price of my burger concoction to more than P600.00. It was insane, but it was fun to have a free reign on what goes into your burger. The Choco Peanut Milkshake that I had there should have been enough to satisfy my sweet craving. However as I leave the burger place, I felt a need for a hot drink. The night was damp and a light drizzle ensued that boosted my yearning to seek solace inside a coffee shop. So, off I went to CBTL branch in Gateway Mall.
I ordered the searing hot cup of Red Velvet Hot Cocoa (P135.00). The pinkish color of the froth enticed me. And as I sip, I was captured by the velvety smoothness of the cocoa. Like a welcoming embrace. The Guitless Chocolate Delight (P135.00) surprised me, though. It was supposed to be sugar-free, yet its so rich and shamelessly sweet. The chocolate flavor was also very intense and I like the way it melts in your mouth in submission. Can't help but roll my eyes in delight!
The Stroopwafel is a caramel cookie waffle sandwich with a chewy center. And indeed it was quite chewy. But the good thing was, I got this cookie waffle for free! You might ask why. The reason behind it is this...
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| swirl rewards card |
I procured a reward card which they called the Swirl Rewards Card for P195.00. Unlike other cards, this is already a lifetime reward card so no need to worry renewing it. You could also track how many points you earned and the convertible peso amount after you register your card on their Swirl Rewards' site. You can also choose if you want to have a mint green colored card or the coffee brown one which is the color of the card that I have. Coolness, isn't it?
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| CBTL, Eastwood Citywalk 2 branch |
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| The Kaldi, Milk Frother and Beverage Capsules caught my eye |
A few days before the New Year, after our Italian food feast with my friends in Ristorante Bigoli, I spotted a rather chic contraption right beside the display case of sweets in the CBTL Eastwood Branch. It suddenly dawned on me that this is their Single Serve Beverage System machine, with the Milk Frother (the container on the left side) and a selection of capsules of espresso, coffee or tea (situated on the right side of the machine).
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| kaldi (from CBTL-PH site) |
This machine is called the Kaldi (valued at P13,750.00). It's one of the chicest coffee machine I've seen in a while. Aside from the blue/silver color combination, the Kaldi also comes with the red/silver and the white/silver color combinations.
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| kaldi (side-view)-from CBTL-PH site |
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| inserting the capsule (from CBTL-PH site) |
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| control panels (from CBTL-PH site) |
The Kaldi can be used by filling water first to the container through a small opening at the back of the machine (or by the detaching the container from the contraption), then switch in on, then you can choose on the three control panels the type of brew you want (first button is for espresso, second button is for long espresso and the third one is for coffee and tea brew. Place your cup on the drip tray and wait till it drips your chosen brew to your cup.
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| contata (from CBTL-PH site) |
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| contata/side-view (from CBTL-PH site) |
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| control buttons (from CBTL-PH site) |
They also have another single serve coffee machine called the Contata, pegged at the same price range, which also has the same functionality and also offers the one-touch technology to get that perfect brew of coffee in a cup. However, based on looks alone, I would go for the Kaldi.
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| milk frother (from the Net) |
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| beverage capsules (from CBTL-PH) |
To aide you of getting that perfect cup of coffee and tea, a requisite accessory of Milk Frother (P4,250.00) is sold separately. As well as the beverage capsules for espresso, coffee and tea (valued at P400.00 for a box of 10).
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| ice blended drinks (w/o the whipped cream) and desserts |
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| double chocolate |
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| sunrise |
Going back to my orders that night, the girl at the counter told me their ice blended drink will not have any whipped cream since they ran out of it. I went goggle-eyed, but only for a moment. I was with Henry at that time (Anja went kaput early) and he had the Double Chocolate Ice Blended drink (155.00) and I had the Sunrise Ice Blended (P175.00), a combination of fresh orange juice and French Deluxe Vanilla, a nice balance of creamy and citrusy flavors. I loved it.
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| rum cake |
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| lemon square |
The desserts we paired our Ice Blended drinks with are the Rum Cake (P115.00) which is like a sponge doughnut with sugary glazed top and the Lemon Square (P85.00), a tartly-flavored custard in a shortbread crust.
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| CBTL, gateway mall branch |
That sums up the reason why I love this coffee shop. Some visits may not be as perfect as I would like to envision it to be, still, it doesn't remove the allure and charm it has on me.
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| musing over coffee (photo taken by Karen) |
And yes, I still dream of having my very own uber-chic Kaldi Single Serve Coffee Machine. *wink*
Branches visited:
Emerald Ave., Ortigas
Rockwell Business Center
Eastwood Citywalk 2
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