London-Style: A Matter of Taste at Costa Coffee

For over forty years, and more than three thousand stores later, Costa Coffee's success continues to be driven by its own proprietary and original blend. At Costa Coffee, it is, and will always be, a matter of taste...

The exquisite Mocha Italia, a closely guarded secret originally created by brothers Bruno and Sergio Costa when they started Costa Coffee back in 1971 in the heart of London, is what sets Costa Coffee apart. It's the original blend used in all of Costa Coffee's drinks, the very same blend that helped make Costa Coffee the UK's favorite coffee shop. And it's now here in Manila...

Costa Coffee only uses one blend unlike other other coffee chains, and Costa Coffee's original Mocha Italia, known for its smooth, round and rich notes, makes it distinct and different from the usual cup of coffee. Master Gennaro Pelliccia, Costa Coffee's tastemaker, ensures that the proprietary blend remains the same as it was in 1971, with its perfect balance of sweetness and acidity. And for one day, Master Gennaro Pellicia conducted an exclusive Costa Coffee Masterclass Session where we witnessed a true master at work doing what he does best--taste coffee. It's a serious business, in fact, Master Gennaro Pellicia's tongue has been insured for GBP 10 million.

Costa Coffee is the leading coffee chain in the UK with a growing international presence with a network of stores across thirty countries. At the very heart of this impressive global expansion is the Mocha Italia, a proprietary blend of the very best Arabica and Robusta coffee beans. At Costa Coffee,  it all starts with the coffee bean...   

All of Costa Coffee's beans are sustainably and responsibly sourced from 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified farms that are then skillfully blended by Costa Coffee's Master Blender, delicately roasted to lock in the flavor and aroma, and lovingly crafted by Costa Coffee's baristas for a perfectly brewed cup of coffee, every time and all the time.  All this boils down to Costa Coffee's flawless execution of their signature bestseller, the Flat White (P 150), a masterfully extracted shot of coffee, the Cortissimo which is shorter and richer than the normal espresso, smothered with a thin layer of milk bubbles carefully poured to form a florette. Rich and creamy, Costa Coffee's Flat White is a full-flavored coffee with a velvety smooth texture capped with an elegant leaf pattern. The natural sweet notes are all you need, and you can forget about adding extra sugar.

One sip immediately tells you why the Flat White is a bestseller, with its distinct sweet, nutty, and subtle chocolate notes. Then, there's the signature Cappuccino (P 120 Primo/P 130 Medio/P 140 Massimo), a rich espresso with steamed frothy milk topped with chocolate dusting forming the brand logo. The Cappuccino, and the Flat White, best highlights the unique Mocha Italia blend for me. Excellent coffee, London-style.

Pair your signature Costa Coffee with a variety of fresh and savory snacks, and there are quite a number of tasty options. The Porkloin and Cheese Sandwich (L) and the Ham and Cheese Ciabatta (R) are just some of the light yet flavorful snacks you can find at Costa Coffee.

For the exclusive Costa Coffee Masterclass Session, each guest was given a special kit, an attractive box packed with an espresso cup, an apron, a pencil and a notepad, and a specially designed cupping spoon, an essential tool of the trade. And you're just about ready to experience the world of coffee tasting...

Three premium single-origin coffee beans were presented for the Costa Coffee Masterclass session, the same high quality Arabica beans sourced from sustainable Rainforest Alliance Certified farms from Colombia, Kenya, and Indonesia used in all Costa Coffee stores.

RJ Ledesma hosted the afternoon's event at Costa Coffee, along with Master Gennaro Pelliccia. The tasting process plays a crucial role in the consistency of both quality and flavor of Costa Coffee's signature products, and there's a whole lot of work going on behind a flavorful cup of coffee...

One of Master Gennaro Pelliccia's key tasks is to ensure that the distinct notes of Costa Coffee's unique Mocha Italia blend weave in seamlessly, with layers of balanced sweetness and acidity for smooth and full flavors in every cup capped by a fragrant aroma.

The subtle hints of aromatic notes from the different single-origin coffee beans are distinct, and pouring hot water brings out even more of the aroma from each of the different cups. The staff at Costa Coffee then poured hot water on our cups filled with the three different types of Arabica coffee beans...

...and after allowing the ground coffee beans to steep for about five minutes, Master Gennaro Pellicia instructed guests to take in the different aromas. The thin layer of creamy foam, called "La Crema," indicates the richness of the coffee, and with the cupping spoon, the finer points of the coffee tasting business are demonstrated...

Master Gennaro Pelliccia skimmed the top layer of the bowl with the cupping spoon, then raised the back side of the spoon to take in the aroma. In a series of quick yet delicate motions, Master Gennaro Pelliccia goes through each bowl highlighting the different aromatic characteristics of the different coffee beans.  

With the cupping spoon, Master Gennaro Pelliccia then began the formal tasting process with a loud slurp. The action allows the liquid to spray and coat the mouth and simultaneously take in the aroma to experience the full range of flavors. With their own distinct aroma, each single-origin coffee also delivers their own unique set of flavors. The Colombian Arabica coffee beans have a pronounced sweet, fruity and chocolate notes, the Kenyan Arabica coffee beans deliver more citrusy and acidic hints, while the Indonesian Arabica coffee beans released a more robust, earthy and intense bitter flavor. In evaluating the coffee, Master Gennaro Pelliccia identified four key elements, starting with "La Crema" or the "face" in reference to the top layer of the coffee, followed by the aroma, taste, and aftertaste, the lingering flavors long after the first sip. The delicate nature of the process gives one a better perspective and appreciation to the hard work that goes behind each freshly brewed cup at Costa Coffee, allowing you to experience coffee in a whole new way. 

It was an eye-opening experience to see a master at work, and mind-blowing too as Master Gennaro Pelliccia picked up even the minute subtleties of different notes from each cup. It's the little details that come into play that separates a good cup from a great cup of coffee. And that's what you get at Costa Coffee. I end my cupping session with Costa Coffee's Caffe Caramella (P 145 Primo/P 160 Medio/P 170 Massimo) with a slice of Original London Cheesecake...perfect.

If you're looking for the unique flavor of the orginal Mocha Italia and that cool London-style vibe, go have a Costa Flat White. Or a Costa Cappuccino. Or a Costa Caffe Latte. Or let the friendly staff at Costa Coffee guide you through their line of signature coffee. Whatever you choose, you can be sure of consistent quality and flavor. At Costa Coffee, it is, after all, a matter of taste.

Costa Coffee's branches can be found in Eastwood, Robinsons Place Manila, and One World Place, Bonifacio Global City.

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