On a balmy Wednesday afternoon, a storm is brewing at J.Co Donuts & Coffee in Glorietta 2, Makati. You could feel the torrential gust of excitement as soon as you managed to literally get a foot in the door of the store that’s packed to the brim. The sinful sight of donuts peeking out of the glass shelves and the fragrant aroma of freshly brewed J.Coffee wafting in the air are just too hard to resist. I join an assorted horde of coffee hounds craving their mid-afternoon caffeine fix.
The place is a-stir with everyone holding their precious mug of coffee as a coffee expert spills the beans on what makes J.Coffee the finest coffee there is.
J.Co, the fastest-growing donut and coffee chain in Indonesia — and now in Malaysia, Singapore, China, and the Philippines — has made a name for its donuts. In Metro Manila alone, the popularity of its soft, premium donuts (and, if I may add, not overly sweet, just sweet enough) has spread by word of mouth (contented mouths, for sure). But J.Co is also a coffee place, where great ideas are always brewing.
Certainly, J.Coffee stays true to its coffee heritage by bringing only the best of Sulawesi and Sumatra Arabica beans in Italian roast in each cup of coffee. Trust J.Co to give coffee lovers only the best quality and distinct coffee. Every sip of a J.Coffee espresso that serves as the base for J.Coffee beverages offers a rich, full-bodied distinct coffee profile of citrus flavor, bittersweet notes, and medium acidity that is perfectly blended by J.Coffee specialists.
What else is brewing at J.Co? J.Coffee serves flavored coffees — from the familiar, well-loved ones like the caramello and hazelnut latte you’re bound to go nuts about, to the unique, not your run-of-the-mill flavors, like the Cafe Avocado, which is a hands-down favorite. If you love avocado (I do, I do), you’ll love Cafe Avocado. Expect more from J.Coffee as new variations are coming up every two months and will be offered for seasonal durations.
Looking ahead, J.Co is working on offering iconic J.Coffee products. The people behind J.Co certainly “hope to be able to make J.Co-ers in the Philippines experience and markedly relate to J.Coffee for the high-quality product that it is.”
But of course, great coffee deserves great-tasting donuts! Easily the most wanted is Alcapone, a donut generously wrapped in crunchy, munchy almond slices and inspired by who else but the infamous mobster Al Capone! This fun donut company has whipped up more fun names for its donuts. My top favorite is the tiramisu (Tira Miss U), a creamy, dreamy donut with tiramisu filling, topped with Italian tiramisu chocolate. The Avocado Dicaprio is a good-looking (and great-tasting) donut surrounded with slivers of chocolate that I’m sure will capture the heart (and taste buds) of Leo DiCaprio. Simply tea-licious is the Green Tease topped with green tea icing and filled with green tea cream. Berry nice are the Heaven Berry, a strawberry cream donut with white chocolate swirling on top, and Berry Spears, a cream cheese-strawberry donut that will probably make Britney Spears’ heart sing. Whether you’re a Jackie Chan fan or not, you’ll surely get a (flying) kick out of Jacky Chunk, a chocolate donut covered in lots and lots of peanut bits. And if you want a bit of everything (like me), grab a box of assorted J.Pops baby donuts, teeny-weeny versions of the big donuts. They may be small in size, but they’re certainly big in flavor.
What else is hot at J.Co? It’s the J.Cool fat-free frozen yogurt with add-ons of fresh fruit choices! Cool! J.Cool makes a healthy dessert to cap a quick meal at J.Co. And speaking of quick meals, the J.Club offers donut sandwiches — Cheezy Rich, White Velvet, sausage, salami, katsu. Come and join the club!
Is there a J.Co near you? Most likely, as more branches will soon open in other cities outside Metro Manila with new store concept designs, such as those you’ll find in the newest J.Co branches in Forbes Town, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, and SM City Iloilo.
J.Coffee and donuts? It’s a match made in coffee heaven!