MANILA – It’s obvious that his sole passion goes beyond design but also includes business, style, international relations and social development. And now, Filipino coffee.
Shoe designer Brian Tenorio is not happy that we import countless foreign coffee brands, but when it comes to coffee, our country exports only beans. The goal of KKK Coffee is to eventually export Filipino coffee culture to the world, not just beans – because our coffee brand and culture complete the value chain for a great coffee experience.
“We’ve asked ourselves that so many times and have had countless discussions referencing history, heritage, and personal experiences to determine this. In the end, we concluded that Filipino coffee is not just a drink beverage with beans originating from the Philippines. Also, when asked to name a FIlipino brand, most would say barako. But even with this type of coffee, the preparations are mostly not of and from the Philippines: drip brewing, with a French press or via some espresso preparation. These methods, even by how you call them, are definitely not Filipino,” Brian continues with a tinge of bitter.
His passion for what we may call ‘filipinization by design’, a subject he deftly handled in his talk when he served as member of the jury for the adobo Design Awards 2014, is evident.
For Brian and KKK coffee, Filipino coffee is made from beans from our country, through brewing methods that are like how our Lolas used to make them, and served via recipes that are inherently ours, very Filipino, like pakulo (brewed by boiling), salabat (ginger-infused) and pandan-infused, among others. Regular clients and those who have recently wandered into KKK rave about their barako-based coffee concoctions which are not only very Filipino but quite novel in the café realm. Brian and his crew serve Kapeng Labuyo (coffee infused with chili), Kapeng Pandan (infused with fragrant pandan leaves) and, of course, their KKK 100% “AAA” Barako which is high-grade handcrafted pour-over coffee the way Filipino coffee is authentically brewed and served. His coffee concoctions are so original that he made an effort to get some of them trademarked.
Brian beams with pride as he declares, “Filipino Coffee is not just about the coffee beans. It is about our recipes and brews, marketed via branding that should wholly be Filipino – that is KKK Coffee.”
