Wednesday, November 28, 2007 Country Cafe By Jigs Arquiza
YOU might say “not another coffee shop!” when you read this, and yes, it is another coffee shop, but there’s a big difference. Unlike the more popular coffee shops, CeBrew Café, at the ground floor of Gaisano Country Mall, offers its customers a choice. Patrons can choose between a popular local brand or CeBrew’s imported house coffee. With the local brand costing around half as much as the cheapest coffee available at the other coffee shops, students on a tight budget will find CeBrew’s prices very attractive.
Even CeBrew’s local cappuccino is still inexpensive, still around half the price of the cappuccinos at other stores. Proprietors Helen To and Candice Alvarez explain, “We know how popular coffee is among students. We also know that a lot of students don’t have much money, so we sell coffee they could afford as well as provide a place where they wouldn’t be embarrassed to hang out in. CeBrew Café gives them both.”
Another nice thing about CeBrew’s coffee is the way they serve it. As Goldilocks would put it, CeBrew’s coffee is “just right!”
“Coffee should always be served at the correct temperature.” explain Helen and Candice, “of course, we don’t want our customers to scald their tongues when drinking our coffee!”
A wide selection of coffees are available, be it plain brewed coffee, café latte, cappuccino, mocha and other flavored coffees. Different kinds of teas are also offered, both hot and cold. Of CeBrew’s iced teas, the Four Red Berries tea and their own version of milk tea, with a choco-caramel flavor, are pretty good. CeBrew’s blended drinks, such as their caramel latte, are also excellent, with the coffee and ice blended just right. Definitely no ice stuck in the straws when I was at this coffee shop!
Customers hungry for something to eat won’t be disappointed at CeBrew Cafe either. Their take on the classic BLT, or bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich, is pretty good, with two layers instead of just one. Having two decks actually makes the sandwich easier to eat, as the fillings usually slide out easily when you have just one deck. Chicken wing lovers will certainly fall for CeBrew’s Chicken Wings, crispy and served with a slightly peppery brown gravy.
True it may be that coffee shops are already dime-a-dozen in the City of Cebu, still, CeBrew Café offers something more than just cheap coffee. No shouting out of names, no business meetings at the table beside yours, just a place for people who appreciate coffee. Good coffee, good food, good people.
