Passion Shared is Passion Achieved

* Just two weeks ago, Neil, Ramhil, and I were having the time of our lives at the Philippine Barista Cup held at the SMX Convention Center. Next week we'll be going at it again, this time at the elimination round of the Grand Barista Championship (August 25). We definitely enjoyed the experience and we're hungry for more. But this time we have someone to teach us.

* Remember Lanz? The barista champion we mentioned in last week's blog entry? He's the one coaching us. We practiced last Friday and this Friday we have another session. Now this guy is hardcore. Just when we thought we were already coffee geeks, this guy is a hundred levels ahead of us. His dream is to raise awareness of coffee in the Philippines and help revive the coffee industry. He teaches and coaches student and professional baristas and prepares them for competitions. Talk about passion for coffee. That's also a dream of ours for Los Banos and Laguna but when you have a guy like Lanz to push you and encourage you, it makes the difficult task seem possible and worth living for. We really hope to do our best next week and represent the province of Laguna well. We know there's still a long way to go but this is a good start.

* We had Cafe Antonio Sessions IV: Dave Matthews Band Tribute Night last Saturday. Gelo and I were thankful it's over, covering DMB songs is so difficult. But Eric, Lenard, and Ian had a great set. Many people came and it inspired us more to develop the whole Cafe Antonio Sessions concept. Please "like" our Cafe Antonio Sessions page on Facebook. We'll be posting gig skeds there and stuff. If you want to watch the performance last Saturday you can view it on our wall on Facebook.

* Last Sunday, the CAnton gang went to Chocolate Fire in Makati to visit Marlon--the barista we knew from PBC. Unfortunately, he wasn't there that night. We highly recommend the place and the food. Add them up on Facebook, type "Chocolate Fire."

* If you visit the cafe right now you'll notice some changes right away. The menu is now on the counter. FoMs, waffles, pastries, lunch combos, etc. are posted on the board. We also have a menu standee outside. We have snacks sets (alternatives to our bowl of chips): mallows n stix, nachos (with meaty or salsa dip), and cheesy tuna bites. You'll also notice we have increased the prices of our pastas and sandwiches because we've made improvements on our food.

* Hopefully you guys will have a better experience at the cafe. Every week we strive to bring something new to the table. Get ready for September, we have a lot of activities in store for you. We'll host our first ever Uno Stack-O Tournament sponsored by Espaleklek.

* Thank you for the support, the ideas, the inspiration, and all the help. Always pray for us and hopefully we make it to the semis of the Grand Barista Championship!