For those who are in the dark about specialty coffee, Satori Specialty Coffee on the quieter side of Jupiter St. in Makati seeks to serve up enlightened and elevated coffee experiences.
Behind the bar and café is Dubai-based coffee roaster Kim Co-Daluz, who started out as a barista with a major coffee chain until she was influenced by a friend to go to Dubai. There she worked as a barista serving up run-of-the-mill commercial coffee until she was introduced to the world of specialty coffee at the 2017 Dubai Coffee Expo.
Co-Daluz dreamily remembers the aromas and coffee people talking about exotic flavors of coffee. It was a different world from what she was accustomed to. She was then drawn into the scene, particularly since many Dubai -based kabayans were in the specialty coffee scene, even winning barista and brewers championships. She became a specialty coffee barista and has transitioned into becoming a coffee roaster for Grandmother’s Coffee in the UAE.
At first, there were no plans for her to open a coffee shop, though many people in her circle were very supportive. It was only after she won the Dubai Fellow Brewing Championship that Filipino coffeephiles reached out to her and pulled her into the Kape Kape Klub coffee community on Discord.
That’s when she saw that there was a market for the kind of coffee shop she wanted to open. She joked that she is a victim of the algorithm, citing several coffee shops around the world, particularly Singaporean specialty coffee shops Apartment Coffee and Homeground Coffee Roasters as her inspiration for the final form of Satori.
The first time I went to Satori, it was a relatively quiet day. Thus, I saw the Japanese minimalist sensibilities Co-Daluz was going for.
“Clean, aesthetic and on-point,” she says, with equipment hidden behind and below the counters only to be brought out when needed. There is a premium La Marzocco GS3 beside the counter for espresso, but I thought the main attraction of the shop was at the other end where grinders and various drippers are used for pour overs and manual drip.
Satori’s menu is intimidating, not only because of the different offerings but because of higher prices than usual.
But you do get what you pay for. The beans used in Satori are all from Dubai. Some are from Grandmother Coffee Roasters where Co-Daluz is a roaster, and some are from Archers Coffee, one of the most sought-after roasters by serious coffee aficionados where the freight cost alone can cost a pretty centavo.
There is another twist. The long blacks and flat whites you get today will not be the same one you get tomorrow because Satori switches up its coffee beans every day. The chocolate nutty latte today can be a fruity berry forward one tomorrow thus giving customers reasons to keep on coming back.
But for a menu item you can only get here, get the signature Satori set. This is a flight of four coffee drinks -- an ice drip where coffee is brewed one drop at a time by melting ice; a cold brew; a shot of espresso; and a milk drink. As with all the other items, the beans used in these cups change from day to day. Of note are chilled special steel balls to keep the ice drip and cold brew at lower temperature to avoid diluting the coffee.
If you get a pour over, the best seat is by the bar where you get the full sensory experience similar to high end specialty coffee shops abroad. It’s like a ritual where the barista talks about the beans on the menu, lets guests smell the beans before and after grinding, brews the coffee in front of you, then serves up the coffee in special servers and cups to complete the experience. One can even get a tasting card that contains the coffee's name, origins and tasting notes.
One more thing, Satori gives out an "Art of Coffee" card where you can write the coffee you've had at the shop along with your notes. They keep this for you so it doesn't get lost.
Perhaps the most compelling reason to come to Satori is its open brew bar. The open brew bar is just that, it’s where anyone can come in and use the equipment -- grinders, drippers, kettles, even those special chilled balls -- to brew their own coffee.
How much does this cost?
“Nothing,” Co-Daluz says with a grin. “But when you bring your beans, you should bring enough to share the coffee with everybody in the shop.”
Many coffee lovers are "brewdol’d" into buying way too much coffee. These do go stale when left past its expiration date. The open brew bar is not only a venue to brew these beans, but also a nice way to practice, polish up brewing techniques.
Sneakily hidden in this concept is Satori’s way of building a community. Brewing at home is often a solitary activity and brewing at the bar gives you access to valuable feedback from fellow coffee lovers on dialing in the variables (water temperature, grind settings, pouring, and many more) to get the best brew out of those beans. Besides this, the shop also hosts workshops and competitions for those who really want to take the next step in their coffee journey.
Satori Specialty Coffee is located inside CEO Flats on the corner of Jupiter and Canopus, Bel-Air, Makati, and is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Monday to Thursday) and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Fridat to Sunday). Check out @satori.mnl for special events and their coffee selections.
Photos by Jeeves de Veyra