Cagayan de Oro premium specialty coffee shop H Proper Coffee Roasters is bringing its third wave coffee experience to Ayala Triangle in Makati.
For those who in the know, H Proper Coffee Roasters is one of the go-to purveyors of high-end beans specially curated and roasted by owner Harley Keith Yu and his team. Even before the specialty coffee boom of the pandemic, the shop drew customers with its eclectic selection of much sought-after coffee brought in from the most premium coffee-growing regions in the world. The shop itself is a must-visit destination for coffee lovers when visiting the City of Golden Friendship with its very well-equipped espresso bar, slow coffee station, and food and pastries by Wendy Yu.
For fans waiting for a proper H Proper in Makati, this is not it -- at least, not yet.
For now, H Proper Coffee Roasters in Manila is a pop-up stand set up right in front of the store's future location in Ayala Triangle. Those who were at the 2023 Coffee Expo will recognize the temporary structure the makeshift pop-up is housed in.
On the right side is an espresso machine pulling shots to make americanos and milk drinks. There is a chiller with cold blacks and cold whites for those on the go.
For this pop-up, Yu observed the return to “fast coffee” -- that is coffee made with an espresso machine for americanos and Spanish lattes after people discovered more manual ways of brewing during the pandemic. But he also acknowledged how hardcore Manila-based coffee enthusiasts can be, based on the clamor to have “slow” coffee if he ever set up in NCR.
Undoubtedly, any H Proper café’s highlight is the slow bar. Yu’s passion for pour-over coffee is on display as this is the best way to prepare his catalog of competition and auction coffees with nothing scoring below 80 points by the Specialty Coffee Association.
These are coffees that are different from the usual dark bitter brews, but are instead, light and nuanced. The shop has got a cup for varying tastes and varying budgets, though for now, the selection is nowhere as extensive as the CDO shop. Prices can range from around P190 for their more affordable beans all the way to P815 for a cup of the Geisha Championship Reserve.
A visit won't be complete without at least browsing through the shelves of black and gold bags of H Proper Coffee, coffee-related books, and the assortment of drool-worthy coffee equipment for sale like Hario V60s and filters, Comandante grinders, Delter coffee presses, Acaia coffee scales, and even the newly released Subminimal Nanofoamers for milk frothing and latte art.
For those who want their H Proper caffeine fix, the pop-up is open every day from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. with plans of opening earlier for the Ayala Triangle running and cycling crowd. This temporary store will only be around until January 7, 2024. After that, they will close to go full blast with constructing the actual cafe which will feature an industrial coffee roaster and an experience that is more akin to the flagship Cagayan de Oro shop. This is is set to open sometime in April 2024.
Photos by Jeeves de Veyra