April 13, 2021 is the day I was unofficially proclaimed a Bahay Barista. Of course there are no set rules for becoming one. But maybe it’s when a senior home-coffee-brewer bestows the title upon you that it becomes official.

The Inception:

Isay and Carlo, friends who I often mention here, are coffee lovers. Coffee is something that comes up randomly in our conversations together with the occasional coffee photos sent by Carlo regardless of the time in the day. There have been short conversations about how they like their coffee brewed as well as a showing of their tools. When talking about future meetups, it often consists of sharing a cup together. I wasn’t particularly influenced by these conversations; at the time, I enjoyed the consistency and simplicity of my Nescafe Gold.

The Catalyst:

It was when Carlo was having a super busy week that I impulsively decided to send him some drip coffee from an ad that came up on my IG feed. My thoughts at the time were: in a busy week, drip coffee should be a quick way to enjoy the beverage without it being troublesome (only to find out someone else makes a big batch of moka pot for him and his colleagues). Aside from that, I wanted to try it for myself. So I got both me and Carlo a sampler pack.

From the drip coffee, I found other flavor notes absent from my regular Nescafe Gold. There’s the presence of crisp fruity acidity, a more potent aroma, and other flavors I don’t know what to call because they are new to me. It definitely tasted different and better than the brewed coffee from Starbucks or any coffee shop which I never liked and turned me off from exploring. In addition, my dad enjoyed the drip coffee and showed interest by asking about the brand and where it came from, noting that it’s nice to have something different aside from our regular.

Enter JJ, Nangbudol:

JJ is my blockmate from college who is my online kakwentuhan. Coffee is one of the things that come up when we talk about health, diet, and sleep. [We have the same attending physician.] I learned that when you’re a bahay barista and passionate about your coffee, you’re bound to talk about it. JJ is the one who introduced me to V60 pour overs, coffee kettles and grinders, as well as his thoughts on nespresso, instant coffee and other brewing methods.

One thing led to another: “Pour over, AeroPress, Moka Pot, French Press?”

By the time I asked JJ and Carlo this question, I’ve already consumed hours of videos from European Coffee Trip, James Hoffman, and many others, now building interest towards the simplicity of the AeroPress. However, I was still on the fence on getting into home brewing until JJ gave the extra push by offering to sell me his Krups GVX2 grinder with a free Hario Air Kettle for only ₱1,000! Hard to resist this pamigay presyo!

Thus I stepped into the universe of home-coffee-brew: bean selection, grind settings, brewing techniques & recipes and so much more. I purchased the AeroPress on sale form Lazada, JJ’s Krup GVX2 and got myself my first coffee beans from a local supplier.

With all these in hand, I’ve since made a handful of successful (aka father-approved) brews.

At ako ngayon ay ganap nang Bahay Barista. ♡