In my last post, I was searching for a place that’s open-air and allowed me to just chill in peace while reading an e-book or reflecting about the meaning of life. Well, I guess the universe heard me because one of my friends shared the perfect coffee shop for my needs. Let’s take a look at my first visit.
[UPDATE: AS OF AUGUST 2022, BIPOLAR COFFEE & TEA IS NOW CLOSED]
Bipolar Cofee & Tea started out as a pop-up coffee stand by just one person on a bike. But finally, the Bipolar team managed to find a permanent place for their brewing. Checking it on the map, I realized that it was pretty near and with nowhere to go, I decided to do a little visit
Along Ortigas Avenue Extension is Brookside Gate 1. It’s right beside Ortigas Hospital so I’m sure you won’t miss it. Just go a little further inside and you’ll see the place. You won’t miss it.
When I visited, they were still on their soft opening. But since I have a friend on the Bipolar team, we had some catching up while they were readying the place for the other customers. The place itself is a hole-in-the-wall type of coffee shop. You can see the food and drink being made right in front of you.
They have a couple of table and chairs inside as well as a long bench for big groups. They also have some seats just in front, outside. It’s a really cute place and I liked the vibes it gave off. Because of the open air, it felt refreshing and homely at the same time.
As for the drink selections, they serve coffee & tea in both hot and iced varieties. Since it was my first time there, I ordered their specialty, the Earth Tea. The brewer showed me the dried blue ternate flowers which the tea was made from and I was amazed at the scent and freshness of it. It looked like magic while it was prepared.
When it was done, I was given a multi-colored drink that didn’t even look like tea at first glance.
You can clearly see why it’s called the Earth Tea. I was told that it was made from three different kinds of teas mixed together (Blue Ternate tea, Jasmine tea, and Matcha tea). The way to drink it is by mixing it all up and consuming it as one drink. I followed their instructions and took a sip.
It’s a bit hard to describe the taste because I’ve never tasted it before. I’ve tried a few teas in my life but this is new. The Matcha and Jasmine I can make out, and I can also taste the sweetness of the syrup, but the blue ternate tea is really something else. The only way to describe it is that it tastes “flowery”. You just have to try it to understand. I had to control myself or else I’d finish this drink right away. I had to pace myself as they were still just setting up.
We had a few more conversations while waiting for other customers to arrive. Pretty soon the people started to trickle in and the place was busy. I watched as the beans were weighed, ground, and brewed. The French presses were working full-time. It’s a four-man team there in Bipolar Coffee & Tea and given the humble place, it was enough.
Aside from the coffee and tea, the place also served some food. For the night, it was french fries and pasta. I was told that the type of pasta changes according to the availability of the ingredients. The fries also had different flavors to choose from.
I wasn’t able to get a picture of the fries because they mysteriously disappeared just as fast as they were served. After that, some more customers arrived and they were some of my old friends as well. We caught up with each other while waiting for the pasta to be served. It was nice watching the ingredients being made right in front of us.
Since I knew one of the owners, I got control of the place’s speaker and so I played my K-pop playlist all evening. Finally, the pasta arrived and it turned out to be a Chicken Alfredo pasta! Great timing since I’ve always preferred white sauce over red.
The pasta was absolutely delicious. The chicken was so juicy and tender. Every bite was an explosion of flavor. The pasta was well sauced and al dente. I didn’t have any complaints and if I wasn’t biking home, I wouldn’t have minded another serving.
After a few more minutes of talking and catching up, it was almost time to go home. So I ordered one last cup of coffee to keep me alert on my ride home. The place serves both arabica and robusta types of beans and one can make a special request when ordering. I’m not a big coffee connoisseur so I ordered an Iced Vanilla Latte and didn’t know what beans went into my drink.
This cup of coffee was just the right mix of sweetness and coffee taste. I love how smooth the coffee tasted before I mixed the entire drink. I’m not gonna lie that I felt a surge of energy as the caffeine entered my body. And as with most good cups of coffee, I didn’t feel the urge to poop at all.
As soon as I finished my coffee, it was already getting late. I said my goodbyes before riding off into the night. I really enjoyed my stay at Bipolar and I will 100% be back to try the other offerings. They already promised another type of pasta for when I return so I can’t wait to be back.
Thank you so much mam Tin and Karl for the wonderful time. It was fun catching up and talking about the outdoors while you were creating these delicious concoctions.
If you’re looking for a new place to get your coffee or just happen to be in the Cainta area, I highly recommend dropping by Bipolar Coffee & Tea for a quick refill. You can get your coffee just the way you like it, from bean to cup.
Bipolar Coffee & Tea
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Open 4pm-9pm daily except Mondays
Brookside Gate 1, Cainta
Thanks for reading and see you there!
-jgzn
Jai Online 