Department of Coffee

As a coffee drinker I’m so pleased that more and more serious coffee places are opening in Manila. The latest and nearest to me is Department of Coffee along Wilson St. in San Juan. 

Department of Coffee is so small that if you blink you will miss it like I did the first time I went. I had to call them to ask for directions and found out that it’s right next to Mu Noodle Bar. 

 

They proudly state in the entrance that they use La Marzocco espresso machine which is  quite popular and pricey.

 

Fitting 20 people in the small space would be a challenge. 

 

I peeked inside to take a picture of their La Marzocco. 

 

Their menu was simple and straightforward with espresso based drinks.

 

I asked the barista if he knew how to make my drink of choice, a strong flat white, and he said yes. Did he get it right? Yes he did! It was definitely strong espresso (double shot) topped with hot milk and little foam.

The best thing I liked was their use of smaller coffee cups that has less space for milk. I hate those large coffee cups which they fill with so much milk it drowns out the coffee. That’s why I hardly ever order latte or cappuccino. You will not be disappointed with the coffee at Department of Coffee!!!

 

On the other hand their walnut chocolate chip cookie needs improvement. As you can see in the picture it was too smooth and tasted almost like dry bread instead of a cookie. Too bad since it had a good quantity of semi sweet chocolate chips and walnuts which I felt were wasted.

 

My second visit was with Jin who was miraculously in the area. She wanted coffee so I brought her to try DOC. 

 

Jin’s double shot cafe mocha had a successful latte art. She’s a stronger coffee drinker than me and she too was happy with her drink. The only thing that made her sad was they ran out of whipped cream for her mocha. 

 

Department of Coffee
197 Wilson St., San Juan, Metro Manila
telephone: +632-925-5388
Instagram: @departmentofcoffee