On a walk along the famously gray and brutalist building-fledged street of Perea Street in Makati sits a neighborhood cafe that stands out in bright pink. When Deuces Coffee opened recently, its trial run had attracted crowds of city-lurkers through its doors. You’ll often catch them on your Tiktok FYP as one of the most “Instagrammable” cafes around Metro Manila, but, as you’ll soon learn, what this spot offers goes far beyond being picture-perfect.
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We chatted with Deuces’s founder Richelle, who owns the company along with her sister Julie and her friend Hanna, to learn a bit more about this not-so-subtle hole in the wall.
Get to Know More About Deuces Coffee Co. and How It Became an Instagrammable and Tiktok-Famous Cafe
Deuces Coffee Co. came about as a happy accident of sorts, starting as a coffee roasting company that like many businesses, had to face challenges during the pandemic. “[Because] coffee shops were temporarily closed, we were left with our raw stock of green coffee beans,” Richelle shares.
Quick on their feet, the team decided to make the most out of the situation and make their own brand of bottled coffee. “We decided to create our craft bottled coffee to bring the coffee shop experience and taste to our friends’ and families’ homes, initially. After we exhausted our stock and more people learned about our bottled coffee, we realized that aside from creating coffee, we also enjoyed customer service and connecting with people.”
Their newfound passion pushed them to scout for locations for a brick-and-mortar store. After a few rounds of rejections for other leases, they found a spot on Perea Street, thanks to a serendipitous Instagram advertisement. They loved the Makati neighborhood, so it felt like a match made in heaven for them.
Richelle states Leandro Locsin’s Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Manila as an inspiration for Deuces’ design, which you’ll see in the store’s soft curves and minimal details. To make Deuces feel more warm and welcoming, the team decided to go for gilded signs, wooden accents, and of course, that ubiquitous pink paint.
Having their origins in coffee bean roasting, the Deuces team takes pride in curating a selection of single-origin beans for their customers to enjoy. Richelle excitedly shares that “a common feedback we hear from our patrons is praise for our wide selection of single origin beans [which] makes us giddy!” Deuces goes above and beyond with maintaining the quality of their coffee, training their baristas with sensory and brewing techniques, and importing a special kind of filter for their coffee.
But, mind you, Deuces isn’t that intimidating coffee shop that the third-wave coffee culture tends to connote. Richelle shares, “We pride ourselves with being an inclusive and approachable brand for all coffee enthusiasts, regardless of their level of coffee knowledge.” So, they offer a “wide range of drinks, from sweetened lattes to a curated selection for our specialty coffee enthusiasts,” she continues.
For coffee enthusiasts, they recommend asking the barista for the best, freshly-roasted beans they can offer for the day, which can be enjoyed as a pour-over cup. They’ve even made a seating area right at the bar so you can watch the magic as it happens.
If you fancy sweeter selections, try their best-selling cereal milk latte (P250).
For non-coffee drinkers, you can see their selection of teas or non-caffeinated drinks. We suggest exploring the “craft drink” section on their menu, which features more creative offerings like Pink Horchata (P180) or Ginger Mint Soda (P180).
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