MANILA -- The Coffee Academics (TCA) continues its mission to connect people over a cup of coffee with the introduction of new drinks from Adri Zaihan Ahmad, head of coffee and assistant general manager from TCA Singapore.

Ahmad was in the country with deputy CEO Jason Wang from the main office of The Coffee Academics in Hong Kong to check and audit the local operations of this esteemed coffee brand.

The Coffee Academics is celebrating its 10th year having been established in Hong Kong back in 2012. It has since expanded all throughout Asia.

Yang welcomed the opportunity to travel and meet TCA’s partners outside Hong Kong.

“A lot of these partners opened up during the pandemic. So we didn't actually have a chance to meet them in person. It's always better to communicate in person than over zoom or any of the online communication apps.,” said Yang.

Yang is also taking some Philippine coffee back to Hong Kong to cup and consider including in a blend.

• The Coffee Academics opens full-service cafe with brunch options

Ahmad, on the other hand, was here to train the local baristas and share recipes for new drinks that will be rolling out all around the region. Ahmad certainly knows his flavors and ingredients and it was a pleasure just watching and listening to him explain the thinking behind the new concoctions.

“The reasoning behind this whole series is that Southeast Asia is pretty hot. And coffee is always known to be a drink when you wake up in the morning or when you're on a diet. This whole series is to showcase that coffee can be a refreshing drink as well.,” explained Ahmad.

While iced and cold coffee is not new, Ahmad’s fruity takes are unusual and come together.

The most familiar drink in the series is the Espresso Tonic that several homegrown coffee shops already offer. Ahmad has a nice balance of lemon and espresso in his version of this drink.

Blueberry and espresso shouldn’t work. But somehow, Ahmad mixes these up in his Blueberry Lemon Espresso Soda. No artificial sugars here, all the sweetness comes from the fresh fruit.

The last drink in the series is the new Strawberry Basil Espresso Soda made with pureed fresh strawberries and a bit of syrup.

The new drinks will be appearing on the menus of local branches of The Coffee Academics soon.

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