Toby Smith knows good coffee

Let’s face it. Most of us have been drinking crap coffee for most of our lives, unless you were born in France or Italy. For a long time many establishments would only offer that brown, sludgy brewed coffee, continuously pouring water without changing filters dripping through grounds that were sitting there since the morning, from machines that are almost never properly cleaned. We accept the cup, add some sugar and creamer and take it as is.

When major coffee chains came into the country we were introduced to a whole different level of coffee drinking. All of a sudden we had choices: Soymilk? Toffee syrup? Iced? Frapped? They offered a plethora of coffee-based beverages, opening up the world of café culture, but are we really drinking coffee? When the flavors are so manipulated you can hardly taste the coffee? That obligatory shot of espresso was there more for caffeine than flavor.

Then came the espresso revolution. Those who actually enjoyed the taste of coffee, who took it straight up, made more accessible by the home pod systems. Does being black, strong and bitter with a semblance of crema on the rim of the cup make it good? Is it enough to buy the best beans or own the best machine? Truly, do we know what it takes to make a really good cup of coffee?

When he was 17 years old, Toby Smith used to work in his family’s cafe — “You know, helping mum out,” he shares. “I wasn’t really allowed on the machine and we used to serve pretty bad stuff. We used to pile the grounds high and call it Mount Fuji and mum said that’s what the people wanted so that’s what we gave ’em. Then, one day, my mother went to the bank, and I got behind the machine. This Italian guy came in and said, ‘Ey, you donta know what you ah doin’, do yah? Why donta you getta grinder?’ So we got one and yeah, freshly ground tasted better, but it wasn’t that great still, but that’s when I said to myself, ‘Hey! There’s more to coffee than this.’”

As with most great ideas, there’s always this eureka moment of epiphany, and, interestingly enough for Smith, who had by then pursued a career in law, it came in a manner that linked him to that legendary Ethiopian shepherd with the frisky coffee berry-eating goats. “The moment that really turned me was when I tasted this cold brew called Ethiopian Yirgacheffe from the birthplace of coffee. It was then I said that I wanted to do something that was like a hobby, a passion, and turn it into a business.”

From roasting in his mother’s garage to becoming a global brand to now owning his own plantation in Panama, it was a personal endeavor every step of the way. Smith sources the beans, oversees the roasting and blending and even started by managing all the training himself. Because, let’s face it, money can buy you supposedly the best coffee and the best machine in the world but in the end, well, if you don’t know how to make it there are only two possible outcomes: a cup of very bad coffee or an exploded machine and an empty wallet.

It is something that I’ve realized in recent years since the specialty coffee bug has taken over the city — fancy restos with deep pockets splurge on state-of-the-art machines that, well, nobody knows how to use, like a retired financier who buys a beautiful vineyard but doesn’t know how to make wine. Good coffee takes knowhow and patience. It’s about using the right roast, the right beans for the right purpose. Having the right amount, knowing how much to pack in a dose, applying the right pressure and water temperature, how to foam the milk, how to pour it out, how to blend.

Toby’s Estate knows. It’s been a first for me to actually crave a cup from a specific place. From the smooth texture of the foamed milk to the way the rich coffee flavor is brought out and not hidden by the deep chocolate of the mocha… The espressos are velvety and not burnt, balanced with a beautiful crema on top. Frustrating as it may be for some, I love their frank stance against decaf, the absence of frou-frou, syrups and gimmicks. It’s straight-up good coffee made by people who are as passionate as Toby himself.

“There are also different varietals, just like wine, and each of them are good for something different. One holds up better for lattes, some are nicer iced, some are better in an AeroPress or a Chemex,” shares Smith as he tinkers with his AeroPress, which he brings with him whenever he travels, along with a small bag of coffee. I asked him if he always has his own coffee because he can’t bear to have the bad stuff. “Yeah, I do, but to be honest, sometimes I just put it away and have a cup. Sometimes you want to just stop analyzing and making it too intellectual and just enjoy it.”

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Toby’s Estate Coffee is located at Century Mall, Kalayaan Street, Makati City (this branch offers superb coffee and some pastries on the go), and 125 LP Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City (this larger branch offers a fantastic café menu with soups, salads, light pastas, amazing sandwiches and great breakfast/brunch items).

For more information, visit www.tobyestate.com.