Sunday, December 25, 2011

Indonesia's J.CO Donuts Opens in Manila



The past two weeks have been filled with surprises and gifts from different people in celebration of two important occasions -- my birthday and the holidays. Last Tuesday, I came home to three big, yellow boxes of donuts, which is equivalent to 3 dozens of sweet pastries. Excited to open them, I hurriedly grabbed my camera and took some pictures, so I can show it to you.

But before anything, you might be wondering what J.CO is and where it originated. Let me introduce the brand to you.

J.CO Donuts and Coffee is the brainchild of Johnny Andrean. It opened its first store in Jakarta in 2005, and has since grown to over 100 outlets spread throughout Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and, more recently, Shanghai, China. Aside from the freshly made donuts, J.CO is very popular in Indonesia for its Italian brewed coffee. In addition, J.CO has its own yogurt brand called J.COOL.

Upon opening the boxes, I saw two dozens of colorful and palatable donuts (pictured above), and another one dozen full of donuts with almonds (pictured below). Look really yummy! Apparently, J.CO uses ingredients such as Belgian chocolates, Californian almonds, American honey, New Zealand cheese, and Japanese Matcha green tea. Wow!

As you can see, the designs and flavors are quite different from the other donut brands. I'm not really sure of what the variants are called, but a few of the are strawberry, chocolate, green tea, mocha, and more. From top to bottom, left to right, the donuts are called: 1st row - Don Mochino, Strawberry Caviar, Hazel Dazzle, Black Jack; 2nd row - Tiramisu, Snow White, Why Nut, Jacky Chunk; 3rd row - Heaven Berry, Choconuttzy, Green Tease, Chocolate Caviar.

Since I got a whole box with this donut, I got so curious and decided to look it up online. I found out that this is the Al Capone, J.CO's top-selling donut. It has no filling inside, but is compensated by the outside, which is topped with white chocolate toppings and sprinkled with almonds.

I don't really eat nuts, so I had my friend taste it and got a word that she liked it for having a soft dough and a not-so-sweet taste. In addition, she said that the almonds were sliced just right and had the crunchiness she wants in nuts.

I also had my share in tasting the donuts - in fact three consecutive pieces. The first one is called Heaven Berry, a strawberry-flavored donut. I don't know what specifically are the pink-colored topping and filling are made of, but the the strawberry taste wasn't shouting STRAWBERRY. By that I mean it was not too sweet nor overly flavored with strawberry. It tasted natural. Also, it was rich and kind of fruity as well. 

In my opinion, the second piece I tasted -- called Tiramisu -- can be classified as a gourmet donut. I'm guessing it's either Tiramisu or Coffee flavor. I really loved its mocha taste on top and its white filling, which comes out so richly, complementing the mocha taste. So far, this is my favorite variant of all. It's very delicious! 

This third donut called Why Nut had a vanilla topping and peanut butter filling. At first look, the vanilla topping made me think it will have Bavarian filling as with most other brands of donut. However, to my surprise, it contained peanut butter. Oh boy did it feel like eating an expensive soft bread with peanut butter and chocolates. Yummy! *Do you think I'm weird for not eating nuts, yet eating peanut butter? Laughs.*

In the spirit of sharing, I brought the two boxes of donuts to office and had my teammates try them. To make the donuts more delish, we followed the box's instructions and re-heated the donuts for it to become softer and creamier again. 

Some of them were shocked to see the boxes and even asked "sino galing sa Singapore or Indonesia?" (who came from Singapore or Indonesia?), while some asked what brand is J.CO and where is it available in Manila.

I happily told them that they are one of the firsts to taste J.CO donuts here in Manila, because it's not yet open, but soon to be in 2012. They were all smiles. They enjoyed eating their share and all had the same comment - "it wasn't too sweet." Good and bad actually -- good that it probably has lesser sugar, but bad because they won't notice they're already eating one piece after another.

This February 16, 2012 March 15, 2012, J.CO is set to open its flagship store in the heart of The Strip in SM Megamall, Ortigas. This first branch in Manila is a great addition to the J.CO family, proving its growing supremacy in the lifestyle cafe sector within the Asian region.

The first 200 customers to visit the SM Megamall store starting at 9am on its opening day gets a special treat. Make sure to tag your friends along for a chance to get something extra special from J.CO.

Aside from the SM Megamall branch, I also saw one branch being constructed at the 3rd floor or Greenbelt 3 in Makati. I'll probably update this post when I get more information about that specific branch.

Update 1: J.CO Donuts and Coffee will be specifically located at the Ground Floor -- right in between of Seattle's Best Coffee and Mang Inasal at the Mega Strip area, Mega B side (along Julia Vargas avenue where the cars pass through to get in from and out of EDSA via Megamall). You will see a big tarpaulin there.

Update 2: The opening of J.CO Donuts and Coffee SM Megamall is moved from February 16 to March 15, 2012. Other branches will open after this branch. 

Update 3: Here's another post about J.Co Donuts and Coffee - presenting J.POPS Baby Donuts!

Update 4: Pricing for J.CO donuts are out!
Regular-Sized Donuts:
  • Php42 for 1 piece donut
  • Php350 for 1 dozen regular donuts (any flavor of your choice - assorted or single flavor)
  • Php550 for 2 dozen regular donuts
J.Pops Baby Donuts (posted here):
  • Php250 for 2 dozens (can't be bought per piece or 1 dozen only)

16 comments:

I want to try the Al Capone. I just love almonds, yum!

On the opposite, I don't like peanuts much :)

Aba, Buti ka pa, di pa nag oopen yung  shop my donuts na! sorry to ask sang floor yung The Strip in Megamall?

Hey Kidd! Thanks for your question. I have updated my post and placed the specific location at the last part of the entry :)

naks. artistahin sila elma & co. hahaha

You should've been there too. If only you're still with us... :)

Nice, magkakaroon na din ng J.CO dito sa pilipinas. :)) Sarap nyan!

nakakagutom naman, ang tagtal p magkakaron... eh san galing yan kung wla png open dito s pinas?  ska magkano yun donuts nila? tnx.

They were made in Manila on the same day it was delivered to our house. As for donuts' prices, no final word yet :)

nakakain ako ng jco sa sg,,,sabi ko sa anak ko,bhem nakakamiss yong jco,,,kailan kaya uli tau makakatikim,,,then sabi nya tingnan ko sa manila baka meron na...absolutely ! meron nga at sa  mega mall ortigas...bibili kami,,,,yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wooohooo! Bibili rin akoooo! I love Tiramisu :D

I miss jco donuts and cofee... all donuts in jco are yummy.... i worked in JCo donuts and coffee in singapore before..

My ultimate favorite is Tiramisu :D

Cant wait to try it!

Followed you through GFC. Pls follow mine, too!

Http://carmiscaprice.blogspot.com/

San ako pwede mag pasa ng resume? I want to be part of their company:)

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