Discover Something Deliciously Different!

Just like I did!

At the start of summer, Greenwich launched the Greenwich Overloaded Pizzas, which boasts of having the most toppings on any local pizza available. This new product line also signaled Greenwich’s expansion into rolled edge thick-crust pizza, with the 2 new flavors serving as it’s maiden offerings. I got to sample these two new variants at the recent press launch held at the Greenwich Mall of Asia branch.

Greenwich Overloaded Pizza
Greenwich Overloaded Pizzas

I sat down with Mr. Luis Velasco, Senior Marketing Manager for Media, PR & New Business, and Mr. Joseph Aruta, Project Manager, to discuss this latest pizza craze to hit the country. Mr. Velasco explains that this new line was the result of a study conducted last year which revealed 84 percent of Filipinos prefer plenty of toppings, and that a big percentage also preferred thick-crust pizzas. (I am one of them.=D) According to Mr. Aruta, nearly four million slices of the Greenwich Overloaded Pizzas have been sold since March.

greenwichspecial
Greenwich Special Overloaded Pizza

The new Greenwich Special Overload is basically the same as the regular Greenwich Special, but with three times more premium meats, fresh veggies, and 100 percent Mozzarella cheese toppings. The new Greenwich Meat and Cheese Overload on the other hand, has layer upon layer of Italian sausage, ground beef, pepperoni, salami, bacon, Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese. For thin crust lovers, rejoice! Both variants also come in thin-crust versions that are still guaranteed to fill even the biggest of appetites!

Meat and Cheese
Meat and Cheese Overloaded Pizza

Available in double and family size; rolled thick-crust and thin crust, The new Greenwich Overloaded Pizzas are also available in a square thin crust, which can serve 6-8 people. Can’t decide on which variant to order? Why not have both?! With the Half & Half Overload, you get to sample both on one pizza crust.

My verdict? Overall, I liked how both of the flavors tasted. The rolled edge thick-crust is crusty on the outside yet very soft on the inside. And the top is just packed and overflowing with toppings, just the way i like it. It’s seasoned just right, and what I liked the most, which really surprised me, was that the crust wasn’t oily. At all. I am used to seeing a lot of oil under thick crust pizzas from other pizzerias, so it was a pleasant surprise.

The new Greenwich Overloaded Pizzas are available in all Greenwich branches nationwide. Head on over to the nearest Greenwich and sink your teeth into the new Overloaded Pizzas to discover something deliciously different!

For more information, visit their website at http://www.greenwich.com.ph .

Too lazy to go out? Then let your fingers do the walking! Greenwich delivers! Call 5-55-55 to have your Greenwich Overloaded Pizzas delivered to your doorstep.

Cupping at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

Let’s start off with a little trivia I learned at the event: Tea is the 2nd most consumed beverage, next to water, world wide. And here I thought it was beer!

Moving on.

Cupping is the term used for what a tea taster does as he evaluates the tea. And at the Tea Appreciation Seminar, we got to sample some of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s house blends.

Tea! I think this is the African Sunrise
Trying out Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s bestsellers

The first tea that was served was the Genmaicha Tea, which is a blend of high-quality Sencha tea and partially toasted rice. I got a whiff of the aroma before I took a sip, and it did smell faintly of toasted rice. As I sipped the tea, I noticed how light the tea tasted, and how the flavor of the toasted rice gave it a wonderful finish.

Next to be served was the Fancy Formosa Dragon Oolong which is a medium bodied tea, with a subtle floral aroma and a flavored with a hint of peach. Now this is an instant favorite of mine, simply because it is peach-flavored. I love anything peach-flavored!

A light-bodied tea, the Apricot Ceylon was the third to be served. I liked this one as well because of its fruity flavor and aroma, which is think is a bit stronger than the Fancy Formosa Dragon Oolong. (Even though it is lighter.)

CBTL Tea Bag
CBTL Pyramid Tea Bag

If you want spice, then the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s Chai is the tea for you. This full-bodied tea is a special blend of Black Tea, cinnamon, cloves and other spices. These give an exotic aroma and spicy taste to this flavorful tea.

Saving the best for last, our host introduced us to the latest addition to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s roster of house blends– the African Sunrise. This definitely takes the cake–or should i say “tea”?-! A Coffee Bean original blend, it has a very smooth body, complimented with a wonderful flavor and aroma. This is definitely the best tasting tea I had ever had! It has never been released anywhere in the world, and will be first sampled here in the Philippines this June.

Appreciating tea with David DeCandia

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf invited bloggers for a night with tea connoisseur and Master Tea Blender David DeCandia for a session on tea appreciation.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Lead

Unless you count iced tea, tea drinking hasn’t caught on the same way coffee did with the influx of coffee shops all over the Philippines. Tea, however, is starting to get its following. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Marketing Director Paolo del Rosario seized this opportunity to introduce Filipinos to the different range of flavors that tea has to offer.

Teaching bloggers how to properly slurp the tea, Mr. DeCandia proceeded to introduce five different teas for tasting: the Genmaicha Green, a toasty brew with a sweetness provided by rice; the Fancy Formosa Dragon Oolong with a subtle floral aroma and a hint of peach; the Apricot Ceylon, a light tea with the fruity flavor of apricot; the Chai, the full bodied spicy tea, which has long been the favorite of many tea drinkers, and; the African Sunrise, a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf exclusive, which will be available in the Philippine starting June 2008.

Some photos from the Tea Appreciation Seminar:

Spot the bloggers
Can you spot and identify the bloggers?

David DeCandia teaching bloggers how to slurp
David DeCandia teaching the finer points of slurping tea

Tea!
Lining up the get the first taste of the Genmaicha Green

Hiking buddies AJ and Phoebe
AJ and Phoebe

Noemi and Ajay
Noemi and Ajay

Eric, Arpee and Khursten
Eric, Arpee and Khusten

With Fritz
Nina and Fritz

Khursten, Kaoko and their Pinkies
Khursten and Kaoko with their Pinkies

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf invites you to Share and Inspire others with your Passion. Upload photos, videos, audio and essay of your most memorable experiences at The Bean and join My Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Story. If your story is their cup of tea, you might just become the winner of a trip to Hollywood, Los Angeles for 4 days and 3 nights with accommodations and pocket money. Log on to whatsyourcoffeebeanandtealeafstory.com for details.