As tasting menus and wine pairings become more common across the metro, finding one with a fresh take is always a welcome surprise.
At the Lost Islands Center for Kape (LICK) in Karrivin Plaza, Makati, award-winning barista and water sommelier Silvester “Sly” Samonte offers exactly that—a beverage tasting experience that feels like a road trip around the Philippines, one sip at a time.
What is a beverage tasting menu?
A tasting menu is a multi-course dining experience designed to showcase a chef’s creativity, often served in small portions and accompanied by the story behind each dish. At LICK, this concept is reimagined through drinks.
Here, guests are taken through a seven-course beverage tasting that spans tea, coffee, and even dessert-like refreshments—each one thoughtfully crafted to highlight ingredients from across the country.
“The Philippine forests are delicious!” Sly exclaims, referring to LICK’s maiden tasting menu, The Deliciousness of Philippine Forests. Together with baristas Marcus Espiritu and EJ Bonagua, he spent over a year developing the menu, traveling across regions and researching local ingredients. The result is a lineup of drinks that showcases the richness of the Philippines’ ecological landscapes.
The 90-minute experience begins with a few questions about guests’ preferences and dietary restrictions. Soon after, an array of cups and glasses in different shapes and sizes is laid out—offering a preview of the journey ahead.
A taste of the Philippine islands
The journey begins in El Nido, Palawan, where Samonte opened LICK in 2025 as a specialty coffee roastery and community space highlighting local coffee farmers.
Guests are transported to the waters of Cadlao Lagoon with a light, refreshing blend of gamet tea, blue ternate, aloe, and coconut. The drink evokes the sea: clean, briny, and gently sweet.
Gamet, a dried seaweed from Cagayan, is similar to nori but naturally purple in color. Difficult to harvest, it adds a subtle umami note to the tea—an understated but memorable opening to the experience.
From the coast, the journey moves inland with an adlai milk-based horchata infused with pili nut, Visayan laurel, and kalingag bark. Nutty, aromatic, and comforting, it’s served in a coconut husk—a thoughtful nod to the landscapes that inspired it.
As the next course is prepared, a plate of sourdough bread with blackberry jam and Sagada butter is set down—an interlude that grounds the experience while hinting at what’s to come.
A land rich in natural resources
Between courses, Samonte and his team introduce the ingredients that make each drink possible: dried gamet from Cagayan, floral Apitong honey, Visayan laurel, and ripe Bukidnon bananas, among others.
It quickly becomes clear that this isn’t just a tasting; it’s a lesson in what the Philippines has to offer.
No LICK experience would be complete without coffee. Whether you’re a seasoned drinker or not, you leave with a deeper appreciation for the craft. Guests are guided through coffee in its different stages—from beans to brew—served in bespoke cups designed to enhance the experience.
One standout is a set of handleless, spouted cups crafted by pottery artist Joey De Castro. Designed for a multisensory ritual, the cups encourage drinkers to sip in two ways: first, with the spout angled upward to let the aroma reach the nose before the first sip; then rotated 180 degrees to highlight brighter, citrusy notes in the coffee.
Bringing the mountain to the city
Further into the experience comes what might be the most indulgent drink on the menu: sikwate.
Each guest is given a handmade mug and dish set from Palawan, inscribed with Cuyonon words. Alongside it are small vessels of golden liquids with varying textures, plus coconut milk, each meant to transform the drink in stages.
The sikwate itself is a blend of 80% cacao and 20% cane sugar, served at just the right temperature: warm, but immediately drinkable.
What follows is part tasting, part experiment.
First, Apitong honey adds floral sweetness. Then, coconut milk softens the richness of the chocolate. Finally, a surprising addition: patis from Malabon. Unexpected but effective, it creates a sweet-salty balance that lingers on the palate.
Back to beans, back to basics
From layered flavors, the experience returns to something more familiar: kapeng barako from Taal.
Served hot, then iced, the Liberica beans offer two distinct expressions, highlighting how preparation alone can transform a well-known ingredient.
The next course leans on playfulness: a reimagined kakigori inspired by LICK’s Japanese neighbors. Their version features guyabano sorbet with pomelo juice, ginger, turmeric, calamansi, and syrup, topped with a tangy karonda berry purée. It’s bright, refreshing, and sits somewhere between a palate cleanser and dessert.
To close, the Philippine Latte takes inspiration from Tokyo Banana, turning Bukidnon bananas—one of the country’s top exports—into a creamy, frappuccino-style drink.
The entire experience lasts around 90 minutes. In that relatively short span of time, it feels like you’ve already journeyed across the country’s diverse landscapes—and discovered something new about the Philippines along the way. More than just a tasting, it’s a reminder of how much the Philippines has to offer: ingredients, flavors, and stories still waiting to be explored.
As Sly puts it, the Philippine forests are, indeed, delicious.
The Lost Islands Center for Kape is located on the 5th Floor, Karrivin Studios, Karrivin Plaza, Chino Roces Ave., Makati City.
Frequently Asked Questions
A beverage tasting menu is a curated, multi-course experience featuring different drinks—like coffee, tea, and specialty beverages—served in small portions to highlight flavors and ingredients.
The full beverage tasting experience lasts around 90 minutes, including guided storytelling and interactive elements.
The menu includes a mix of coffee, tea, cacao-based drinks, and dessert-style beverages, all inspired by ingredients sourced across the Philippines.
No. While coffee is part of the experience, the tasting also includes non-coffee drinks, making it enjoyable even for non-coffee drinkers.
It highlights local Philippine ingredients and regions, turning each drink into a story-driven experience that showcases the country’s diverse flavors.
It’s best to reserve in advance, as the tasting experience is curated, with limited slots per session. You may get in touch with The Lost Islands at +639178230464. You can also send them a message via their Instagram page at @thelostislands.ks.
