J.Co Donuts & Coffee: The New Donut Craze in Manila

After Krispy Kreme, another international donut and coffee destination hits Manila. But this time, it isn't from the United States, but from Indonesia. And although you probably have heard and seen this new donut and coffee establishment, it wasn't until last month that I first got to try a treat from J.Co Donuts & Coffee.

Before July ended, I've already visited J.Co Donuts & Coffee in its newly-opened branch in SM Mall of Asia. However, since I got sick a day after grabbing a box of donuts, I only managed to get a taste of two donut flavors. And to save my throat from demise, I decided to just give this Indonesian donut brand another try after I recover my taste buds.

Although I got better in a week, it wasn't until last Saturday that I finally had the chance to visit J.Co Donuts & Coffee. But this time, in their flagship store at SM Megamall since I was already there to take advantage of the Mega Food Sale. However, I wasn't sure if I already got lucky 'cause I only had to wait over 30 minutes to get to the counter. You see, after I bought my box of donuts, there was a sudden surge of queuing patrons.

I had a short chat with one of the crew at J.Co Donuts & Coffee, and I found out that the SM Megamall branch is always packed even on weekdays. On peak hours, lines by the counter are always this long, or even worse. And on average, customers should wait about an hour or even two before getting their J.Co Donuts. That's just crazy, right?!

With lines this crazy long, and patrons this crazy over J.Co Donuts, I guess I really had to sample as many donut flavors as I can to try and justify this crazy demand. So without further ado, here are my 2 separate purchases of a Dozen of Donuts (P350).

This first box is what I bought last month from the SM Mall of Asia branch, but I only got to try two flavors since my throat can't take more than that, being sick and all.

• Alcapone - I personally got to try this J.Co signature donut and I loved it! The donut itself is very soft with smeared white Belgian chocolate frosting and toasted almond slices on top. Aside from tasting sweet and creamy, the crispy almonds were also a delight to munch.
• Green Tease - I also got to sample this round donut with a generous green tea frosting. Although I liked that J.Co's is truly of a green tea flavor, I found it a little too much for a piece of pastry.

I didn't get to taste the other flavors in this bunch, but my parents and little sister gave this box their stamps of approval. Every donut flavor they had wasn't too sweet for their palates. They all agree that in terms of sweetness, they prefer J.Co over Krispy Kreme.

This second box on the other hand, was from my recent visit to J.Co Donuts & Coffee in SM Megamall. Although I successfully got a hold of the best-selling Alcapone which my parents and aunt loved to bits, I didn't manage to try the other unique flavors like the Mona Pisa and Mango Blitz since they weren't readily available.

• Why Nut - Next to Alcapone, this is my favorite. Aside from a white chocolate topping over the soft donut, it's also filled with a slightly chunky peanut butter inside making this perfect for peanut butter lovers like me.
• Mr. Green Tea - Unlike the Green Tease flavor, this donut has just the right amount of matcha green tea for me. Every bite didn't have an overbearing green tea taste, and the crushed nuts atop also added for an interesting crunch.
• Avocado DiCaprio - Many raved about this, but unfortunately, I wasn't too impressed. The taste might have changed since I ate this the next day after my purchase, but I find the avocado flavor a little lacking. However, I liked the surprise cream filling inside, as well as the chocolate bits around the donut.

I wanted to try the other flavors, but since I'm quite concerned with my weight and figure these past few weeks, I decided not to indulge myself too much. However, here are my family's top picks should you be interested to find out what they liked.

• Alcapone - It would be a sin not to include this on our top picks. We can actually buy a dozen of just all Alcapone, and I'm dead serious!
• Jacky Chunk - This is my little sister's pick since she was the only one who got to try this both times. She said the dark chocolate frosting together with the chopped peanut toppings made this donut very enjoyable.
• Blueberry More - Aside from Alcapone, my mom likes this donut smeared with blueberry jam and adorned with white chocolate bits on the side. It was quite a given though since my mom likes berries.

As for me, my top picks for now are Alcapone, Why Nut and Mr. Green Tea in this particular order. However, I look forward in trying out the Mona Pisa, Mango Blitz, Copa Banana and Oreology, as well as the coffee offerings at J.Co Donuts & Coffee.

THE VERDICT

After finally getting a taste of J.Co's donuts, I can definitely say that these are my kind of donuts. They got great variety, aren't too sweet, and they also have quirky names that I dig. I also like their pricing strategy of marking every donut at P42 each so customers won't get budget-conscious in trying out certain flavors. However, I'm still not willing to line up for an hour just to get a hold of them. I draw the line at 30 minutes.

Taste - 4/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Service - 3.5/5
Price - 4/5
Overall Value - 4/5

J.Co Donuts & Coffee, SM Megamall
SM Megamall Mega Strip B, Julia Vargas Ave.,
Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City
Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 508-9182
Official Website
Facebook Page
Twitter