My Top Picks: Coolest Nescafe Coffee Commercials

Nescafe is the leading instant coffee brand here in the Philippines. With its familiar coffee blend which was not far enough from the country's rich flavored local coffee, it was instantly loved by the Filipino consumers. Nescafe coffee then became a constant partner of the Filipino families on their breakfast table.

It's also good to know that Nescafe Philippines continuously supports and educates our Filipino farmers in improving their livelihood through sustainable agriculture.

I could say that Nescafe never stops reinventing their products and reconnecting with their consumers as their ads and commercials say it all. Here's a list of Nescafe's commercials ranked according to my personal choice:

#10. On the bottom of my list is the ad where Nescafe features the country's movie stars: Toni Gonzaga, Sam Milby, John Lloyd Cruz, Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson. For me, it's not too appealing and it seems so scripted and unnatural.

# 9. Here's the most recent ad of Nescafe coffee. It has a general concept unifying people regardless of personality clashes and indifferences by finding the common interest among each other.

# 8. One of the 1^stNescafe ad which was released in the early 80's. Notice how the Filipino lifestyle changes. Is it improving or deteriorating? Does anyone still play Polo in the Philippines today?

# 7. This one is a great interpretation on how "freshmen" adjust on their 1^st day in college. They may feel alienated at first but they'll surely find common interest with one another. Also, this ad shows how the Filipinos are improving with their materials in commercial-making. It's really nice.

# 6. This ad was released on the rainy season about 2 years ago. It's truly amazing how the rain and romance goes along together.

# 5. This is Nescafe's Summer Reggae Series describe how a simple coffee mix matches the summer breeze in the Philippines. By watching it, you'll get the feel of all the fun, gimmicks, both beach and house parties in the in the country.

# 4. This ad simply illustrates that the social support in the Philippines is very intact and strong that's why Depression rate in the Philippines is very low.

# 3. Nescafe never fails to feature Filipno talents. Third on my list are the exemplary music and talents of Hale, Bamboo, Parokya ni Edgar, Ramon Bautista and the late Francis M.

# 2. Second on my list is a 2-part series released in 2001. It has been said that audition for this ad lasted for 3 months. This ad is a perfect visualization of a typical morning on every Filipinos' lives. I could say that I was moved by this.

# 1.This Nescafe Summer 2009 Commercial is on top of my list. It gave a new taste to the Filipino's all-time favorite refreshment, "Samalamig". It was an all-Filipino concept which showcases how the rural and urban people unify with the coolest "samalamig".

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World's Most Expensive Coffee

If you're a coffee lover, don't just settle with your usual daily brew!

Explore... Indulge then Crave for more!

Here's Forbes.com's list of the most expensive world class quality coffee beans that could keep you ask for more!

Kopi Luwak

Indonesia

$160 per pound

Luwak Coffee is made from coffee cherries that have been eaten by common palm civets, which use their keen sense of smell to select the choicest and ripest beans. The digestion process removes the flesh from the crimson Sumatran berry and the beans, supposedly sweeter as a result of having passed through the animal, are hand-collected from the jungle floor.

Alamid Coffee

Philippines

$115 per kilogram

The Philippines has recently discovered it produces one of the world's most expensive and coveted kinds of coffee.

Alamid Coffee is a kind of Civet coffee made from coffee beans eaten and passed through the digestive tract of Sugar Palm Civet (paradoxorus Philipinensis), or alamid in the local language forages in the mountains and forest of Philippine Archipelago.

In the Philippines, only 500 kg are produced a year and the roasted beans sell for more than $115 a kilogram.

Get the freshest cup of Coffee Alamid at Bag of Beans,Tagaytay City.

Hacienda La Esmeralda

Boquete, Panama
$104 per pound

Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha coffee set an online auction record when it sold for over $50 dollars per pound, unroasted, on May 30, 2006. The coffee, which is grown in the shade of old guava trees, has been widely and enthusiastically praised for its flavor and aroma. In April, it placed first in the SCAA "Best of Panama" competition, with a score of 94.6 out of 100.

Island of St. Helena Coffee Company
St. Helena
$79 per pound

This very exclusive coffee is grown on the island of St. Helena, 1,200 miles off the coast of Africa. Cultivated from a varietal brought from Yemen in 1730, it owes much of its success to Napoleon Bonaparte, who started a vogue by praising the coffee during his exile on the island. St. Helena coffee dropped from sight for more than a century, until David R. Henry began exporting it again in the early 1990s. Production is low (about 12 tons per year), and once again, demand is high.

El Injerto
Huehuetenango, Guatemala
$25 per pound green at auction

Expected to retail for more than $50 per pound

This boutique lot of coffee by El Injerto, specially prepared for the Cup of Excellence auction, is from the region of Huehuetenango, Guatemala. It recently won first prize in the 2006 Cup of Excellence. This coffee is likely to retail for more than $50 per pound, after it has been roasted.

Fazenda Santa Ines
Minas Gerais, Brazil
$50 per pound green at auction

This coffee is the highest rated in Cup of Excellence history, with a combined score of 95.85 points out of 100. Only 12 60-kilogram (132-pound) bags of this limited production coffee were available at auction; they were purchased green by Caffe Artigiano, an independently owned café in Canada, and two Australian roasters. You can't go out and buy a bag, but cups are available at Caffe Artigiano and, occasionally and with much fanfare, other specialty shops around the world.

Blue Mountain
Wallenford Estate, Jamaica
$49 per pound

A long-admired coffee, Jamaica Blue Mountain is controversial because of high prices and variable quality. There has also been a fair amount of counterfeit Jamaica Blue Mountain on the market; remember that "Jamaica Blue Mountain style" and "Jamaica Blue Mountain Blend" may contain little or no authentic product. The real thing is well known for its mild taste and aroma. About 85% of all Blue Mountain produced is sold to Japan.

Los Planes
Citala, El Salvador
$30 per 12 ounces ($40 per pound)

Los Planes from El Salvador ranked number two in the 2006 El Salvador Cup of Excellence competition, with an international jury scoring it 93.52 out of 100. It's not yet available to consumers.

Kona
Hawaii
$30 per 14 ounces (about $34 per pound)

In the late 1820s, the British brought Brazilian coffee trees to Kona's rich volcanic soil, hard-working family farmers and perfect climate. True small-farm, estate-grade Kona coffees are known for their clean, pleasant, mild flavors and good aftertaste. Nevertheless, Kona is also a controversial coffee, due to its high price, and scandals in which inauthentic beans were packaged as Kona.

Starbucks Rwanda Blue Bourbon
Gatare/Karengera, Rwanda
$24 per poun

Starbucks began visiting coffee-washing stations in Rwanda in 2004 and found these high-quality beans in Gatare and Karengera for its Black Apron Exclusives offering. Until recently, Rwandan farmers grew low-quality beans as their main cash crop.

Yauco Selecto AA
Puerto Rico
$22 per pound

Puerto Rican coffee from the Yauco region represented a standard of excellence in production that many other countries sought to imitate by the 1890s. Grown on the Southwestern Mountains of the island, this "Island" coffee is known for its mild flavor. Price is determined by the cost of production and the availability.

Fazenda Sao Benedito
Minas Gerias, Brazil
$21 per pound

Brazilian coffees are known for their nutty, sweet and exceptional bittersweet and chocolate-roast tastes. Fazenda Sao Benedito is part of the Sertao group, a family run association of coffee producers in the south of the state of Minas Gerias. This group of producers had ten coffees out of the top 36 in the Cup of Excellence 2005.

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IN THIRST OF POWER... Dirty Politics in the Philippines Continues

Dirty Politics in the Philippines continues where around 27 Filipino journalists were ruthlessly killed in a massacre of more than 50 people in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao province. According to the news, the journalists had accompanied the wife, two sisters and two human rights lawyers of Buluan town Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu in filing his certificate of candidacy for Maguindanao governor in next year's elections.

Mangudadatu organized an all-female team to file his candidacy because he allegedly received death threats from the camp of incumbent Governor Andal Ampatuan Senior, a very close political ally of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

The victims' convoy was stopped by about 100 gunmen allegedly led by Mayor Andal Ampatuan Junior, the governor's son, and was diverted to a remote village where they were killed.

International media groups condemned the mass murder and called on Arroyo to immediately bring the perpetrators to justice.

"Never in the history of journalism have the news media suffered such a heavy loss of life in one day," the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said. "We call for a strong reaction from local and national authorities."

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/296237,extra-at-least-27-journalists-among-dead-in-philippine-massacre.html

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An Offer You Can’t Refuse

The tagline above was popularized by "The Godfather" trilogy which was based on a Mario Puzo's novel of the same title. The story revolves on the family business of Don Vito Corleone and just like the head of the family, kind and compassionate to those who give respect, but given to ruthless violence whenever anything stands against the good of the family.

The said movie won numerous awards from reputable award giving bodies like Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Grammy and many others. Since the 1^st release of the movie, the impact of "The Godfather" to the general public continues to influence in every medium of popular culture from movies to TV shows to music to video games and now, it has even invaded the worldwide web.

I must say that I was so enthralled by this movie although I wasn't even born yet when the first "Godfather" movie was released. I have been hearing about it when I was young especially during the early 90's when the last sequel of the trilogy was produced. I only get to see the trilogy in full in 2003; 2 years after the DVD copies got available. From then on, The Godfather trilogy has always been on my list of favorites.

Furthermore, I jumped in excitement when I discovered an offer that I can't refuse and that is through Mafia Wars. It is a social game created by Zynga which can be found on social networks like Facebook, My Yahoo, My Space, and Tagged. I guarantee that you'll get the feel of the clashes of the Dons to vie for respect online.

Just like the movies, the game is set in New York City with the option to travel to Cuba and Moscow. The game revolves around mastering job tiers in order to earn cash and experience, with the goal of establishing and advancing one's criminal empire. As the game says "More Mafia, More Power", Players create mafias by recruiting players and using reward points to hire extra mafia members. And just like the movies, the battle of the mafia families for honor and power continues. Each member of the player's Mafia is armed with the best offensive and defensive weapons which are essential in picking up a fight. The objective of the game is simple: Staying Alive, Stay Fighting, Stay On Top!

Join My Mafia: http://apps.facebook.com/inthemafia/status_invite.php?from=858264849

Here's My to-date-Profile on Mafia Wars:

El Padrino Experto "[skip] jane smith", level 259 Fearless

Mafia Fight Strength

501 Up to 501 mafia members and hired guns help you in fights, each using a weapon, armor, and vehicle from your inventory.

33,606 Mafia Attack Strength is the total equipped offensive power of everyone in your mafia.

36,294 Mafia Defense Strength is your total mafia's defensive power.

Best Offense:

Best Defense:

Attack:	405	Increase your attack to do more damage and win more fights.
Defense:	380	Increase your defense to repel more attacks.
Health:	145	Increase your max health to survive intense fights.
Energy:	858	Increase your max energy to do more jobs.
Stamina:	60	Increase your stamina to fight more often.