December 1992 in Edina, Minnesota, the suburb of Miniapolis; the very first day Caribou Coffee was introduced by its innovative owner, John Puckett, who's been dare to take the brave decision to convert as an entrepreneur by establishing this coffee shop. In approximately a quarter of a century, Caribou Coffee successfully expanded all over the owrld, owning 273 coffeehouses in 18 states in America and developing 203 franchise locations in 10 countries.
Entering its 24th year, Caribou Coffee finally came to Indonesia, creating the very first branch in our beloved capital city, Jakarta. It was brought here by the group of Trakindo, who's also the owner of the famous Carl's Jr and Wing Stop. I could still clearly remember those times, when my social media timelines were all full-off the pictures of Caribou Coffee paper cups. However, the hype didn't stop there and kept continue till now as I still found out that the first outlet located at Senopati's almost always packed of people.
Not feeling enough by having one branch, Caribou then established its second and third ones in Cilandak Town Square and Generali Tower at Gran Rubina Business Park, Kuningan. I was so glad to find out that it's now closer to home for me and the place also showed a warm invitation to my Instagram.
Though the outlet isn't as big as the initial one, it's a very cozy place where I can sit down spend hours, both for working and just chilling with friends. Different from the Senopati one, whose concept is more to 'home', this one is more to the place for hang out. It provides both indoor and outdoor spaces, and I think even the outdoor one is pretty cool since the high ceiling protects you from direct sunlight.
Despite its similarities with Starb*cks, I do think Caribou tries to create the distinction, offering alike yet different foods and beverages. Some of the signature ones are even totally dissimilar. Also selling merchandises like glasses, tumblers, coffee-maker equipments, etc; they also try to come up with different design, delivering that 'Caribou' concept.
Beef Bac & Egg Bagel (IDR 52k)
For you who fancy something heavier, you needn't worry as they do serve the savory dishes which come in bigger sizes to satisfy your hunger. Our round-shaped friend here served the stuffings everyone probably like, the common package of beef bacon, omelette, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella cheese. The thick and moist egg layer perfectly matched the crispy beef bacon. Well, something mainstream indeed usually became the most lovable, didn't it?
Steak Sandwich (IDR 56k)
Slices of meat, combined with mushroom and melted mozzarella cheese, are you kidding me, what on earth could ever go wrong with this mix? It's sooo goood especially if you're cheese addict like me. The beef was so juicy and tender that it flawlessly gave that heavenly melt in your mouth feeling. Not to mention, this was also my sis' most favorite dish among all the ones served on the table.
Spicy Beef BBQ Sandwich (IDR 56k)
Now comes to my favorite among all the savory meals, blending spicy yet succulent taste from the abundant pulled beef stuffed between the cereal honey bread. Spoiling and burning the tongue at exactly the same time!
Banana Carrot Cake
Switching the taste bud to sweet mode, starting with this Banana Carrot Cake. It was a bit too dry for me and perhaps the carrot overcame the banana flavor in it, which made my palate not into it. Perhaps, it suited more those who preferred their cakes came in lighter texture and not too sweet.
Peach Millefeuille
Coming as the savior, this Peach Millefeuille served me the delightful feeling from its flaky puff pastry, smooth pastry cream, and fresh peach slices. Crispy outside, moist inside, healthy on top! No need to worry if you don't fancy something too sweet, as this one answered your desire best.
Creme Brulee Danish
Same texture with the millefeuille, just in different face. If the millefeuille had more fruity flavor, this danish was more to milky taste. Don't get me wrong, it was not the milky which made you feel sick since it's neither overly sweet, nor overly creamy. I was so in love particularly with its fragrant pastry base, giving the lovely vanilla smell once you chewed it.
Pistachio Cake
Having foods only would surely be incomplete without the thirst quenchers. And indeed, the drinks were the ones which were 'SO CARIBOU'! As the plus point, the beverages here came in quite gigantic size if compared to alike coffeeshop, let's stay Starb*cks. My first try was dedicated to the dynamic duo, Turtle Mocha and Campfire Mocha (IDR 50k - S / IDR 55k - M / IDR 60k - L), blending your choice of chocolate (dark, milk, or white) with skimmed milk and espresso. The first one was then added with additional caramel and Snickers toppings, while the second with marshmallow and chocolate chip. One suggestion, you'd better request it to be less sweet in case you were not that into sugar. Having it customized like this, both flavors suited my palate faultlessly. Though they're also nice to be enjoyed hot, blended version was still the most recommended!
Pumpkin Pie Latte (IDR 50k - S / IDR 55k - M / IDR 60k - L)
If you were the one who usually wanted to go to the other polar against the mainstream, this was the beverage you should opt for. Additionally, it was just temporarily available as the winter's special drink, perhaps also to celebrate the Halloween. Nevertheless, just a kind reminder, it might suit your liking if you loved rich herbs taste, such as the one you found in Chai Latte. For me personally, Chai Latte was simply not me so I'd rather go with the mainstream ;)
Creme Brulee Boudino (IDR 50k - S / IDR 55k - M / IDR 60k - L)
Another special winter edition was this Creme Brulee based drink. The default was actually the blended one, yet I tried the hot one as at that time I craved for hot cup of caffeine. Same as the previous ones, it tasted better when adjusted to be less sweet, since you could get the natural sugar taste from the caramel itself. Making it double shot, I guessed it could be one of my new favorites here.
Manual Brew (Pour Over) using Java Mocha Beans (IDR 26k)
Last but not least, the coffee dedicated for the true coffee lovers, yes, manual brew. I tried the one served using pour over method with Caribou's Java Mocha beans. Special for this, you could have the barista serving the coffee from scratch right on your table, so an additional live show would be yours. This last cup successfully satisfied me with its balanced acid and bitter flavors as well as its clean after taste.
Summarizing the long story, having tried quite many variants from both Caribou's foods as well as beverages, I have no single doubt that I can be a loyal customer of it. First it's very close to my place, second they suit my palate well, third the place serves the pleasant ambiance, and forth which is the most important as well, it's one of the early bird which can hardly be found around this area. So really looking forward to my upcoming visits! ;)
Not feeling enough by having one branch, Caribou then established its second and third ones in Cilandak Town Square and Generali Tower at Gran Rubina Business Park, Kuningan. I was so glad to find out that it's now closer to home for me and the place also showed a warm invitation to my Instagram.
Though the outlet isn't as big as the initial one, it's a very cozy place where I can sit down spend hours, both for working and just chilling with friends. Different from the Senopati one, whose concept is more to 'home', this one is more to the place for hang out. It provides both indoor and outdoor spaces, and I think even the outdoor one is pretty cool since the high ceiling protects you from direct sunlight.
Despite its similarities with Starb*cks, I do think Caribou tries to create the distinction, offering alike yet different foods and beverages. Some of the signature ones are even totally dissimilar. Also selling merchandises like glasses, tumblers, coffee-maker equipments, etc; they also try to come up with different design, delivering that 'Caribou' concept.
Starting the day with something healthy, here the two dishes served on the table, Strawberry and Peach Yoghurt, serving the combination of plain yoghurt, granola, and strawberry and peach jam for each respectively. Appearance wise, the size was kinda deceiving as it looked quite small but once you enjoyed it, the portion was pretty fulfilling enough. For healthy food, the taste was surprisingly nice.
Beef Bac & Egg Bagel (IDR 52k)
For you who fancy something heavier, you needn't worry as they do serve the savory dishes which come in bigger sizes to satisfy your hunger. Our round-shaped friend here served the stuffings everyone probably like, the common package of beef bacon, omelette, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella cheese. The thick and moist egg layer perfectly matched the crispy beef bacon. Well, something mainstream indeed usually became the most lovable, didn't it?
Steak Sandwich (IDR 56k)
Slices of meat, combined with mushroom and melted mozzarella cheese, are you kidding me, what on earth could ever go wrong with this mix? It's sooo goood especially if you're cheese addict like me. The beef was so juicy and tender that it flawlessly gave that heavenly melt in your mouth feeling. Not to mention, this was also my sis' most favorite dish among all the ones served on the table.
Spicy Beef BBQ Sandwich (IDR 56k)
Now comes to my favorite among all the savory meals, blending spicy yet succulent taste from the abundant pulled beef stuffed between the cereal honey bread. Spoiling and burning the tongue at exactly the same time!
Banana Carrot Cake
Switching the taste bud to sweet mode, starting with this Banana Carrot Cake. It was a bit too dry for me and perhaps the carrot overcame the banana flavor in it, which made my palate not into it. Perhaps, it suited more those who preferred their cakes came in lighter texture and not too sweet.
Peach Millefeuille
Coming as the savior, this Peach Millefeuille served me the delightful feeling from its flaky puff pastry, smooth pastry cream, and fresh peach slices. Crispy outside, moist inside, healthy on top! No need to worry if you don't fancy something too sweet, as this one answered your desire best.
Creme Brulee Danish
Same texture with the millefeuille, just in different face. If the millefeuille had more fruity flavor, this danish was more to milky taste. Don't get me wrong, it was not the milky which made you feel sick since it's neither overly sweet, nor overly creamy. I was so in love particularly with its fragrant pastry base, giving the lovely vanilla smell once you chewed it.
Pistachio Cake
It might be not the most beautiful in terms of presentation, yet this cake would impeccably suit all people who might be not that much into dessert. Why would I say so? Just quite similar to the previous ones, it was less sweet compared to common desserts. Additionally, I had no idea why, but I could feel a hint of green tea in this cake. Regardless if it indeed contained green tea or not, the mixture of the green tea touch with pistachio was simply to fall for.
Having foods only would surely be incomplete without the thirst quenchers. And indeed, the drinks were the ones which were 'SO CARIBOU'! As the plus point, the beverages here came in quite gigantic size if compared to alike coffeeshop, let's stay Starb*cks. My first try was dedicated to the dynamic duo, Turtle Mocha and Campfire Mocha (IDR 50k - S / IDR 55k - M / IDR 60k - L), blending your choice of chocolate (dark, milk, or white) with skimmed milk and espresso. The first one was then added with additional caramel and Snickers toppings, while the second with marshmallow and chocolate chip. One suggestion, you'd better request it to be less sweet in case you were not that into sugar. Having it customized like this, both flavors suited my palate faultlessly. Though they're also nice to be enjoyed hot, blended version was still the most recommended!
Pumpkin Pie Latte (IDR 50k - S / IDR 55k - M / IDR 60k - L)
If you were the one who usually wanted to go to the other polar against the mainstream, this was the beverage you should opt for. Additionally, it was just temporarily available as the winter's special drink, perhaps also to celebrate the Halloween. Nevertheless, just a kind reminder, it might suit your liking if you loved rich herbs taste, such as the one you found in Chai Latte. For me personally, Chai Latte was simply not me so I'd rather go with the mainstream ;)
Creme Brulee Boudino (IDR 50k - S / IDR 55k - M / IDR 60k - L)
Another special winter edition was this Creme Brulee based drink. The default was actually the blended one, yet I tried the hot one as at that time I craved for hot cup of caffeine. Same as the previous ones, it tasted better when adjusted to be less sweet, since you could get the natural sugar taste from the caramel itself. Making it double shot, I guessed it could be one of my new favorites here.
Manual Brew (Pour Over) using Java Mocha Beans (IDR 26k)
Last but not least, the coffee dedicated for the true coffee lovers, yes, manual brew. I tried the one served using pour over method with Caribou's Java Mocha beans. Special for this, you could have the barista serving the coffee from scratch right on your table, so an additional live show would be yours. This last cup successfully satisfied me with its balanced acid and bitter flavors as well as its clean after taste.
Summarizing the long story, having tried quite many variants from both Caribou's foods as well as beverages, I have no single doubt that I can be a loyal customer of it. First it's very close to my place, second they suit my palate well, third the place serves the pleasant ambiance, and forth which is the most important as well, it's one of the early bird which can hardly be found around this area. So really looking forward to my upcoming visits! ;)
Also not to forget, this October, Caribou Indonesia cooperates with the foundation of Love Pink Indonesia, to support the breast cancer awareness. By pairing the beverage purchased with any sandwich, the guest can donate IDR 5k for the people suffering from breast cancer. Such a lovely opportunity that shouldn't be missed; getting your cup of caffeine, while at the same time sharing the love with others.
Taste: 8/10
Place: 8/10
Service: 8.5/10
Price: 8/10
Thanks for Reading! :)
CARIBOU COFFEE
Address: Generali Tower, Gran Rubina Business Park, Kawasan Rasuna Epicentrum, Jl. HR Rasuna Said, Jakarta
Operating Hours: Mon - Sun 7am - 11pm
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Inputs & comments: jessicagaby@ymail.com
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