Donut Loco at JCO

the J.Co storefront at Centrio

J.Co Donuts and Coffee is an Indonesian donut and coffee chain whose eponymous dough delight have gained a cult following in the Philippines and is often touted as an alternative to the its corporate American competitor Krispy Kreme. At one time, it was the preferred pasalubong for the Kagayanon coming from a Manila trip. That was of course before J.Co opened its first branch outside Luzon in the spanking new Centrio Mall.

Its opening a couple months ago was a mini-cultural event as Kagay-anons or the natives of Cagayan de Oro as they are called in the local dialect queued in lines that snaked around a block. I wanted to go then but couldn't because I had to be somewhere else. People were posting selfies of themselves lining up or enjoying the sweet treats in the social media sites.

The distinctive gold takeout box of a dozen.

It took a few months after the opening but I finally have my J.Co donuts to try. I figured that a good ending to my Italian-American food trip was some dessert and J.Co's donuts certainly seemed right. Actually, I only wanted to try a few of the goodies. I certainly won't be eating the dozen, and I already planned on gifting most of it to my mother.

Here are my thoughts on the J.Co donut variants I've tried. One can refer to the photo I've included to see what that particular variant looked like.

Alcapone. (the three white donuts on the top row).

It was appropriate that I topped of my Godfather food trip with the donut named after the most famous mobster. I really liked it fresh from the store, still soft and with almond chips, made it quite a delight eating it.

Avocado Dicaprio. (first from the left, second row)

I didn't quite figured out the avocado taste but I now love J.Co's creme-filled donuts. Biting into it lets the fluffy cream explode all over your lips.That's how one should enjoy creme-filled donuts.

Green Tease. ( third from the left, second row)

Again, I couldn't figure out the green tea flavor but the cream explosion replicated itself. J.Co has the best creme-filled donuts.

Jacky Chunk. (first from left, top row)

I'm reserving judgment on this one. I ate this after two nights in the fridge. J.Co donuts are best eaten straight from the store. Storing it cold made the fried dough lose its softness.

I can see why people are going crazy over these premium donuts. They are good, quite so. I certainly would be coming back to try more of the other flavors; especially the creme-filled ones, which I believe are their best variants.

So what do you think are the best donuts from J.Co?

Directions to JCO Donuts at Centrio Mall, Cagayan de Oro:


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