JCO Donuts and Coffee

Its logo looks like Starbucks and the look of the place is like Krispy Kreme in orange. I guess the owners of JCO really thought of merging coffee and donuts, which are of course, perfect for each other.


I stumbled upon JCO when it opened in Jakarta 2 years ago. The lines were unbelievably long, and that reminded me of our Gonuts Donuts craze back then. After 2 years, JCO in Jakarta has established itself as a donut shop serving great coffee and blended drinks. They also serve ice cream (gelato). JCO is a franchise that began in Singapore, spread in Malaysia, and hit Indonesia. The donuts craze came about the same time across all countries in Asia.



JCO for me is different. When I tasted it the first time, I just had the glazed donut served by my clients. MY initial reaction was, it tasted like Dunkin' Donuts. And that held my interest. While Go Nuts and Krispy Kreme tasted the same, Dunkin Donuts was still different. In the Philippines, Dunkin' is targets the mass market, making their donuts more affordable and thus, smaller and of less quality. JCO had the dough texture of Dunkin but with excellent frostings and toppings. And I am a fan of Dunkin', so I was delighted.


Just take a look at their selection and you'll know you're in for a treat. Caramel, almond macadamia nut, cream cheese, green tea, sugar ice. The almond macadamia nut was very good. They sprinkled in a lot of nuts. The cream cheese was unique, because it was a savory dish. It was real cheese. The green tea tasted like green tea ice cream and the sugar ice was a treat. The really was a cool sensation in the mouth as you bite and savor the confectionary sugar.




They even had the JCO Crown donuts, which are shaped like crowns. They looked so cute and premium.


There are so many donuts to choose from that all look interesting, I had a hard time selecting our 6 donuts for a snack. We also ordered coffee that also came in with glazed donuts. I had my Iced Hazelnut Latte, however, I was disappointed. I should've bought my coffee from Starbucks next door.


I contemplated in bringing home JCO but being the light traveller that I am, I held back. Now I regret it, seeing these pictures again. I just want to share with you the joys of eating great donuts that tasted different from Krispy Kreme. I don't know if JCO would ever reach our shores, given the stiff competition here already. So just ask your friends and relatives to take home some when they're in Indonesia, Malaysia or Singapore.