On August 16, 2026, Plain Sight Coffee officially introduced The Edit, a new collection created for rare and limited coffees that deserve a little more time, attention, and consideration

Its first release is Oma Gesha from Ethiopia, an exceptionally aromatic coffee with notes of jasmine, peach, rose, orange zest, and pineapple.

But the morning wasn’t designed simply to launch an expensive coffee.

Instead, Plain Sight invited media, friends, and members of the coffee community into its HQ for a closer look at why The Edit exists, how the Oma Gesha was developed, and how the same coffee can taste remarkably different depending on the person brewing it.

From a ₱50,000 Home Roaster to Plain Sight Today

Plain Sight's Chief Marketing Officer, Erika Rodica-Lee, opened the morning by tracing the roaster’s roots back to 2015, when founder Sean Lee began roasting small batches of coffee at home. He put his entire savings at the time, around ₱50,000, on a 500g roaster.

The same machine now sits, retired, inside Plain Sight HQ.

At the time, specialty coffee in the Philippines looked very different. There were fewer resources for people who wanted to learn. Coffee came with unfamiliar terminology, and it could sometimes feel like you needed to know enough before you were allowed to enjoy it properly. But Plain Sight was built to feel like the opposite. As Erika shared during the launch:

“Nothing hidden. Nothing you had to decode. Everything in plain sight.”

Eleven years later, the company looks very different. Its coffees have evolved, its team has grown, and its Mandala Park HQ has become a place not only to buy coffee, but to taste, learn, attend workshops, and meet people across creative industries. What hasn’t changed is the belief that specialty coffee should still feel approachable. This is what makes The Edit an interesting next step.

Why Create The Edit?

An 80g bottle of Oma Gesha sells for ₱1,490.

For someone new to specialty coffee, that alone can make the coffee feel intimidating. It is this exact contrast that Plain Sight wanted to address.

The collection is not an attempt to turn Plain Sight into a more exclusive brand. Instead, it gives the team a separate space for coffees that call for more attention in how they are selected, roasted, packaged, brewed, and experienced.

Founder and CEO Sean Lee explained that most of Plain Sight's regular releases are meant to be easy, everyday coffees. But occasionally, the team comes across something different. Something that deserves more time. According to him, “The Edit gives Plain Sight permission to slow down.”

There will be no fixed release calendar for the collection. A coffee does not automatically belong in The Edit simply because it is expensive, rare, or prestigious. If Plain Sight doesn’t encounter something it believes deserves the space, it waits.

Oma Gesha is the first coffee the team felt did.

Designing Another Side of Plain Sight

The Edit also needed its own visual language.

During the launch, Erika sat down with Paolo Salgado of Agape Design, the studio that has been part of Plain Sight’s visual evolution for years.

Agape first worked with the brand when its identity was much simpler. Sean had originally created much of the branding himself while learning Illustrator. And rather than throwing that identity away, Agape saw qualities worth preserving.

As Plain Sight evolved, the challenge became finding a balance between making the brand feel more considered and refined without losing the openness and personality that had always made it approachable. The Edit presented a new version of the same challenge.

The final packaging is restrained and editorial, giving the coffee its own world without resorting to the usual visual language of exclusivity or luxury.

It is, much like the collection itself, another side of Plain Sight.

The Roasting Philosophy Behind Oma Gesha 

Rather than transform the coffee into something new, Kurt, Plain Sight’s Chief Coffee Officer shared that his team focused on preserving what was already there. The roast was kept light to preserve the coffee's clarity while developing its natural sweetness and floral character. Kurt summarized the philosophy as "sometimes, the job of the roaster is simply not to get in the coffee's way."

His advice for anyone trying a Gesha for the first time is “don't overthink it. Start with good water and freshly ground coffee, brew it the way you normally enjoy, and decide what you personally like.”

There is, as Kurt put it, “no test at the end.”

One Coffee, Three Brewers, Three Interpretations

That idea became the centerpiece of the morning.

Rather than presenting guests with one supposedly “correct” way to brew Oma Gesha, Plain Sight invited three featured brewers with very different backgrounds to interpret the same coffee.

Ryan Uy (Origami)

Longtime home brewer and three-time AeroPress Championship semifinalist, Ryan Uy used the Origami dripper to emphasize the Oma's tea-like florals and crisp, fruit-driven acidity. His interpretation focused on a light, lifted cup with maximum clarity.

Marion Pepico (AeroPress)

Representing Plain Sight's own coffee team, Marion Pepico, 2nd runner-up at the 2025 Philippine AeroPress Championship, approached the coffee through immersion.Using an AeroPress method with a bypass, he brought out delicate florals, orange zest, and pineapple while keeping the final cup light rather than heavy.

Aey Dela Cruz (CT62)

Aey Dela Cruz, 2024 Origami Cup Champion, 2025 IQ Brewers MNL Champion, and a Philippine National Brewers Cup sensory judge, explored another side of the Oma using the CT62. Her interpretation pushed the coffee toward a deeper expression. Leading with peach and florals before revealing a darker berry character as the cup developed.

Why Brew the Same Gesha Three Ways?

After demonstrating their recipes individually, all three brewers brewed together. Guests were then served the three interpretations side by side. The exercise wasn’t about finding the “best” cup. It was there to make a bigger point.

Specialty coffee, even a rare Gesha, does not have to come with a single correct way of enjoying it. 

All three started with the same Oma Gesha. That freedom to interpret the coffee is exactly what Plain Sight wants people to take from The Edit. You can follow a competition-level recipe. Or you can experiment on your own. 

The point is to stay curious.

Exceptional Coffee Without the Intimidation

There can be years of craft behind an exceptional coffee. Sourcing, roast development, sensory work, design, and countless brewing decisions are all part of the process. But eventually, the coffee ends up in front of you and you still get to decide what you enjoy.

That is the philosophy Plain Sight began with in 2015, and it is the same philosophy it intends to carry into The Edit.

What's Next for The Edit

As Erika noted in her closing remarks, the goal of the Oma Gesha launch was to show that exceptional coffee doesn't have to be intimidating. Even with years of craft and expertise behind a single coffee, the best way to enjoy it is to stay curious and experiment with your own personal tastes.

The Oma Gesha marks only the beginning of The Edit, Plain Sight's new collection for coffees worth savoring.

Follow @plainsightcoffee across social media for updates on future Edit releases.