Competition season is heating up, and two familiar faces behind the Plain Sight counter are stepping onto the stage. Marion and Misha are deep in preparation for the 2026 Philippine AeroPress Championship, with Marion also set to compete in the 2026 Origami Cup. We sat down with them to talk about their coffee journeys, what's changed in the local coffee scene, and how they're gearing up for competition day.
Meet the Duo
Marion Pepico
Senior Wholesale Barista (3 years with Plain Sight)
Marion's interest in coffee began during his university days, when he joined a student barista organization. What began as an extracurricular activity quickly turned into a real passion with Marion always eager to learn new things about specialty coffee.
According to him, “It’s about the pursuit of knowledge. The more I stay here in the coffee industry, the more I see potential and more interesting coffees and techniques. And that’s what I’m into, the subtle things that make big differences.”
Marion gets to put that same desire for knowledge into practice every day at Plain Sight.
“I get to try different kinds of coffee, grow with Plain Sight, and have connections with a lot of brewers and learn from different kinds of people,” he shared.
Looking back, he’s also noticed just how much the specialty coffee scene in the Philippines has changed since he first started out.
“Compared to 12 years ago, a lot of people appreciate specialty coffee now and a lot of people are knowledgeable about coffee. Also, in the specialty coffee scene in the Philippines, there’s more appreciation and push for Philippine coffee.”
Marion has some straightforward advice for those looking to get into the specialty coffee industry, “be open to every kind of information and be humble.”
Misha Aracama
Cafe Operations Lead (1.5 years with Plain Sight)
Misha was first introduced to coffee at the age of 12, growing up surrounded by family members who shared an appreciation for the craft.
“My first memory of coffee was when my mom and my dad would make coffee from a Moka pot early in high school. So that was the time when I really just wanted to drink more and more coffee every single day.”
As Misha got older, his interest in joining the coffee industry as a professional revolved around all the exciting ways coffee could be explored, created, and enjoyed.
“Growing up, I’ve always loved to do food and science in a lot of things that I do. And coffee is the perfect bridge between the both of them. What better way to apply the scientific characteristics or principles from science and also the artistic ways of cooking in coffee.”
Misha embodies this same enthusiasm in his role at Plain Sight.
“Besides working with coffee, my favorite part about working at Plain Sight is I really enjoy serving people and making coffee for others. And I also love working alongside other baristas, other brewers, new people from different parts of the industry, and even our colleagues here at Plain Sight.”
Having been part of the specialty coffee scene since 2016, Misha has had a front-row seat to how much it has grown since then.
“I’ve noticed now that there are so many more specialty coffee cafes and a lot more people are open to accepting both Philippine coffee and coffee from abroad side by side when presenting specialty coffee. So it’s been a lot about championing Philippine coffee in the last 10 years or so.
For those eager to get into the coffee industry, Misha says “don’t be afraid to start small. You can always learn in any position in the coffee industry so be an open book as well.”
Preparing for the AeroPress Championship and Origami Cup 2026
Marion and Misha aren't new to the competition game. This year, Marion is gearing up for two competitions (AeroPress and Origami), while Misha is focused solely on the AeroPress Championship.
Growing Through the Pressure
Marion was first exposed to the competition scene during one of his event coverage gigs.
“I used to cover coffee competitions before and I saw the hype, fun, and different ways of brewing. There’s a lot of different ways of brewing that are rarely seen in the normal coffee scene. It’s also a showcase of skills of our local baristas that we too can go toe to toe with the world scene."
Compared to last year’s preps, Marion has challenged himself this year with a more intense practice routine.
“This year is more intense since I’m joining two competitions, the Origami Cup and the Philippine AeroPress Championship. There’s more coffee and different techniques, it’s a contrast of different people, brewers, and mechanics. So I need to learn and unlearn things to cater to these competitions.
Meanwhile, Misha has learned that a calm mind makes all the difference in the competition world.
“I’ve always loved seeing people compete in coffee and seeing those people lift up trophies and discuss with each other their recipes. I thought maybe I wanna do that and be part of it. This is what really pushed me to not just want to win and compete but be part of something where I can share knowledge with people.”
“Last year, I was panicking a lot with what recipe to do, what water to use, and all of those different factors you have to account for. Now, I’m more calm, I just have to make some adjustments. I really learned a lot from my panicking last year.”
The Hype Behind the AeroPress and Origami
Both the Origami Dripper and the AeroPress are a staple brewing tool in many specialty coffee enthusiasts’ homes. For Marion, the appeal for these manual brewers lies in the nuances it can highlight in each cup.
“It’s more of the brewers highlighting different kinds of flavors in the same coffee bean. It’s the science behind it that makes it interesting. They both give different profiles and more freedom to explore not just with different kinds of coffee but with different kinds of brewers as well.
Meanwhile, Misha highlights the AeroPress’ versatility and ease of use.
“An AeroPress is a brewer that caters to beginners and more advanced brewers. So you can have all the fancy recipes that you want or you can simply eyeball it. And it’s very compact and you can use it essentially everywhere.”
Community and Competition
But the best part about competing is the training process.
Marion shared that “I get to learn different kinds of methods and brews as well as different kinds of factors to consider that affect extraction, brewing, and the technicalities of it.”
“Of course it’s meeting the people. You get to see different brewers from different parts of the Philippines, companies, and organizations. And it’s just really nice to share not just your own recipe but each other’s knowledge and experiences. And just also helps you humble yourself when you know you’re not the best and know you have a lot more to work on,” recounted Misha.
Plain Sight’s Role in The Competition Process
“We have training beans here and of course our Head of Coffee, Sir Kurt is really helping us make the best cup that we can. And they’re really supportive in a sense that they let us make our own recipe and they give us insights on what we can do better,” explained Marion.
Misha had similar sentiments when he told us that “Plain Sight has always given us a space to practice. A space to be able to customize and do whatever we can with our own recipes. They’ve also been giving their own inputs, especially the coffee team and our bosses here regarding how our coffee tastes and what we can tweak. They’re always present, so kudos to them.”
Show Your Support for Misha and Marion!
Marion and Misha will represent Plain Sight at the 2026 AeroPress Championship, with Marion also competing in the 2026 Origami competition.
Visit Plain Sight at Coffee Plz and Purveyr Fair 2026
We’re bringing some exciting drinks and beans to Coffee Plz! Come drop by and get an exclusive taste of our Oma Gesha Blanc.Made with osmanthus foam, orange zest, and Oma Gesha cold brew. Like what you sipped? We’re also selling bottles of Oma Gesha at the booth too!
Can’t make it to Coffee Plz? Don’t worry because we’ll also be at the Purveyr Fair from September 12-13.
