MAKATI CITY — “Would you like your coffee served with a reminder that life is temporary?” It may sound unusual at first, but inside a quiet fourth-floor café along Kamagong Street, that idea is thoughtfully woven into the experience. At Myth Cafe, Filipino-inspired coffee is paired with an urn gallery, creating a space where conversations about mortality feel calm, open, and unexpectedly comforting.
A Café Designed for Reflection
Hidden on the fourth floor of the BABS Building at 9304 Kamagong Street in San Antonio Village, Myth Cafe offers a peaceful retreat from Makati’s busy streets. More than just a coffee shop, the space also serves as the showroom of Samsara Designs, an artisanal cremation urn company founded by friends Camille Ayala and Eber Sy. The café’s name came from the disbelief of friends who found the concept unusual: combining specialty coffee with funeral-inspired art. What initially sounded impossible eventually became the inspiration behind the name “Myth.”
Samsara, the sister brand, is inspired by the Hindu concept of the continuous cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Through the business, the founders hope to encourage “death positivity,” a mindset that embraces mortality as a natural part of life and encourages people to live with greater purpose and awareness. The café was envisioned as a warm and approachable environment where guests can enjoy coffee while surrounded by carefully crafted urns displayed like art pieces.
Celebrating Filipino Craftsmanship Through Design and Flavor
The urns created by Samsara Designs highlight local artistry by using materials such as wood, rattan, and nacreous shell. Designed by Ayala and Sy and produced locally, the handcrafted collection ranges from 20,000 pesos to 45,000 pesos. The company also offers a more affordable imported collection called Sara, priced between 9,000 pesos and 15,000 pesos.
That same focus on Filipino identity is reflected in the café’s menu. Coffee beans are sourced from Atok, Benguet, while ingredients like sea salt come from Pangasinan, Guimaras, and Zambales. Among the café’s best-known drinks are the Artisanal Sea Salt Cream Latte, Turon Latte, Balikutsa Latte, and Mountain Rice Horchata, all inspired by local flavors and ingredients.
Creating Conversations About Life and Death
Ayala and Sy officially launched the urn business in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a period marked by loss and uncertainty. Sy had already been interested in the funeral industry since 2019, influenced by childhood visits to funeral homes that sparked curiosity about death rituals and their high costs.
According to Sy, many people are unaware that they have options when it comes to memorial products and end-of-life planning. Through Myth Cafe, the founders hope to make these conversations feel less intimidating. Ayala described the concept as something familiar, welcoming, and easy to approach, a place that feels gentle and comforting rather than heavy or fearful. The result is a café that resembles a quiet sanctuary, where mortality is viewed not as something frightening, but as a natural part of life’s cycle.
A Unique Escape in Makati
Myth Cafe operates from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., except on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when it opens at noon. Whether guests visit for the Filipino-inspired drinks, the thoughtfully designed urns, or the reflective atmosphere, the café offers a unique experience unlike most coffee shops in the city. It is a place where coffee, art, and meaningful conversations quietly come together, reminding visitors to appreciate life while they still can.
