5 Things You Didn’t Know About Good Coffee in the Philippines
One of the most popular drinks is coffee. It is second to the most widely consumed liquid in the world after water. And we believe that coffee is more than just a beverage. It is a culture, an art, a science, an economy, and much more a passion. Are you a coffee lover? Well, that’s great! Every sip of coffee each day indeed plays a vital role in our lives and health as well. It is more than just providing us with an early-morning pick-me-up and helps to fuel the rest of our day. There are much more to coffee than that. Numerous studies were conducted and concluded that daily consumption of coffee can help coffee drinkers lower the risks of having various serious health conditions.
Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica‘s beans are just some of the commercially used species to produced coffee. You’ll find various coffee beans suppliers in the Philippines where you can purchase fresh coffee products. These products undergo long and complex processes. Coffee production is more than just a business, it also involves one’s passion and intellect. As a result, excellent quality products will be attained. Not only the suppliers are happy but also consumers. Coffee drinkers will surely enjoy every sip of their favorite beverage.
We’ve listed below some information about the coffee industry in the Philippines:
- Is Philippine coffee one of the best in the world?
The Philippines coffee is now back in the spotlight. It is once again gaining attention in the international scene. Coffee production might have slowed down in 1889 but it’s good to know that it bounced back in the succeeding years. Nowadays, you might hear news about Philippine coffee gaining awards in an international competition. Local efforts are now boosting necessary support towards quality farming, roasting, and even in the production of coffee.
Various Philippine coffee suppliers and retailers are widely spread in the different parts of the globe. These companies are very much dedicated in their craft and proudly supports local farming communities. They assure that coffee bean products are being produced with love.
Bana’s Coffee from the Sagada in Mountain Province won a Gourmet Award at the International Contest of Coffees Roasted in their Countries of Origin. This event was held in Paris, France and organized by the Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products. It is a non-governmental and non-profit organization created with the common goal of improving the quality of agricultural products amid the pressure of mass marketing.
This coffee is from the poop of wild civet cats that can be found in the area which happened to have eaten coffee berries.
- We are one of the biggest consumers of coffee in the world, and we still import even though we can produce our own
The Philippines is the fifth biggest consumers of coffee globally, next to Europe, US, Brazil, and Japan. This is an implication that Filipinos do love coffee. Despite this, we still import coffee beans from Vietnam and Indonesia to fill the gap even though we can produce it here in our country. To address this issue, the recent administration comes up with the Philippine Coffee Roadmap. Its main goal is to make our country, the Philippines self-sustaining when it comes to coffee by 2022.
The Philippine Coffee Board Inc. said that Filipinos are approximately consuming 150,000 metric tons (MT) of coffee per year, but only produces a maximum of 35,000 metric tons (MT) of green coffee beans. This is the main reason why there’s a need to import from the neighboring countries as mentioned above who are 2nd and 4th in production globally.
It’ll definitely take tons of effort to go beyond what we are currently producing and hoping that farmers will continue to expand their areas and manage it properly. One potential location is in Mindanao. Around 75% of the coffee production came from Mindanao. Smaller portions came from Luzon specifically in the provinces of Cavite and Batangas.
- Good coffee need not be expensive
Good coffee doesn’t need to be so expensive at all times. According to the founder of SGD Coffee, a Coffee Specialist Rich Watanabe, the best coffee is the one that can bring to life your senses back to where you’ve first tasted it. It can be a cup of coffee you had when you visited Paris or in a simple sari-sari store in Batangas. What matters most is that you were able to remember that experiences that you’ve gathered there. If that’s the case, it’s definitely a good coffee. A good coffee, then, is not characterized by its cost.
- You don’t need formal training to know good coffee
In order to be a coffee connoisseur or a coffee enthusiast, there’s a need for an individual to undergo formal training, this is what majority of us believe in. But according to Watanabe, all of us can be one since we can grasp which coffee is good and not. The only edge of the coffee specialists like him is the ability to articulate it.
- Coffee farmers don’t hate each other
In reality, farmers do work hand in hand with organizations such as the Coffee Science Center to uplift and even promote the entire coffee business here in our country. This is regardless of the type of coffee beans that they cultivate and sell. They don’t compete when it comes to who should claim the title of being the best coffee.
