by Chit Juan (The Ultimate Coffee Guide, March 2016) “We used to see coffee trees all around these mountains,” she tells me in our pick up while we enter the areas of Ifugao, just a few towns from her hometown of Kasibu. Nestled between two mountain ranges in Eastern Northern Luzon, Kasibu was… Read More
by Marilen Fontanilla (The Ultimate Coffee Guide, October 2015) Silca Coffee Roasting Company (Silca) bestows this promise it has built its business on, “freshly roasted coffee from our family to yours.” It might sound too cliché in its simplicity but having met sibling owners Michael and Carolyn Asuncion, I realized how accurately it… Read More
Amadeo, Cavite welcomed thousands of visitors for its 16th Pahimis Festival last weekend. The annual thanksgiving for coffee festival brought investors for coffee projects, most especially its banner program called “Adopt a Farm”. The original “leisure farm” idea started back in 2001 and resulted in over 100 hectares developed by investors for coffee farming. “If you… Read More
“Gusto mo ng kape?” This is the default question that most Filipinos ask their guests. If coffee is considered the second most popular drink in the world next to water, it’s actually the number one drink in the Philippines. It is so popular that our country is one of the few that produces all four… Read More
Here are some of the things I consider to be crucial elements for a successful cupping: PROTOCOL Follow a protocol. Working with a guideline ensures consistency and fairness. Examples of protocols for judging specialty coffees are the Specialty Coffee Association protocol and the Cup of Excellence protocol. For commercial coffees, a number of customized protocols… Read More
Women are beautiful—which also explains why we love beautiful things and keep them like that. The secret to making this beauty last can summed up in two words: best practices. I learned about the importance of best practices from the Asian Productivity Organization, a regional intergovernmental organization that promotes productivity to achieve sustainable socioeconomic development.… Read More
Yes, they are the women in coffee. And it’s a growing tribe. The local chapter of International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) welcomes more women into the fold, as Princess Kumala Sug-Elardo urges the women of Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to join the Philippine chapter. She has touched base with women from Basilan and… Read More
Coffee is an important commodity in the world economy, accounting for trade worth approximately US$16.5 billion in 2010, when some 97 million 60-kilogram bags (5.8 million tons) were shipped. This is according to The Coffee Exporter’s Guide (3rd edition), produced by the International Trade Center. In this arena, the Philippines has yet to make an… Read More
Inspired by the Hebrew word “Machaseh” from the Bible which means refuge or shelter, a café was born in Koronadal, South Cotabato in September 2016. This is no ordinary coffee shop. Conceptualized as a haven that offers everything needed to survive, Refuge Café is also a place for learning and collaboration. Introducing their hashtag #notobadcoffee,… Read More