Coffee Rush

Despite of the warm weather in the Philippines, the Filipinos still love to take a sip of hot coffee whether it is brewed or instant. Now a day, coffee shops have been around the metro. Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Figaro and Seattle’s Best are just a few to choose from. Within these stores you’ll find a wide variety of coffee to choose from either hot or cold. A cup of coffee will definitely make their day. It also proven that coffee has antioxidant which is good for the health. Perhaps the Filipinos addiction for coffee is really something to talk about.

But before the era of these coffee shops, the Filipinos were first inclined with the taste of the “Kapeng Barako”. This local coffee bean is massively produced in the province of Batangas. The Kapeng Barako is the Philippine Liberica coffee. The other coffee species includes Arabica, Excelsa and the Robusta. This particular coffee is named Barako for its strong aroma and taste. The barako is a colloquial term that refers to man’s strong and dominating power. And within this description, the Kapeng Barako however symbolizes it.

Apparently, the coffee industry in the Batangas area are gradually decline due the immerse importation of the imported beans. The competition has been quite tight in the past few years and even the status of the economy affected the entire coffee industry. However, because of the Filipinos passion about coffee, the coffee farmers starts to engage themselves again into coffee planting and they have manage to bring back the glow in the business gradually.

Aside from the Kapeng Barako, did you know that the most expensive coffee in the world which is the Coffee Alamid is produced in the Philippines? The coffee beans came from a nocturnal animal called Civet Cat or Alamid in Filipino (Paradoxorus Philippinensis). This wild animal uses their nose to choose the ripest and sweetest coffee cherries to eat during coffee season. And believe it or not, the “wastes” excreted by this animals are the one that the forest dwellers gathered to create an unusual coffee bean. It is considered a good harvest if they manage to take home a kilo of civet droppings.

The odd procedure of this coffee is the reason why it is considered the most expensive one. Imagine that these beans came from the droplets of this species. And because it came from a wild animal, obviously, it would be very hard to find these droplets in the entire forest. The Coffee Alamid is a blend of the country’s finest Arabica, Liberica and Excelsa beans. The following were roasted and exudes a fruity aroma. The combination of a strong, sweet, dark chocolatey taste will surely give you a kick.

Because of the growing demand of the market for Coffee Alamid, the forest dwellers support the protection for the wild civets. They preserve the habitat of these wild animals as well as the environment. It is such a good way of promoting the welfare of the wild animals plus the fact that both parties have been beneficial with each other.

So whether the sun is striking hot during summer or the cold moist of the showers during rainy weather. A cup of coffee will simply ease ones tiring day. And Filipinos always make sure to have each " kapihan sessions".

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