Brewing and understanding coffee

AGGIE UPDATES

Art Tibaldo

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- We are the baristas to our own coffee. With every sip of coffee we drink, there are wealth of virtues and added values that define the beverage as more than just a morning drink.

It was an experiential learning to the participants of the Coffee 101 Cum Cross Visit that was held in this tourist town at the onset of the cold months of 2014. The attendees came from different parts of Luzon and Mindanao composed of small-to-medium entrepreneurs, DTI speakers from nine regions and representatives from national line agencies and local government units.

Director Myrna Pablo of the Department of Trade and Industry-CAR said her agency is now implementing “from seed to cup” that completes the menu of support for the region’s coffee industry. “Demand becomes more challenging with today’s 3^rd Wave Coffee where people of wide age range prefer specialty coffee that carries with them stories of the people and environment where the coffee originate” Pablo added.

Prof. Valentino Macanes of the Benguet State University who gave a talk on good agricultural practices for coffee observed that the Philippines is blessed to have the four commercial varieties, namely Arabica, Robusta, Excelsa and Liberica since the country is within the coffee belt.

Macanes said there is need to intensify the farmer’s productivity by helping them with appropriate technology. Accordingly, RP ranks 110th in the world in terms of coffee production and local producers cannot even meet domestic consumption. Macanes also lamented “how we wish to bring back the old glory of being among the top coffee producers” saying that RP was the world’s fourth biggest exporter but it lasted in 1889 when coffee rust hit the country.

With the 3rd wave of coffee generation through the proliferation of coffee shops and small coffee roasters, Macanes expressed hope that with Arabica as the most preferred in both local and global market, local growers and producers from the Cordillera can make things happen. Besides, Arabica is considered medicinal and it is also good for hang overs.

Hirofumi Yamamoto, a Japanese coffee taster who is attending agro-forestry classes at BSU discussed how coffee is selected worldwide through meticulous screening of seeds. Yamamoto who has the distinction as a “cupper” or the practice of observing the tastes and aromas of brewed coffee demonstrated how a brew is assessed through slurping freshly ground and roasted coffee beans.

 Gemma Ngelangel, the owner of Gold Fish Café in Bontoc, Mountain Province hinted that every café owner must know the business inside and out. “As manager, you also need to do what your employee does and baristas should be marunong uminom ng kape” saying that it is important for all in the coffee business to appreciate coffee by heart. Ngelangel further said that coffee shops are places where people socialize therefore, the owner must also know the beautiful places of their locality making the establishment as a source of information. “Passion sells and you have to make your brand memorable, original and easy to recall” the lady entrepreneur further stated.

Maria Susana Edilo , a Tourism and Hospitality Industry Trainer and Consultant and  Level 1 Barista Certified by the Barista Guild of America , who talked about specialty coffee trends and direction narrated how coffee drinking originated in Ethiopia through an accidental discovery by a goatherd who noticed the unusual behavior of his goats that nibbled on the bright red berries of a certain bush. From varied uses that range from medicinal to ceremonial drinks, coffee culture became global and it reached the country in 1740 when it was first introduced by a Spanish Franciscan Monk. Edilo explained that the roasting process produces the characteristics of the coffee that even broken beans will affect the batch of coffee’s total taste because it burns faster.

There is a new market and emerging trend for gourmet coffee drinkers, Edilo revealed referring to the 3^rdWave Coffee where customers and buyers are particular and concerned with the cultivation, harvesting, processing and preparation methods and practices.

The barista mentor encouraged farmers to implement good agricultural practices and challenged coffee shop owners to create a culture of social and environmental responsibility by reducing plastics in their espresso packs and reuse ground coffee for other uses.

During the coffee farm tour and visit to local processors, Mayor James Edduba of Pasil town asked about the hygienic aspect concerning the Alamid coffee referring to it as animal manure.  Simeon Sibayan of Bana’s Café replied saying that the droppings of civet cat is thoroughly washed and manually cleaned as per protocol set on the high value exotic drink. Sibayan explained that of a kilo of fresh Alamid, only about 35% will be used by specialty shops and it is sold in Manila for about P34K to P35 thousand pesos while he sells it at a far lesser rate.

Sibayan opined that Philippines can never compete with Brazil but we can add value to our products. “Quality has to be imparted to our farmers so that they will also improve as entrepreneurs and target the specialty coffee shop market” Sibayan concluded. With the general understanding that coffee is gold from bean to cup, the fifty something participants were convinced after the two-day training that indeed, coffee is one industry that the Philippines can have a big break especially on the Arabica variety.