Coffee from The Philippines

Philippines, an archipelagic country found in Southeast Asia, situated in the western Pacific Ocean, is one of the few countries around the world that can proudly say that it is able to produce all main four kinds of coffee: Arabica, Liberica, Excelsa and Robusta. But how has it come to this? The history of this land is another factor to be amazed by here, and if you are even just a tiny bit curious, you will understand why in a couple of minutes.

A past full of ups and downs

For the first time ever in the Philippines, coffee production began in 1740, when it is believed that the Spanish introduced the beans in the country. It proved to be a great move, since up until 200 years ago, the Philippines were the fourth largest coffee producing country. So, what happened in the meantime?

Well, about 60 years later after the coffee was first brought in the country, coffee trees were already spreading in numerous areas, like Lipa, Batangas and Bulacan. A factor that influenced and encouraged this spread were the Augustinian friars, who made sure to care for them and continue the cultivation. All these procedures were in the bloom for the time when the country was under Spanish colonial rule. The Spanish Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País de Pilipinas even turned this into a competition, where they offered a prize to anyone who managed to plant and ripen sixty thousand square feet of coffee, which can be translated to six thousands coffee trees. Surprisingly enough, there was a winner, and this encouraged Spaniards to follow suit and keep increasing the coffee cultivation. 

A sad moment in the history of coffee turned out to be a great opportunity for the Philippines. Around 1886, coffee rust hit Brazil, Africa, and Java, leaving the Philippines the only source of coffee beans in the world! What is even more shocking is that they were actually able to pull through this responsibility for three years. After that, they also had to face the harsh effects of insect infestation and a wave of pests and diseases, which made many wealthy landowners turn their coffee plantations into sugarcane fields. If this wasn't enough, in 1891 coffee rust also came to play and made the remaining coffee farmers from Lipa abandon their crops and turn to other alternatives.

After many years when they hardly managed to keep coffee production above the water, in the 1950s the Philippine government was aided by the Americans, who brought a new type of coffee, more resistant to disease. At the same time, instant coffee began to be produced commercially, and many farmers came back to industry, thanks to the flourishing market. Therefore, by 1980, the Philippines became an official member of the International Coffee Organization. 

Favourable conditions

Thanks to the archipelagic nature of the country and the tropical weather conditions, the Philippines provides almost perfect conditions for coffee growth. The diversity of the landscape, from lowlands to mountainous regions, creates all the different altitudes needed to provide conditions to all four types of coffee. The general harvest season is from October to March.

Growing regions

Cordillera Administrative Region

In Northern Luzon, this mountainous region is made up of Mount Province, Benguet, Kalinga, Ifugao and Abra. This region is also the only one landlocked in the whole country. The soil, climate and altitudes between 1000 and 1800 meters make this region ideal for Arabica coffee growth, like Red and Yellow Bourbon, Typica, Mondo Novo and Caturra.

Northern Luzon

Here, the terrain is more diverse, fit for Robusta and Catimor coffee production. The farms can be found mostly in Ilocos Sur and the Sierra Madre mountain range which have lower altitudes, between 300 and 900 meters.

Calabarzon

The unique name derives from the five component provinces, which can be found south of the National Capital Region and are also bordered by different bodies of water. Here, the Robusta, Excelsa and Liberica types are grown, all in different parts. This happens because the land is so diversified that each area provides varianced soil and climate.

Batangas got its name after the raft used by locals to row all the way to the nearby Taal Lake, and the logs that dot the Calumpang River. What sets this area apart from the rest is the presence of a complex volcano. 

Cavite is located in the second smallest province of Calabarzon. The unique terrain is made up from two mountain ranges that border the province, with a shoreline that is adjacent to Manila Bay. The coastal plan, with extremely low ground level is accompanied by lowland areas, a central hilly area and the upland mountainous area, where the altitudes reach 400 meters.

Laguna is situated on the southern shores of the largest lake in the country, called Laguna de Bay. The terrain variates from narrow and flat lands to the steeper mountains like Sierra Madre, Mount Makiling, and Mount Banahaw. The numerous mountains found here are actually mostly inactive volcanoes, with altitudes between 300 and 500 meters.

Flavour panel

Philippine Liberica, also known locally as Baraco, delivers an outstanding robust and powerful cup. The cherries of this coffee are bigger, and so are the beans, which have become a staple in the Philippine coffee scene. 

The rest of the coffees, in general, when they are naturally processed, they give off floral and caramel flavors if they are Arabica, and floral and dark chocolate ones if they are Robusta. Of course, considering all the different lands where the coffee is grown, we would say that each origin has a different characteristic.

If you are curious about each and every one and you want an opportunity to discover all the great aromas of the Philippines, we recommend you to visit specialized sites in this domain, like Cafendo, or Kape. This way, you can be sure that what you are getting is exactly what you desire, and you can begin your adventure in the foreign coffee world. We are looking forward to your insight on the great creations of the Philippines!