CEBU, Philippines - In the Philippines, coffee still reigns supreme over tea. In the Provinces that grow coffee, the best crops (those with the reddest cherries) are separated for private consumption ("home use" or "family use") and are never sold. These are specially roasted in pans and meticulously pounded or ground and passed through screens until the grind is perfectly even. The grounds are then cooked in pots and served freshly "boiled' or brewed.
Roasting is done in small batches, usually limited to as much as what the family will use for a week or a few days.
Upon entering house in the province, the first beverage offered is coffee. Coffee is then prepared and usually taken with just a little sugar. Milk is an option, which is usually fresh carabao's milk or, for convenience, evaporated milk in cans.
The Philippines used to be the fourth largest producer of coffee in the 1800s. From 1886 to 1888, the country was the world's sole supplier of coffee.
Today, the Philippines is a net importer of coffee. Filipinos consume over 60,000 metric tons of coffee but only produce 30,000 tons.
Coffee is a product that has an increasing demand year after year. This means that a coffee business has a big chance of survival and success in the country.
The problem of production is being addressed by the Philippine coffee board or the National Coffee Board and other private organizations that encourage the planting of more land to coffee. If their current plan is executed well, there should be enough coffee in the country for the generations to come. - from An Introduction to Coffee by Pacita U. Juan and Ma. Regina S. Francisco (FREEMAN)