I admit, I am a coffee addict. My perfect day starts with a steaming cup of coffee. Black, of course. Not just any coffee but Philippine coffee, freshly roasted and with a story to tell.
Coffee was never my cup of tea until I was in my twenties. When I finally started drinking coffee, I'd dilute my coffee with milk and sugar. What seems like blasphemy to me now was most likely a subconscious attempt to cover up the taste of old coffee: roasted 1 year ago and vacuum packed to be shelved for another 2 years.
Today, I look at my cup of coffee differently. I've seen the coffee farmers labor in the heat for my enjoyment in an air-conditioned coffee shop. I've picked coffee cherries myself after my first exposure to a coffee tree, which is actually a shrub. I've learned that it takes three years before a coffee tree bears its first fruits. I know that coffee is not coffee, but that there are different varieties which are roasted and blended in different ways. I can distinguish an Arabica coffee bean from a Robusta coffee bean, which might sound funny to a coffee connoisseur but impressive to an instant coffee drinker. I know that by biting a green coffee bean one can tell the moisture content of the bean (which is what the farmers do, since they don't have a moisture meter). I know that green coffee beans can be stored in a dry place for quite some time, while a roasted coffee bean's taste deteriorates quickly... 18 days, they say.
Coffee is not just a commodity, coffee is business and politics. I've watched and been involved in the Philippine coffee industry for the past 4 years. I've seen and supported serious attempts to further the lot of the Philippine coffee farmer. I've also seen actions which try to keep the coffee farmer ignorant and chained to the producer side of the coffee value chain.
I decided to share some of my experiences in this blog in the future. And maybe soon you'll look at your cup of coffee differently, too.
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