Alamid Cafe Xpress

What does a Philippine coffee company and an outdoor company have in common? Their advocacy to promote the Philippines and protect its environment.

The launch of Bote Central's first Alamid Cafe Xpress at R.O.X drew an interesting crowd of coffee aficionados and outdoor buffs to Bonifacio High Street.

The connection between coffee and outdoor activities might not immediately strike the urban coffee shop dweller. The customers of R.O.X. however – hikers, bikers, climbers, runners, and campers – might have come across a true coffee spring during one of their outdoor adventures: a coffee tree (which is actually a shrub).

The high altitudes of the Cordillera Mountain range in Luzon, the volcanic slopes of Mt. Kanlaon in Negros, and of course, Bukidnon and Mt. Matutum in Mindanao are not just perfect breeding grounds for the mild Arabica coffee. These places also make for great mountaineering ventures.

The more fortunate hiker might even have encountered a civet cat in the wild. This fluffy cat-like mammal is producing the world's most expensive coffee: the Alamid coffee. The civet was therefore the real star of the Cafe launch but shied away from the limelight. A true nocturnal she is.

Now, where exactly does the civet cat fit into the coffee value chain? Well, right at its first link, at the production of the coffee bean. Roaming the woods at night the civet cat is guided by its sweet tooth. Following its superb nose it picks the very ripest coffee cherries off the trees to chew the sweet red pulp. The coffee beans, still covered in a layer of parchment, travel through the cat's system without being digested. The beans leave the cat at its rear end.

That justifies the soaring price of 500US$ (21,700 PhP) per kg roasted Coffee Alamid? While some people wrinkle up their noses by the thought of drinking pooped out coffee beans, some coffee connoisseurs swear by the unique 'chocolaty' taste.

The cat provides a service to coffee lovers that can't be matched even by the most experienced coffee farmer: picking only the ripest, thus sweetest and most flavorful beans.

Since the cat is not being paid for it who is? Firstly, the villagers and coffee farmers who find and pick the droppings. (Unless the cat suffered from LBM the droppings look like a string of beans.) As compared to green Arabica or Robusta beans which sell at around 185 PhP and 120 PhP respectively, a kilogram of civet dropping sells for 1,100 PhP*! Secondly, the coffee company that roasts, packages, promotes, and ships the beans to a specialty coffee community around the globe.

Now, how does Alamid coffee help protect the environment? Since our furry cherry picker lives in the treetops of big trees, farmers now protect those trees to keep the civet cat in their neighborhood. (Since the civet cat is territorial, there is no need to fence or even cage it!)

What do I get out of an Alamid Cafe Xpress (which also sells 'normal' freshly roasted coffee) at R.O.X.? I can enjoy my favorite Philippine coffee while shopping for yoga accessories, climbing gear, and hiking boots! The latter I can’t wait to put on to explore Mt. Matutum and hopefully come across a civet cat!

* Prices vary from area to area and of course buyer to buyer, so please don’t quote me here.