By Ma. Cristina C. Arayata
MANILA, Aug. 25 (PNA) — “How do you like your coffee?”
We’re often asked this question whenever we order or request for a cup of coffee. Our preferences vary, of course. The options have gone far from black and white. Also, there are coffees that seem to have a nationality such as Irish coffee, Turkish coffee and Americano. There are also those that sound like a place such as Vienna and Colombia Supremo.
I usually order café latte. However, I don’t understand why the taste varies from one establishment to another. “I ordered the same type of coffee. How come this one tastes bitter?” I ask myself sometimes.
Maybe the kind of coffee beans used creates a huge difference. For those of you who love a cup of joe and would love to learn more about it, you can head on to Cavite and visit the country’s first coffee museum.
The Coffee Museum, located inside the Cavite State University (CvSU) –Don Severino delas Alas Campus in Indang, Cavite, serves as a one-stop information shop, featuring the different coffee varieties one can find in the Philippines. It houses a vast collection of different coffee varieties including Arabica, Robusta, Liberica, Excelsa, among others.
It was conceptualized and spearheaded by Carmen Lagman, head, De La Salle University Biodiversity Unit and Ruel Mojica, director of the National Coffee Research Development and Extension Center (NCRDEC), CvSU.
Yes, you read it right. There is a coffee research development center in Cavite. Cool, isn’t it? The Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) actually supports its projects.
The coffee museum was made into a reality through the funding support from the United States Agency for International Development – Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for Development (USAID-STRIDE), which supports the NCRDEC’s research and development activities.
According to DOST-PCAARRD, the provinces of Cavite and Batangas were known for growing coffee. It noted that in the recent years, coffee production shifted to Benguet and other parts of Mindanao.
Mojica said they target to bring the Philippine coffee back in the world market.
Meanwhile, the museum was launched last June 9. The launching was attended by key officials, faculty and students of CvSU; USAID-STRIDE’s David Hall; Mirshariff Tillah of USAID; De La Salle University Biodiversity Unit staff; Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Agricultural Research; industry partners; provincial and local government units; coffee farmers/growers; staff from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist; Department of Trade and Industry; coffee advocates and aficionados.
Perhaps you can no longer count the number of cups of coffee you had. Maybe you’ve tried almost every variety available in the market, from the most affordable to the most expensive one. But it’s not yet late to learn and discover more about this type of drink. (PNA)