Over a cup of coffee…
What better way to start up and wrap up a day than over a cup of coffee? Way back in college, I took to drinking coffee like I drank water. I always think of what made me a coffeeholic now. I think I have my dad to “accuse” for that, since he taught how to make a good cup of instant Nescafe when I was young. I had to take a sip before serving it to him. Until gradually, the sip turned into a teaspoonful, into sharing a cup of coffee with him till now, 2-3 cups of freshly brewed coffee a day for me. I still share a cup of coffee with my dad, though, whenever I am home.
Back then in Los Baños, a cup of brewed coffee was difficult to be had. That’s why I relish the thought of going to IRRI library to research(as an excuse, hehehe) then having a cup of brewed coffee in IRRI’s cafeteria. It cost around 1.50 then, with milk and sugar already. Now, it costs around 7 pesos and it tastes so bland.
There are other options though. If you find yourself at IRRI, they have a coffee shop that offers freshly brewed coffee, cakes, pastries and pasta. It is operated by Bean Hub, which has another branch at Vega Mall. A cup of barako coffee is only 20 pesos. Good enough to wake you up.
Outside the UP Gate, just walk along Grove and you will find coffee shops dotting Lopez Avenue all the way to Agapita. Among the notable ones are Bean Hub (Vega Mall and IRRI), Coffee Blends (in front of Agrix), Ristretto (Agapita), Isis (LB Square) and Café Amalia (Agapita). They also offer pasta, sandwiches and cakes to complement your coffee experience. Coffee Blends, Isis and Ristretto close quite late so they are good choices to go for after-dinner coffee.
For a coffeholic like me, going to coffee shops could be very expensive. So I got my own coffee maker and brew my own coffee. I have one at the apartment and maintain the office coffee maker. This poses another quest as to what coffee should I buy for brewing. As much as possible, I try to buy locally produced coffee. So far I’ve tried kapeng barako from Batangas, Aguinaldo blend from Cavite, Benguet Gold from Benguet and Monks Blend from Bukidnon. I get coffee as pasalabung from abroad and my favorite is the Don Francisco Vanilla Nut coffee I usually request from my cousins. From Quebec, where I went to recently, I got to talking about coffee with a French-Canadian and she gave me a bag of coffee granules from a Quebecoise cafe.
But those branded coffees are still expensive. Fortunately, I have discovered that Robinson’s supermarket sells barako coffee beans and they can grind it for you. It is by far, the best barako coffee I have tasted.
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October 3rd, 2006 at 1:47 am
Am a big coffee drinker myself…I like vanilla coffee too (kenyan coffee is my black gold) . Have you tried brewing coffee using espresso maker — usually you place it on a hot plate…di na kailangan ng filter paper. But I have yet to try Kapeng Barako…maybe next time
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What a Nice blogspot! Thank you. Reminds me of UPLB once again. I left LB in 1994.
October 3rd, 2006 at 5:25 am
Coffee addict here too. I never touched that substance when I was growing up in LB, nor did I touch it when I was in College. I only started enjoying it when I lived with my sister in Honolulu. She was a Phd student then and coffee was her friend, along with “real” friends, of course. So when they would cram for their homework, I’d linger around and partake of the caffeine refreshments. So there, that’s how I got hooked. Am not a coffee snob, so I enjoy Starbucks here in the States. Sophisticated coffee drinkers think Starbucks is all-hype and no substance. Probably partly true. Plus they do not necessarily source their coffee beans responsibly (i.e. fair pay to the farmers is non-existent, allegedly).
I’ve had Don Francisco in the past. It’s easily available in the supermarkets here in San Francisco, CA. I think it is a San Francisco-based company. I had dinner out early this evening and had planned to cap it off with coffee. I need my sleep so I opted for a Chai Tea latte. Ayun, may sipa rin pala. I am so awake.
Kudos again sa egroup and sa blog. Mabuhay!
Jun
October 3rd, 2006 at 1:07 pm
I like Don Francisco’s! Type ko yung Vanilla Nut flavor nila. Yung ang paboritong kong pasalubong at naghoard din ako ng ilang lata para maiuwi dito sa Pilipinas the last time I was in San Diego.
The coffee industry is getting a lot of attention here. People are getting used to brewed coffee instead of instant… Try Bean Hub coffee shop the next time you are in LB.
October 4th, 2006 at 1:27 am
Oo ba. I hear they even have Coffee Festivals in the Philippines na. I actually have tried Monk’s. There was this mini Coffee Fair at Greenbelt last time I was home and I got a sip of it. They also sell Barako over here in SF. Sarap!
October 4th, 2006 at 3:41 am
San Francisco has the best coffee I’ve heard. A friend of mine made me try Peets Coffee, so good. And you can only get it in San Francisco. “One of the best, she said”. If you have the chance, get Peets (French Roast). It’s my personal favorite. Here in Mongolia, I can only get Starbucks and colombian…and so expensive. Sometimes, I go to a place where they serve Kenyan cofee…espresso and latte. Pero minsan lang, kasi ang mahal
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October 4th, 2006 at 6:52 pm
Yes Eve, Peet’s is the best. Iyan ang inuwi ng Nanay ko when they were here earlier this summer. Kung choopisticated ka, Peet’s is the way to go
Pero, like I said, am not a coffee snob. I do have Starbucks. I linger there and read the Sunday paper, on occasion. Minsan naman, San Mig coffee sa sachet na pasalubong sa akin from Pinas. 
Am a coffee whore, as you can see 
October 5th, 2006 at 5:00 am
Coffeeholics, read this:
The most expensive coffee in the world!
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/metroregions/view_article.php?article_id=24943
October 5th, 2006 at 10:23 am
coffee? it was something you used to drink while cramming for that Bio 30 exam (miss ko na si DR!). you drank either Cafe Puro or Blend 45 (because of the free glass) and used a water heater the size of a kitchen mixer! it was a guarantee to blow out the fuses in Dr Cendana’s dorm!!!
October 6th, 2006 at 11:46 am
Coffee memories…. I remember nga when our brods take us home in our apartment in Umali Subdivison after the usual organization meeting, sisibilhan pa namin sila ng barakong kape (take note di pa uso coffee maker before, kaya ilalaga pa)with brown sugar and with matching “paborita” crackers. Masaya na sila kasi may libreng mid nite snack bago sila uwi ng mens dorm.
78-13500
October 13th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
Hey 79-25827! Siguro classmate kita sa Bio 30, si DR din ang teacher ko ah!
78-13500
March 25th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
I saw DR two weeks ago dining at Arla with other professors. She has retired already and now Professor Emeritus. She still looks the same, but not as “frightening” as before.