CHAPTER 2

Related Literature and Studies

This chapter includes discussion on related foreign and local literature which
provide relevant facts about the rehabilitation program of Kapeng Barako in Lipa City,
Batangas.

Local Literature

Philippine coffee traces it roots from the Highlands of Lipa City. In the 1800s,
coffee was brought to the Philippines; the seedlings were planted by the first settlers of
the area, the Macasaet clan.The volcanic soil, low temperature and cultivation practices
of the Lipenos brought about a unique coffee, Kapeng Barako, an aromatic, full-bodied,
strong-flavored coffee that was distinctively Filipino.
This passion for great coffee was continued by Jose H. Mercado and his family,
direct descendants of the Macasaet clan. Joe, as he is known by his friends and
colleagues, started with the humblest of beginnings.

Café de Lipa’s passion for coffee runs deep, rooted in its ancestors’ commitment
to great coffee. They continued on with a love for the magical brew, which still bears the
name Kapeng Barako. Considered to be the best among the Liberica species, it possesses
a strong and full-bodied flavor. Most people who have tried it attest to the kick or jolt it
gives them from every sip. Drinking Barako doesn’t just involve enjoying its taste, but
also its aroma. The best way to have it is black without sugar. And before taking a sip,
inhale and savor its aroma, then let its flavor and body linger in your mouth before
swallowing. Other than the Barako, Café de Lipa also offers a full line of espresso drinks,
from latte to cappuccino to Americano, iced-coffee variants and the widely popular ice-
blended drinks. In addition to Café de Lipa’s version of a perfect cup of coffee, a wide
array of pastries is also offered, such as tableya brownies, calamansi crunch, pili nut bars
and moist barako brownies, plus savory dishes like tinapa and adobo paté. 1
 Being a native of Batangas, I grew up on kapeng Barako. I remember those days
when we have hot pandesal during breakfast and dipping it in a cup of coffee. During
merienda time, coffee is also present with bread or other local delicacies like puto,
sinukmani and kutsinta.

The coffee is prepared using a drip brewing device or by simply pouring hot water
unto the grounds and filtering the mixture using a piece of cloth. Barako is best
sweetened with honey or brown sugar. Barako can be used to make espresso and other
espresso-based drinks.

Barako is not a common coffee variety, although it is abundant in Southeast Asia

especially in the Philippines. It has the largest beans of all the coffee varieties. Its taste is
said to be superior to Robusta, and most Filipino coffee drinkers prefer Barako to
Arabica. The Arabica-Barako blend is a popular gourmet coffee. Barako is considered to
be the best among Liberica species. Kapeng Barako is our pride. It’s our identity that
distinguish us from other places in the Philippines. "Ala eh, pagkasarap nare!". 2

While the Barako has become a generic name for all coffee from Batangas, real
Barako refers to Philippine Liberica and is known for its particularly strong taste,
powerful body and distinctly pungent odor. “Barako,” in the vernacular, is a colloquial
term referring to male strength and machismo. As such, particularly strong-tasting coffee
is often identified as barako by the locals. Historically, it takes its name from "barako,"
the Tagalog word for wild boar, because these creatures are rather fond of dining on the
plant's leaves and berries. f the four identified species of coffee (Robusta, Excelsa,
Arabica and Liberica), Liberica has the largest cherries and therefore, bigger beans.
Barako has an annual export volume of 1,200 bags, valued at $.15 million. Most
of it goes to Saudi Arabia. Sadly, today, Barako is on its way to extinction. Because the
Philippines had lost its reign in the coffee industry to Brazil over a century ago, farmers
have stopped planting barako because it is no longer a viable and marketable commodity.
The Philippines has been reduced as a minor player producing roughly .012 percent
coffee supply, a mediocre performance considering coffee is the second most profitable
industry in the world today.
 Since its launch in 1999, the Figaro Foundation has tirelessly organized events
and activities in an effort to bring to the fore the plight of the coffee industry and the
Barako. There is much we need to do to save both the Barako and the local coffee
industry. We need as much support as we can get. The country needs as much support as
you can give.3
Coffee has been a part of the Filipino’s morning table. Ignoring its possible
harmful effects, we still choose to take a sip from our cups as we start a brand new day. A
morning without coffee is like sleep, as what the saying goes. Coffee seems to a basic
need of every human heart in dealing with every catastrophe.
There are four main species of coffee: the Robusta, Excelsa, Arabica, and the
Liberica, popularly known as kapeng barako. Liberica, in fact, is a very exotic variety of
coffee which grows in 3 out of 70 countries in the world. It has the largest beans and
bigger cherries. Fortunately, Philippines is one of those countries. Liberica was originated
from Liberia in West Africa . It was brought by the Spaniards during their colonial period.
Since Lipa is located in a high altitude area, it is a good place to plant fine and eminent
coffee beans.
Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world. About 200 years ago,
Philippines was listed among the top coffee-producing nations. No wonder how this crop
had taken away many Filipinos from poverty, for it is one of the best ways to earn a
living.But today, we only produce 0.12% of the world’s coffee supply.
According to the recent studies about the effects of coffee in one’s health, one to
two cups of coffee can stimulate certain areas of the brain and it helps us stay more active
and vigilant to perform more complex function. It is also best for those people with
exhausting job that requires a greater exertion, for it enhances our endurance in long-
duration physical and mental activities. Coffee is also proven to have the potentials in
discouraging the development of colon cancer by reducing the formation of gallstones
and lowering the risk of liver diseases. It is also found to reduce the risk of Parkinson’s
disease and helps to combat nervous decline associated with sleep deprivation. And
according to the recent studies, people who drink coffee have a lower risk of getting type-
2 or non-insulin-dependent diabetes.
 Despite all these benefits, coffee can’t still be called an innocent drink because it
contains a substance called caffeine. It is known to be an addictive substance with various
harmful effects. Caffeine intake during the time period between half an hour to one hour
before sleep will not only delay sleep as expected, but will also decrease the total sleep
time and degrade sleep quality. On the other hand, the issues involving the harmful
effects of coffee on women’s health like breast cancer and osteoporosis still remain in
doubt. So it is important to consider the moderation in the consumption of coffee to avoid
these harmful effects. Remember, it stems not from using coffee but in its excessive
consumption.
Upon hearing the word “barako”, this thing will surely pop up into our minds: a
man with big muscles and gifted with higher abilities and strength. Barako is an idiomatic
term referring to man’s strength and machismo. Barako had been the general term for all
the coffees coming from Batangas. It is known for its strong taste, long-lasting, pungent
and powerful aroma.
Many farmers believe that harvesting coffee is nothing but a dreadful waste of
time and effort. There are several reasons why farmers refuse to farm coffee. First, it is
because they can’t assure themselves that they can earn a profit. The world price dictates
how the local price should be.
Secondly, many agricultural lands were sold off to build commercial, industrial
and residential areas. Since farmers can’t afford to pay large land taxes, they decided to
sell their own lands and look for another way to earn larger money and secured profit.
Although some of them, instead of selling their lands, switch to planting more profitable
crops into which they can gain larger than what they had before.
The next problem is the lack of modernization and technology. In other countries,
they use modern machineries and equipment to harvest coffee. Although some of the
large coffee farms can afford these machineries too, majority of Filipino farmers use their
hands in doing almost everything, just to prevent us from missing the sweet aroma of
kapeng barako, which of course symbolizes the undying culture of the Batangueños.
It is true that kapeng barako had earned a very nice name for its uniqueness and
rarity. It enjoys a steady demand in many parts of the Middle East and through assertive
selling it is begins to earn a better name in the local market.
 Despite kapeng barako’s competency, many farmers still refuse to plant and
harvest kapeng barako. As what they say, it has a very high market value but a very low
market value. As a result, kapeng barako is now in danger of extinction.
Because of these premises, there are some programs, like the Save the Barako
campaign, which aims to advance the consistency of its production, and its endorsement
in the premium market. The campaign continuously exerts a lot of effort to raise public
awareness about kapeng barako’s potentials. They also promote barako to be the people’s
brew of choice.

For years, kapeng barako has been one of the shining prides of Batangueños. And
the best way to support its production is to choose this crop over the other types of
coffee. Philippines once became a top coffee-producing country. And through our
concerns, we can be on that list once again. Let us save kapeng barako and help it be the
trademark of Batangueños forever.4

Let me share to you another Batangas’ best : Kapeng Barako or the

Philippine/Batangas Coffee. Historians say that kapeng barako was brought in the
Philippines centuries ago by the Spaniards while the country was part of Spain’s colony.
They planted coffee trees on the highlands. And because of good combination of
humidity, cold, soil and the tropical climate, these plantation flourished. By the 19th
century, the Philippines was the 4th largest coffee producing country in the world.

The Barako coffee is the Philippine term for coffee produced in Batangas. This
Philippine coffee is of the Liberica variety. Liberica is rare and exotic, grown only in 3
countries out of about 70 coffee producing countries in the world. The first Barako tree
was a a cutting from Brazil planted in the 1800s in Barangay Pinagtung-Ulan, Lipa
City, Batangas by the Macasaet family, (umm… my ancestors?) Barako coffee has
strong taste, flavor, and has a distinctively pungent aroma. Now, all coffee grown in
Batangas is generically called Barako - Matapang!

During this golden times of coffee production in the Philippines, the town of Lipa
in Batangas flourished and many plantation owners became millionaires. In 1887, Spain’s
Queen Isabela elevated the town of Lipa into a city named it Villa de Lipa owing to its
prosperity. Lipa became one of the richest cities in the Philippines during the coffee
boom.

Right now, kapeng barako is still part of most Batangueno’s mornings. I my self
can’t make a day without a cup of it. So sinsay muna at magkape dine sa Batangas and
say more cups of coffee please.5

The famous strong Batangas coffee gets a new kick. Thanks to the efforts of
retired Col Nicetas “Kati” Katigbak.Aside from the famed “balisong,” the province of
Batangas has always been identified with coffee. Barako coffee in particular has been
part of our culture and is the benchmark used for other local coffees. It is then surprising
to know that the top producer of Liberica coffee better known as the barako is not
Batangas but rather its neighboring province of Cavite.

It was this desire to reclaim the provinces’ culture and pride that urged retired Col.
Nicetas “Kati” Katigbak to embark on a campaign to regain Batangas’s place as the
Barako capital of the country. Katigbak, who comes from a long line of coffee farmers,
said that he remembered when he was young that there were a lot of Barako trees in the
area. He said that during the Spanish colonial era, Lipa was the country’s coffee capital
and the 4th largest coffee producer in the world. The coffee rust struck sometime in the
18oos and nearly wiped out the entire industry allowing countries like Brazil to overtake
the country. After that famed coffee debacle, the farmers were able to rebuild the industry.
It was during that time that Katigbak remembered his childhood and the invigorating
smell of barako coffee on cool mornings.

However due to low prices and low demand, people started turning their coffee
farms into rice fields and planted other crops. Others sold their farms to developers and
some simply abandoned the farms. By the early `90s, it was practically impossible to find
a barako plant and most that were up for sale were fakes. The coffee beans that were
being sold as Barako were actually robusta. These factors, he said, led to the collapse of
the Batangas coffee industry.
 After retiring from the military, Katigbak decided to return to farming. Initially he
planted robusta trees and sold the produce to the multinational company, Nestle. Using
scientific farming methods, he was able to improve his yield and in no time, was even
selected as a model demo farm by agricultural experts. Apart from coffee, he also planted
other crops like mangos, lentils, durian, papaya, etc. Realizing the historical and cultural
value of the barako, he made it a personal mission to promote the famous Batangas
coffee. At present, Katigbak is also the head of the Lipa Coffee Board.

To realize his goal he went about to look for a good seed material. This was easier
said than done, he says, because so many farmers have cut down their trees. As such, it
was extremely difficult to find pure breed barako seedlings. Most of the seedlings in the
market were either hybridized or are not the authentic barako trees. Finally, after much
searching, he was able to find a supplier with a good strain of barako. He immediately
procured 35,000 seedlings, enough to repopulate most of Batangas’s coffee farms and
enough to reclaim Batangas as the true Barako capital of the country.

To ensure that the seedlings grow well, Katigbak says he employs scientific
farming methods. Instead of just leaving the seedlings in an open seedbed/nursery,
Katigbak uses greenhouses to house his seedlings. These greenhouses are covered with
mesh nets and are watered three times a day. The mesh diffuses the light and provides just
the right amount of sunlight for the particular growth stage of the plant. The mesh also
acclimatizes the plant to the heat. He also uses organic fertilizer derived from farm
wastes.

Currently Katigbak is using most of the seedlings in his own farm but says that
the other seedlings are being sold to other prospective coffee farmers. The retired military
man says that the reason for the revival of interest in the barako coffee is mostly due to
the growth of the coffee shop industry in the Philippines. This growth, he says, has
increased the previously low prices and made barako a more attractive crop than the more
prolific but less expensive robusta.

Compared to barako a robusta tree produces much more. But the robusta beans
are cheaper being primarily used to make instant coffee. Barako, on the other hand, has a
lower yield but can be sold at twice the price. A hectare of land can be planted with 600
barako trees compared to 800 trees for robusta. But Katigbak says that the higher market
price is more than enough to offset this difference in yield. Also he says one can adopt
several practices to maximize the productivity of both the tree and the land.

One of the problems most coffee farmers face is the fact that then - investments in
the farm are basically locked for around two years while the coffee tree grows. During
this time, the investor gets no returns. To remedy this, Katigbak recommends
intercropping. This would serve two purposes. First, it would act as a shade to the plants
while they are still small. And second, they would provide an income stream to the
farmer while the tree matures. The recommended crops that can be grown side by side
with barako coffee are legumes like mungbeans and/or papaya (in particular the Sinta
variety) both of which can be harvested in approximately three months.

Once the barako trees mature, they will provide a steady supply of beans for
around a decade. However this doesn’t mean that a farmer can be complacent and just
watch the trees grow. Proper maintenance, Katigbak says, can extend the productive life
of the trees as well as increase their yields. The maintenance, he says; isn’t complicated
and very commonsensical which most farmers tend to neglect. These steps include
regular weeding, watering and fertilization. Also, the tops of the tree must be pruned
regularly to facilitate harvesting.

Ideally, he says the trees should be spaced four meters apart. And for irrigation,
PVC pipes must be laid down with holes drilled at regular intervals. It is also good to
make the trees undergo “umbrella branching” where instead of one main branch, the
,trees are made to produce two or three main stems with the trees growing horizontally.
With umbrella branching, harvesting is easier because the tree is low and the multiple
stems serve as insurance against stemborers.

After a decade, the trees start to reduce its output due to age. Some farmers tend
to cut the trees and start from scratch. But Katigbak explains that this practice is
inefficient and unnecessary because there are ways to rejuvenate the trees. This involves
cutting most of the branches and forcing the plants to regenerate itself giving one
practically brand new trees at half the waiting time compared to starting all over again.
Also one can graft a robusta root to a liberica stem resulting in the tree getting the best of
both worlds in terms of yield.

Katigbak realized that one of the barriers that discourage people from investing in
coffee farms is the cost in terms of manpower and the experience needed to maintain a
farm. To address this problem he is offering farm management services to farmers in
Batangas. For just Php35,000 per hectare Katigbak will plant, water, weed and maintain
one’s coffee farm. This, he believes, will encourage more people to go into barako
farming.

By restoring Batangas’ reputation as the Barako capital of the country, Katigbak

believes that he is reacquainting the people with their rich history and cultural heritage.
More importantly, he believes that the renaissance of Barako will provide more jobs and
improve the lives of his fellow Batanguenos.6

Coffee was introduced in the Philippines by the Spaniards in 1740. Coffee

growing then became so wide-spread that by 1880, the Philippines had became the fourth
largest coffee producing nation. Today, the Philippines is the only coffee exporting
country that does not meet its domestic requirement (Cada, 1990). To address this
concern, the government has undertaken various initiatives that would help enhance the
productivity of Philippine coffee.

This study examine’ the productive performance of the sixteen coffee producing
regions in the Philippines using a regional comparable data set. The analysis is
undertaken using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) – Malmquist indices. DEA is a
methodology based upon an interesting application of linear programming and was
originally developed for performance measurement (Ramanathan, 2003). Malmquist
productivity indices were constructed for 1995 to 2004 using DEA and were decomposed
into efficiency and technological change. The technical efficiency change id further
decomposed into two components: pure efficiency change and scale efficiency change.
 The result of the study suggested that the Philippine coffee production
experienced productivity growth in 7 regions and regression in 9 regions. Rapid growth
and productivity increased occurred in 2001. Total factor productivity (0.995) decrease by
–0.5% annually with technical change (1.001) augmenting the growth by 0.1% while
efficiency change (0.994) reduced productivity growth by –0.6%. a high rate of technical
progress and deteriorating efficiency performance coexisted in the Philippine coffee
production. Northern Mindanao and ARMM are the successful regions that produced
high volume of coffee and remain productive in analysis. However, regions with small
and medium crop area enjoyed productivity growth faster which both increased
productivity by 0.3% annually while regions with large crop area experienced a slower
growth in productivity averaging –1.8% per year. Finally, when looking at the influence
of the climate in total factor productivity, it appears that climate pattern did not make a
substantial difference. Regions rank as having type 1,2,3 and 4 climate almost performed
similarly with productivity indexes of 0.993, 0.994, 0.991 and 0.999 respectively.
Additionally, percentage of typhoon plays an important role in the productivity growth of
the coffee producing regions. Result shows that region which experienced 25% typhoon
is the most productive while regions which felt 16% typhoon throughout the year appear
to be the less productive. These new reported findings are in additions to the existing
literature on the productivity and efficiency performance in the agricultural sector.7

The country produced some 6,000 metric tons of coffee last year (1978).In the
process, the farmers threw away almost 3,000 metric tons of coffee pulp from which they
got the coffee beans. Had they know that coffee pulp can be used for other profitable
activities, they would have earned more. Cattle raising for example. Studies conducted by
A.R.M. Caveses in Venezuela, a country in South America, showed that if one replaces
sorghum with dried coffee pulp in the feed for fatteners, the animal could gain an average
of 87 kilo a day.

Coffee pulp is good enough as feed ingredients, cavesses said, because it is rich in
energy and is much cheaper than, say, sorghum. The only problem, however, is that
coffee pulp has a taste and odor that cattle do not like. But this problem can be avoided
by limiting the amount of coffee pulp in the feed to 30 per cent. At this level, coffee pulp
will supply the energy needed by the fatteners without affecting the appetite of the cattle.
This formula can also be followed for milking cows, according to a collection of research
studies edited by J.E. Braham and R. Bressani of the institute of nutrition of Central
American and Panama (INCAP) and publish by International Development Research
Center of Canada.

According to the book coffee pulp can replace the expensive grains in the feed
concentrate for the milking cows without affecting their production of milk. The
replacement, however, should be made gradual until coffee pulp is 20 to 30 percent of the
concentrate feed. Beyond 30 percent, however, coffee pulp will not only reduce their
ability to absorb nitrogen, one of the things they need in the complex process of protein
production within their body.8

Ang kape ay karaniwa’y isang beverage crop lamang bagama’t ito’y ginagamit
ding flavoring sa mga candy, cakes at ice cream. Ang balat at sapal nito ay mahusay sa
fertilizer. Coffee is almost as important as oil in the world economy. It ranks among the
top agricultural products in the international market. It is also one of the largest traded
commodities in the world.Maraming bentaha sa pagtatanim ng kape: una na dito ang
malaking kita mula sa trading ng coffee beans, sa domestic market at higit sa foreign
market.

Apat ang uri ng commercial coffe beans na itinatanim ditto sa bansa: Arabica is
the best quality coffee with excellent flavors and aroma; Robusta is high yielding,
constitutes the bulk of processed coffee, and more resistant to pest and diseases; Liberica,
known locally as kapeng barako, has a very strong taste and flavor, starts bearing 4-5
years after transplanting, and could yield 1 metric ton green coffee per hectare; Excelsa
is resistant to drought, nematodes and coffee rust, and has better flavor and aroma than
Robusta and Liberica; starts bearing 4-5 years after transplanting.9

The country produces an estimated 80,000 to 90,000 metric tons of coffee a year.
This is considered low and could be because most of the trees all over the country are old
and unproductive. Ten to 25-years-old coffee trees, or those even older, have only a few
productive branches in their upper portion and they are unprofitable because of their low
yield.

Coffee trees bear fruit only in new wood, particularly in the nodes of lateral
branches. Nodes that had already fruited will not bear berries again. The trees will bear
berries only in the nodes of secondary and tertiary laterals. These branches are usually
high up in the tree, making harvesting difficult. If old coffee trees are not adequately
fertilized, they will bear few fruit, many of them black berries. This contributes to the
very low yield per hectare.

To make old coffee trees productive again, coffee experts recommend their
rejuvenated trees become vigorous, more resistant to pests and diseases, and more
convenient to prune, spray and harvest. The berries they produce are bigger and there are
less black ones. The Coffee Exporter Association of the Philippines (CEAP), in
cooperation of Planters products inc., has launched a nationwide coffee plantation
rejuvenation program. The objective of the program is to make coffee plantations produce
200,000 metric tons in 1989-1990.
According to a CEAP officer, if 25 per cent of trees are rejuvenated this year,
coffee farmers will earn P8 billion without increasing the area planted to the crop. At
present, the estimated 100,000 coffee farmers earn only P3.2 billion. The coffee
rejuvenation program requires systematic pruning and application of a well-balanced
fertilizer mixtures to old coffee trees to allow them to grow more fruit-bearing lateral
branches.

Jimmy Santiago, former agricultural service manager of Nestle Philippines who

worked for 24 years in coffee production, recommends three methods of rejuvenating
coffee trees – cutting by rotation of verticals within the tree, cutting of trees in alternate
rows, and cutting trees in blocks.
 In the first system, if a tree has four vertical stems, these are remove one by one
(one stem per year) following a circular pattern. In the second system, all trees in
alternative rows are rejuvenated in one year and those in the remaining rows the
following year. In the third system, all trees in a certain block are rejuvenated. The
plantation is divided into blocks and rejuvenation is done block by block (one block per
year).

The rejuvenation program does not consist only of cutting the stem of old coffee
plants to make them produce sprout. It also entails proper, prompt and well balanced
fertilization. It’s at this time that the plants needs most the food nutrients to survive the
“major operation.” The rejuvenated tree needs vitamins and minerals to recuperate
faster.10

Coffee has two main varieties or species, Coffea arabica and Coffea
canephora or more popularly known as Robusta. Arabica (Coffea arabica) was
originally cultivated in the Arabian Peninsula, hence its name. While Robusta (Coffea
canephora) is grown in many regions where Arabica would not grow but Robusta has
less flavor and contains more caffeine than the Arabica. However, Robusta contains
more antioxidants than Arabica coffee. Today, coffee is the second largest traded
commodity in the world, second only to oil and the largest exporter of coffee is Brazil.
Most espressos blends use good quality Robusta beans because it produces more
foamy heads and are cheaper than Arabica coffee beans. Aside from two main
varieties of coffee (Arabica and Robusta), there are lesser grown and exotic varieties
of coffee e.g. Liberica (where the Philippine Barako comes from) and Exelsa.

A specie of coffee grown on one region will have distinct characteristics from
the same specie grown on another region. This is due to the the climate, soil and the
processing of the beans. Coffee characteristics is defined by it's flavour (e.g. citrus-
like, earthy), body, acidity and caffeine content. As a rule, the higher the altitude the
coffee is grown, the higher the quality.
 There are many conflicting and inconclusive studies on the health benefits of
drinking coffee. Initial studies are encouraging and show that drinking coffee indeed
have some health benefits. Here are the result of some recent research findings:

Type 2 Diabetes - Of all the studies conducted on the benefits of coffee, the
most consistent is the lowered risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes or “adult-onset”
diabetes among coffee drinkers. Studies show that the more coffee is consumed the
lower the risk. Men who drank 6 cups or more a day cut their diabetes risk in half
while women who drank the same amount of coffee, cut their risk to 30%. It seems
men benefit more than women.

Antioxidant - coffee is a good source of antioxidants. Green coffee beans

contains about 1,000 antioxidants and is increased during brewing. The roasting
process also creates it own set of compounds that are beneficial to health and are
unique only to coffee. Coffee contains more antioxidants than cocoa, red wine and 4
times more than green tea. Initial findings show that even 1 to 2 cups of coffee a day
has beneficial effects and it seems both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee increases
the body's antioxidant levels.

Parkinson’s Disease - independent studies have shown that drinking coffee

daily reduces the risk of Parkinson’s Disease by as much as 80%. It also appears that
the more the consumption, the lower the risk. Aside from reducing the risk of
Parkinson’s disease, coffee has positive functional effect on daily activities like
concentration, alertness, body endurance and increased male fertility. This is attributed
to caffeine's effect on brain receptors which enhances energy uptake.
There are also recent studies that show that drinking coffee does not raise the
risk of heart disease - the old belief now seem to be untrue. Research continues on the
benefits of coffee, other benefits include: reduction of asthma attacks, cuts the risk of
liver cirrhosis, reduces the risk of colon cancer, reduces headaches, prevents tooth
cavities and even offsets the damage of heavy alcohol intake and smoking.
 Coffee was brought in the Philippines centuries ago by the Spaniards while the
country was a colony. They planted coffee trees on the highlands. And because of
good combination of humidity, cold, soil and the tropical climate, these plantation
flourished. By the 19th century, the Philippines was the 4th largest coffee producing
country in the world.

Barako coffee is the Philippine term for coffee produced in Batangas. This
Philippine coffee is of the Liberica variety. Liberica is rare and exotic, grown only in 3
countries out of about 70 coffee producing countries in the world. The first Barako
tree was a a cutting from Brazil planted in the 1800s in Barangay Pinagtung-Ulan,
Batangas by the Macasaet family. Barako coffee has strong taste, flavor, and has a
distinctively pungent aroma. All coffee grown in Batangas is generically called
Barako.

During this golden times of coffee production in the Philippines, the town of
Lipa in Batangas flourished and many plantation owners became millionaires. In
1887, Spain's Queen Isabela elevated the town of Lipa into a city named it Villa de
Lipa owing to its prosperity. Lipa became one of the richest cities in the Philippines
during the coffee boom.

Today, there are only a handful of Barako trees and is in the brink of
extinction. The title "coffee capital" of the Philippines has also shifted from Batangas
to the town of Amadeo in Cavite province. The decline of coffee industry in the
Philippines stated when crops were plagued by "Coffee Rust" an infestation the almost
wiped out the Philippine coffee industry. And South American countries took over to
satisfy the world demand for coffee. In recent years, this was aggravated by the
flooding of Vietnam with cheap coffee which made the world prices collapse even
further. Even today, world prices of coffee is a fraction of the prices during the boom
years.
The recent world wide popularity of special brews and exotic blends of coffee
gives a sliver of hope to the Philippine coffee industry. This new trend might be the
breath of life that the Philippine coffee industry needs to savour once again the taste of
Barako coffee's golden years.11

Foreign Literature

Coffee (coffee beans) included the seeds of crimson fruits from which the outer
pericarp is completely removed and the silverskin (spermoderm) is occasionally
removed. The seeds may be raw or roasted, whole or ground, and should be from the
botanical genus Coffea. The drink prepared from such seeds is called coffee.

Coffee is native to Africa (Ethiopia). From there it reached Arabia, then

Constantinople and Venice. Regardless of the prohibition of use and medical warnings,
coffee had spread all over Europe by the middle of the 17th century. The coffee tree or
shrub belongs to the family Rubiaceae. Depending on the species, it can grow from 3-12
m in height. The shrubs are pruned to keep them at 2-2.5 m height and thus facilitate
harvesting. The evergreen shrubs have leathery short-stemmed leaves and white, jasmine-
like fragrant flowers from which the stone fruit, cherry-like berries, develop with a
diameter of about 1.5 cm. The fruit or berry has a green outer skin which, when ripe,
turns red-violet or deep red and encloses the sweet mesocarp or the pulp and the stone-
fruit bean. The latter consists of two elliptical hemispheres with flattened adjacent sides.
A yellowish transparent spermoderm, or silverskin, covers each each hemisphere.
Covering both hemispheres and separating them from each other is the strong fibrous
endocarp, called the “parchment”. Occasionally, 10-15% of the fruit berries consists of
only one spherical bean (“peaberry” or “caracol”), which often brings a premium price.
The coffee shrub thrives in high tropical altitudes (600-1,200 m) with an annual
average temperature of 15-25°C and moderate moisture and cloudiness. The shrubs start
to bloom 3-4 years after planning and after six years of growth they provide a full
harvest. The shrubs can bear fruit for 40 years, but the maximum yield is attained after
10-15 years. Fruit ripening occurs within 8-12 months after flowering. Only 3 of the 70
species of coffee are cultivated: Coffea Arabica, which provides 75% of the world’s
production; C. canephora, bout 25%, and C. liberica and others, less than 1%. The
quantity (in kg) of fresh coffee cherries which yields 1 kg of marketable coffee beans is
for C. liberica 11.5. The most important countries providing the world’s coffee harvested
in 1996 are Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Mexico, Uganda, Ethiopia, Guatemala,
Vietnam, India, Côte d’ Ivoire, Ecuador,, Philippines and Costa Rica.12

Kape Barako, also spelled Baraco (English: Barako coffee) is a coffee varietal
grown in the Philippines, particularly in the provinces of Batangas and Cavite. It belongs
to the species Coffea liberica. The term is also used to refer to all coffee coming from
those provinces. Barako is the Filipino term for a the male stud of an animal, and has
become associated with the image of a tough man.
In the 1990s, the coffee industry in the Philippines collapsed due to an infestation
dubbed as "Coffee rust" as well as tough competition from coffee growers in South
America and Vietnam. This has caused Kape Barako growers to shift to other crops,
which has threatened the varietal with extinction. Currently, organizations such as the
Figaro Foundation, seek to revitalize the industry

Kape Barako is prepared using a drip brewing device, French press, or by simply
pouring hot water unto the grounds and filtering the mixture using a piece of cloth.
Barako is best sweetened with honey or brown sugar. Barako can be used to make
espresso and other espresso-based drinks.

Barako is not a common coffee variety, although it is abundant in Southeast Asia

especially in the Philippines. It has the largest beans of all the coffee varieties. Its taste is
said to be superior to Robusta, and most Filipino coffee drinkers prefer Barako to
Arabica. The Arabica-Barako blend is a popular gourmet coffee. Barako is considered to
be the best among Liberica species. Aside from being a beverage, Kape Barako is also
used as a body scrub in spa treatment.

Coffea liberica is a species of coffee that originated in Liberia, West Africa. The
coffee tree grows up to 9 metres in height, producing cherries that are larger than the
cherries found on Arabica trees. The coffee was brought to Indonesia to replace the
Arabica trees killed by the coffee rust disease at the end of the 19th Century. The coffee
itself has more in common, cupping wise, with Robusta. It is still found in parts of
Central and East Java today.

A varietal of Liberica, known as Baraco, is a major crop in the Philippines.

However, many growers and traders there pass off Excelsa as Baraco because supply of
real Baraco, or Philippine Liberica, is very limited and a large part of it goes into making
various coffee blends.The town of Lipa (now Lipa City) became the best producer of
Liberica in the 1880s but soon collapsed when the Coffee rust disease came out, almost
killing all coffee plants which has threatened the varietal with extinction. Today the
provinces of Batangas and Cavite are the producers of Liberica in the Philippines.13

The coffee -"tree" is a variation of a tropical evergreen shrub. There are three
kinds of coffee "tree", whereby all three African source are Arabica, Liberica and Robusta
Arabica originates from Ethiopia and is best suited for larger amounts of 600m to 2200m.
Liberica, which comes from the western Africa, and Robusta, which originates from the
Congo, grow the best under 600m. Liberica and Robusta grow well in wooden
surrounding and require fewer care than Arabicas. Liberica and Robusta trees produce of
course quantitatively higher profits, but the coffee of these plants has sooner a harsh taste
and their caffeine - content can up to 50% higher be in comparison with Arabica. The
mostselled coffee at the supermarket usually is the less expensive Liberica and Robusta.
Epicures prefer on the contrary almost exclusively on the more expensive Arabica.
The best flourishes coffee at temperatures between 25 and 35 celsius in an amount
according to the sort of coffee to 2200m (Liberica and Robusta at amounts under 600m
and Arabica between 600 and 2200m sea level). As ideal climatic conditions can be
called an exchange between amply rains and sunshine, so come the berries (coffeebeans)
to full maturity. The condition of the underground plays no large role, however is a good
drainage advantageous.

The coffee - beans do not ripen all at the same time. Normally blossoms increase
first and after that berries, which different stadium of maturity run through, so harvest of
coffee is not an easy job to do. Only ripe berries can be harvested. If the branches are
with berries too long, spoil the beans. If the beans are however still green, can not be
harvested them/it/her likewise and the pickers must come later again. For High-quality-
coffee the pickers must return therefore repeatedly to a tree. Each tree carries per year
approximately one kilogram beans. Planting coffee is very labor-intensive therefore.
Producers of less expensive coffee began with streamlines at the harvest of coffee.
The harvested coffee has not matured a harsh spice and does not have a 'full' taste. For
example some producers in Brazil utilize a method, which harvests the whole branch of
the tree inclusively leaves, blossoms, green and overripe berries. This procedure is very
injurious for the trees and the regeneration lasts some years. An other less injurious
method is applied in Africa, namely the shaking of the trees. The ready berries fall to the
ground, the others remain on the tree.

After six years the coffee - tree carries useful berries. This for ten years. coffee -
trees become 5m to 13m high, on plantations are them/it/her however only 2m high, since
with it the best quality is to be achieved at beans and is also simple the crop.

Since there is only three main - kinds of coffee - tree, the question intrudes, why
there is so many different sorts of beans, which are offered for sale? The raeson is the
diversity of climates, amounts, floors and rains, where coffee grows. Coffee - trees only
grow in tropical and subtropical areas, and these areas around the globe have very big
climatic differences. In the highlands of Central America cool temperatures rule with
wind and mist. Differently in the hot, steaming lowland - jungles of Africa and in the
changeable weathers of the Caribbean. All these areas yield beans with individual and for
the growing area typical characteristics.
The processing results after a damp or dry process. At the damp method, the beans
go for up to three days in so-called fermentation - tank. This "washed" coffee has
characteristically higher acidity and sharper taste than dryly processed beans. At the dry
method the berries are dried at the sun and hulls after that. These beans display usually
fewer acidity. The taste is full-bodied and the aroma more round than which through the
damp method processed beans.
 The availability of amply pure, fresh water often decides, which processing -
method coffee-producers utilize. In Central - and South America is prevailing the damp
method, in the eastern Africa and Yemen the dry method. Even though the damp method
produces better results - more taste, consistent bean, constant and prognostizierbare
quality -, are manufactured some excellent coffees with the dry method.14

Coffee Beans Liberica true to its name, originated in Liberia, West Africa. This
coffee tree can grow up to 20 feet high but it most often reaches only 10 to 15 feet tall, as
long as the temperatures never fall below freezing. The coffee tree features extremely
large, leathery leaves and cherries. Unlike the majority of coffee beans, Coffea Liberica
beans are fairly light and pointed when compared to other coffee beans. Because of these
light beans, the flavor of the coffee is mild.

Although it is still grown in Liberia, Malaysia is now the leading producer of

Coffea Liberica. It is also grown in various other locations along the Ivory Coast. The
climate and growing conditions in these areas are ideal for the species. This plant needs
partial to full shade and rich, well-drained soil. People in many other locations have been
unsuccessful in their attempts to grow the plant simply because of climatic conditions.
Coffea Liberica has a very mild, slightly nutty taste, despite the strong coffee smell
produced. The demand for this bean is relatively low because of the mild taste.

This variety of coffee is ideal when blended with most other coffee varieties. The
most popular bean it is blended with is Coffea Robusta. These two coffee beans
complement each other perfectly. When not used with Coffea Robusta, Coffea Liberica is
commonly chosen as a neutral blending flavor to pull together many gourmet coffees.15