If you are a Filipino, it is safe to assume that you are a coffee lover. You may have grown up in a household where your parents or older siblings often drink coffee, which is probably why you learned to drink coffee early in your life as well. Actually, oddly enough, there are some seven-year-olds who already like coffee. Still, with coffee shops popping up everywhere and the ease of making coffee, it’s not hard to understand why more and more Filipinos like to think of themselves as coffee lovers.

Some fun (and maybe a little weird) facts about Pinoys and Coffee

Of course, as Filipinos, there are certain things about coffee, and your relationship with coffee, that are truly unique. Here are some of those things:

• Filipinos often drink coffee in the morning to reenergize and prepare for the long day ahead.
• Some even for coffee with rice like “sabaw”. Yes, Filipinos love soupy rice because it makes eating more fun.
• Filipinos love to dip their bread or cookies into their coffee. Like Oreos and milk, coffee and cookies seem to be a perfect fit. Yum Yum.
• In addition to cookies, Pandesal is also an excellent ally for coffee. Pandesal is the staple breakfast of all Filipinos and all time favorite bread. Pair it with coffee, or dunk it in coffee and go.
• Coffee is also often drunk during snacks. For many Filipinos, no snack is complete without coffee.

proudly filipino

One type of coffee that can be proudly called Filipino is Kapeng Barako. Kapeng Barako is a native of Batangas. Barako literally means “alpha male,” which might also explain why this coffee tastes so bitter, but you have to admit, it also tastes great. Think you know everything you need to know about Kapeng Barako? Think again.

• Barako is actually a tree. It got its name from the old Tagalog term for “boar”. Wild boars love to eat the sand fruits from the leaves of a Barako tree.
• The first Barako tree was planted in 1800 by the Macaset family in Batangas. They got a cutting from the tree from a trip to Brazil.
• Basically all the coffee beans that come from Batangas are called “Barako”.
• Kapeng Barako is known for having an intense flavor and a strong smell.
• And, get this, some spas actually use Kapeng Barako as a body scrub!

It’s amazing how big the coffee industry is in the Philippines and how much Filipinos love coffee. It’s one of those things that makes living in the Philippines amazing, and wherever you are in the world, remembering Pinoys’ love of coffee will make you feel right at home.