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One thing about the Philippines that annoys and saddens me at the same time is the serious lack of Filipino-owned retail stores. Everywhere you look, you see big-brand names from the United States and Europe, but where are the quaint little stores and coffee shops owned and run by the locals? In my effort to boycott multinational capitalism and give support to Filipino entrepreneurs and farmers, I usually frequent local coffee shops like Bo’s and Figaro, and buy only Filipino-grown coffee. Of course, not all local coffees are necessarily good, but I’ll tell you about a place where you can get excellent barako coffee.

When I was at the Tiendesitas Food Village a couple of months ago, my friends and I discovered Philippine Mountain Coffee, a small kiosk that sells hand-picked, charcoal-roasted coffee from the Philippines. Since we wanted coffee after the large late dinner we just had, we decided to give it a try – and we were not disappointed at all. We got the bestselling blend – at the time I didn’t know what it was called – and was taken aback by how strong the aroma was. It tasted just as good as it smelled too – nice and smooth, with nutty undertones.

Philippine Mountain Coffee comes in three distinct blends: the mild Malaybalay blend, the medium Tagaytay Barako, and the strong Kalinga Gold.

Later on I found out that the coffee we had was the Kalinga Gold, Philippine Mountain Coffee’s bestseller, because of its full flavor and strong taste.

All three blends cost Php 130 for 150 grams.

You can find the Philippine Mountain Coffee kiosk at the Tiendesitas Food Village, in the center.