The Little Coffee Diary

The Little Coffee Diary | A personal journey to the world of coffee |

• It was once an independent pour-over only coffee

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COFFEE PLANTS UPDATEMy coffee plants have grown! They now bear coffee cherries, got taller too. The harvest period for c...
15/05/2021

COFFEE PLANTS UPDATE
My coffee plants have grown! They now bear coffee cherries, got taller too. The harvest period for coffee in our country is between October to February/March. I wonder if I will be able to harvest mine before then - a different period and cycle - that would be interesting. These cherries may turn to yellow or orange as I was told by the farmer they are of bourbon variety, arabica type. Although there are also bourbon coffee cherries that turn red and they are called vermelho. We’ll see then.

The mangosteens (last photo) are still small. I really think they won’t grow any taller than that unless I transfer it. I wonder what that coffee tastes like as it has been growing with the mangosteens.

Post harvest process of coffee is entirely different. I’m not even sure if these trees will bear enough for a cup. Haha. I guess that’s another story to tell for later. 😉

This view right here (sans the Philippine flag) was only in my imagination few years ago back when Valen was still open....
05/11/2020

This view right here (sans the Philippine flag) was only in my imagination few years ago back when Valen was still open. I remember inquiring about a vacancy then trying to picture the kind of cafe I would love having someday somewhere here.

To experience it for a day is worth the wait already.

When you are asked to do what you are called for, do it, always with a grateful heart. Thank you, CAMI (Capampangan in Media, Inc.), for having me brew you coffee this morning. News and coffee will always be my kind of coffee pairing. It’s like a perfect kind of love affair, don’t you think? ☕️🤍

Home brewing can intensify one’s love for coffee — a result and reflection of the evolving progress of coffee cultivatio...
01/10/2020

Home brewing can intensify one’s love for coffee — a result and reflection of the evolving progress of coffee cultivation. Happy International Coffee Day, caffeine heads. Coffee cheers ☕️🤍

Third Wave is seeing the love for coffee as farmers put in farming, roasters through their roasting, and brewers in thei...
16/09/2020

Third Wave is seeing the love for coffee as farmers put in farming, roasters through their roasting, and brewers in their brewing. The respect and passion for the craft is invaluable. They don’t need to shout their love for it. They just do it. And there lies the beauty in better coffee. 🤍

Dear coffee diary,I was cupping alone again the other day. I had to do it even if all i have with me are my books and my...
15/08/2020

Dear coffee diary,
I was cupping alone again the other day. I had to do it even if all i have with me are my books and my (now quite outdated) coffee flavor wheel to guide me.

Cupping is when you try to analyze the aroma and flavor of the coffee. Is it nutty, fruity, sweet, fermented, grassy, earthy, ashy... As it goes down to the very specific notes I’m suppose to get like hazelnut, berries, caramel, muscovado, cocoa... Confusing and tricky isn’t it?

I sniff like a bunny to get the aroma, slurp and spit to get the flavor. Or should i swallow? Char. Spit. Brew for swallow.

But most of the time, i have no idea which fruit was it or what nuttiness does it give, and so on and so forth.

Defining the very specific notes and profiles are really difficult sometimes i just don’t want to do it anymore as no one can validate it with me. I can’t just say it’s good when brewed, can i?

Coffee is very, very extensive and complex. It is not just bitter. There is so much to learn, so much to know that i cannot just simply base it from the books that i read (and reread again and again, and again) or check on my old notes from the training and the workshops i have attended. It requires experience - a lot of it. It also requires coffee - a lot of it too. A LOT OF IT.

Cupping is suppose to tell me more of what i need to know in the coffee i roasted or in the roasting process in itself. What went wrong, which areas i need to improve on, where and how to get the right roast profile - light, medium, dark or those tricky in betweens.

I guess today’s cupping was a little of a challenge. It had me wonder why did i get a winey, syrupy finish or why did it taste so much like a completely different coffee variety. Did i just waste a whole batch of roasted coffee? I had to ask few friends about it too hoping i wont waste the next one. I might need a little more heat and well, basically a longer cooking time to finish. We’ll see then. Ok, bye.

My coffee plants are still growing! They are about 3yrs old now. The stems are slowly turning into wood as well. Still h...
15/08/2020

My coffee plants are still growing! They are about 3yrs old now. The stems are slowly turning into wood as well. Still hoping it will bear coffee cherries in about two more years.

I got them from a farm in Benguet. They gave me three arabica seedlings (see bottom right photo). I refused to bring it home but they insisted and said I could try growing them here, pour cold water in the summer if i must. And so i did. I remember covering the soil in ice cubes too just so they could survive the heat and the weather.

Look at them now. Should I transfer them into a bigger pot or plant them already in the ground?

Growing alongside the coffee are a couple of mangosteens (see bottom left photo). A dear friend planted the seed after she ate some. Though I’m not sure if they will ever grow taller than that.

The farmer from the workshop i attended said coffee trees are best grown beside a banana plant. I wonder what would mine make out of?

BREWING AGAINI was invited to brew again few weeks ago. Bringing with me my equipment, a jar of coffee beans i roasted r...
15/08/2020

BREWING AGAIN
I was invited to brew again few weeks ago. Bringing with me my equipment, a jar of coffee beans i roasted recently, and some paper cups, i started brewing coffee in a small space at a farmers’ market.

It was a coffee stand with no name.

I guess when you are asked to do what you love doing, just do it whatever it takes — with or without a name.

Thank you teacher Ana, for the opportunity to brew coffee for your guests and market goers.

Coffee is always meant to be shared and I feel grateful i was able to do that once more. I was brewing again. 🤍

An interesting pair to match my Monday mood for coffee - berry vanilla cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting by .bak...
20/07/2020

An interesting pair to match my Monday mood for coffee - berry vanilla cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting by .bakeryyy. Playing with my palate is just as interesting as this combo i have today. Sent over here all the way from Baguio. Haha.

All the best, Nina. Have fun learning. Go, toss some of that powdered sugar up in the air. 😉🙃

Burnt by design, this basque cheesecake by is light, creamy, fluffy, with a hint of tanginess. It’s unbelievable how ki...
13/07/2020

Burnt by design, this basque cheesecake by is light, creamy, fluffy, with a hint of tanginess. It’s unbelievable how kids can pull off such delicate dessert. Congratulations again kids and to the proud parents! Sweet dreams do come true.

Read more about their story over here https://punto.com.ph/drimm-bakes-burnt-basque-cheesecake-trends/

I think I have found the perfect pair with a clean, medium-bodied, chocolatey finish coffee. This pair is a must-try. It is impeccable.

Thank you for completing my coffee pursuit this weekend 🤍

Chemex coffee and some sticky Filipino rice cake delicacy to pair with - suman cassava and suman bulagta with coconut cu...
08/07/2020

Chemex coffee and some sticky Filipino rice cake delicacy to pair with - suman cassava and suman bulagta with coconut curds and caramel dip accompanying me on my midweek hustle.

I tried the suman with creamier, sweeter coffee if it will pair well together — and it did. Also, this pairing is perfect with a full-bodied coffee.

A SORTING STORY OF SORTS [long post]I have been sorting some green coffee beans (GCBs) this afternoon. I have to remind ...
01/07/2020

A SORTING STORY OF SORTS [long post]
I have been sorting some green coffee beans (GCBs) this afternoon. I have to remind myself not to sort this batch like a specialty since, i thought, this is a perfect example of commercial grade coffee - in a mixed varieties of unsorted GCBs - not single origins.

As a personal practice before roasting, I have to double check the GCBs for stones, rocks, threads, wood pieces, and some other major GCB defects like black beans, broken beans, and full sour ones all of which play a major role in downgrading and weakening the coffee causing a big change in the flavor. (See right part of the photo)

As soon as i lay the beans on the table, i immediately noticed the entire batch is full of defects as i have not seen a single one that doesn't have a bore/insect damaged, if not deformities, and others. The aroma also has the kind of pungency of — for the lack of better term, I’m sorry to say — a fart.

According to the farmers I have visited in Benguet a couple of years ago, there have been many non-government organizations from the local coffee community such as private sectors, individuals, and also roasters who have been helping the farmers gain knowledge through trainings, farm visits, even providing the right equipment, albeit issues with proper irrigation for some, as they impart the value of proper harvest and processing to also increase the value of their crop.

So much so with this coffee trail mix, my emotions are of the same - mixed in trails of caffeinated emotions, i meant to say. Should I feel sorry for the farmer and the producer? And what about the buyer and the consumer? Disheartening as it is, would one can possibly sell as such without fooling another?

Trust has been an issue in the entire coffee industry. So, how can we support local if locals themselves aren’t trustworthy?

A big part of the coffee community in our country has been putting real effort and hardwork to produce great coffee starting from the trees to its coffee cherries, the harvest period, processing method, roasting stage, and the brewing process. Hands down to everyone especially to the ones I personally know who are making great impact in the entire Philippine coffee industry.

These non-government organizations and private sectors have been trying to help coffee farmers in the industry to once again put the Philippines back to the world of coffee at par with the international standards. We do have a code for good agricultural practices and standards — whether specialty coffee grade, premium grade, commercial green coffee standards, or below the standard. But selling defects is different.

In the meantime, I will keep sorting the rest of the batch and then we’ll see how far roasting these can go.

The pugon-baked cheesebread from .hornera is hands down the best cheesebread in Pampanga. As in. I paired it with some c...
26/06/2020

The pugon-baked cheesebread from .hornera is hands down the best cheesebread in Pampanga. As in. I paired it with some clean, full-bodied single origin Brazil coffee and it was a perfect match. A new fave. The sweetness and the umami of the bread complements the rich chocolate notes of the coffee as it also gives a creamy mouthfeel finish. It would probably go well with Colombia too or some other coffee from the North like Benguet or Sagada.

Although yesterday I had to leave the house early so I wasn’t able to brew with the Chemex but i still had a quick fix of Folgers instant coffee (with cream and coco sugar to hide the nuances and ashy notes) to pair it with. That pairing was good already i knew it would be great with the Brazil I have.

Go, give it a try.

Capping my week’s worth of a hustle already. Coffee cheers everyone.

PS: I also put the cheesebread in the fridge/freezer to avoid pungency and molds growing. Two nights in, still soft in the morning — thawed at a room temperature that is.

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