Davao is getting quite the reputation for coffee, at least as Filipino cities go. I visited many nice coffee houses while there (Bo’s, Figaro’s, Blugre & Basti’s are a few), but each was a local company. No Starbucks to be found in Davao, so far. I’m fine with that other than the lack of soy milk being an option in those locations. I did enjoy the durian that was used, though this is not everyone’s cup of tea.
What struck me most though was the coffee drinking in the province. It was exclusively instant coffee with the people I hung out with. I hadn’t realized that before and found it quite funny when my mother-in-law informed me that the coffee we had sent previuosly in the Balikbayan box was terrible. They had been making it like instant, but it was regular ground coffee! Bad camper coffee for sure.
We are back home and are preparing another Balikbayan box to go soon. I’ve looked but I can not find a large size of instant coffee to send. The large cans of coffee only seem to be ground. Probably not a big deal, as it is surely cheaper there anyway. But I do want to make amends for the terrible coffee they had to struggle with previously.
Apr 28, 2008 @ 17:12:00
Hi Randy – Ha ha.. this is so true! Funny thing is that even in the areas where they grow really premium coffee beans (like Sultan Kudarat and Bukidnon), instant coffee is still the coffee of choice! It makes me laugh!
Did you ever enjoy any Mindanao Morning Chocolate while you were here? It is basically pure chocolate tablea that is melted in hot water, or even milk. It’s not sweet, as it is pure chocolate no sweetness added yet. It’s delicious, and very unique.
Apr 28, 2008 @ 18:37:00
Hi Bob – I had thought about getting them a coffee maker at first, but I soon realized they actually liked the instant. I have to admit after a few mornings of it, I didn’t mind it nearly as much. An espresso stand would not be a good business venture in the province.
No, I hadn’t heard of Mindanao Morning Chocolate. I bet I’d like it, as I do enjoy Mochas. I’ll give that a try next time or even see if the local Filipino market here carries it.
Davao Starbucks | Journey to Samal
Jan 09, 2011 @ 15:57:56
[...] area. I suspect that they will be doing very well, and so will all or most of the local companies. Coffee shops seem to be unexpectedly popular in Davao, with no sign of that trend diminishing soon. At [...]