Country Brew Cafe

23/02/2026

Folks, we regret to inform you that this will be the last week for us to serve you.

7 years ago, we started up this venture with no previous experience at all. Just a few months later, the pandemic came and it hit us bad. We struggled but we became stronger. We made mistakes but we learned a lot. We lost money but we met good people. Some of our services and products may not be good enough; we deeply apologize for that.

At present, the situation is again not on our side. But we are resilient and we will survive.

We thank you all for the experience and we hope we can still serve you in the future.

Til the next brewing session.

Salamat apo.

02/02/2026

Yung pinipilahan nyo sa palengke o.

Vietnamese police have launched a criminal investigation after uncovering a massive fake coffee operation in the country’s main coffee-growing region.

What happened?
Authorities raided a warehouse in Lam D**g Province in Vietnam’s Central Highlands and seized more than 7 tons of material, including 4.1 tons of finished “coffee” products ready for sale.

How the fake coffee was made
The warehouse owner, Luong Viet Kiem, admitted that the so-called coffee was produced by:
• Mixing cheap soybeans (and sometimes corn)
• Adding artificial flavorings
• Using only a small amount of real coffee beans

The motive was simple: profit. Real coffee beans in the region currently sell for around three times the price of soybeans, making adulteration far more lucrative.

⚠️ Health concerns
While soybeans and corn are technically edible, experts warn that the flavorings and additives used in fake coffee products may pose health risks, especially when the products are unregulated and unlabeled.

How authorities caught it
The raid followed an earlier inspection of a truck carrying undocumented ground coffee, which led investigators straight back to the warehouse.

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🇵🇭 What about the Philippines?
The Philippines has no known large-scale fake coffee cases like this soybean operation in Vietnam. However, related issues have occurred, including:
• Sale of unregistered or mislabeled coffee products
• “Slimming coffee” products flagged for safety violations
• Imported beans falsely marketed as local Philippine coffee

⚠️ The National Banner Program Committee on Coffee (NBPC) has repeatedly warned consumers about imported coffee being passed off as local, taking advantage of the higher value of genuine Philippine beans.

To fight this, experts have even proposed using scientific testing methods such as isotope analysis to verify the origin and authenticity of premium Philippine coffee.

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Why this matters
This case is a reminder that:
• Not all “coffee” is what it claims to be
• Mislabeling hurts farmers, consumers, and public health
• Strong regulation and transparency protect both livelihoods and lives

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Sources:
• Vietnamese police and provincial authorities (Lam D**g)
• Regional and international news reports on the Vietnam coffee raid
• Statements and advisories from the National Banner Program Committee on Coffee (Philippines)

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⚠️ Disclaimer
This post is for public awareness and discussion only. Information is based on official reports and publicly available sources at the time of writing. No claims are made beyond what authorities and experts have stated.

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05/12/2025

We fully support this bill. To emphasize, 81 percent of our coffee consumption in the Philippines is imported. Kaya sa mga pumipila dyan sa mga coffee stores thinking that what you are buying is legit Cordillera arabica coffee, be very careful.

MANILA – Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson has filed a bill to ensure the protection of the local coffee industry, which has lagged behind imported coffee since the 1880s.

The Philippines used to be among the world's top coffee exporters, but the industry collapsed and is now relying on imports. As much as 81 percent of the country's coffee requirements is now imported.

“Coffee is life for many Filipinos, but for our local growers, it's a daily fight for survival against imports and limited support from the Philippine government,” Lacson said in a statement on Monday as he filed Senate Bill 1556, the "Philippine National Coffee Industry Development Act of 2025".

The bill aims to create the Philippine Coffee Board and provides comprehensive support mechanisms for the coffee sector and establish a national framework that will accelerate the development of the coffee industry, create a National Coffee Board, strengthen every link of the value chain, improve the country's competitiveness and reduce the country's heavy reliance on imported coffee.

Lacson noted that among the challenges of the local coffee industry aside from lack of government support are the lack of basic equipment and post-harvest facilities, and the lack of access to planting materials, fertilizers, and bio-control inputs, as well as the poor condition of farm-to-market roads.

“Even post-harvest support is not enough as farmers sun-dry their beans and rely on small local millers, while existing facilities in some areas are being underutilized due to inconsistent or insufficient supply of raw beans. Research and development efforts remain limited," Lacson said.

Under the bill, the government aims to transform the Philippines into a globally competitive producer and net exporter by 2035.

(Story link in the comments)

| via Leonel Abasola/Philippine News Agency

17/05/2025

Sharing the latest news about highland Cordillera arabica coffee.

HE SOLD HIS COFFEE BEANS AT P9,900 PER KILO
Congratulations once again Rodyio Tacdoy!

Record-Breaking Year for Philippine Coffee: Beans Fetch P9,900/Kilo

This year marked a milestone for Philippine coffee as Rodyio Tubal Tacdoy from La Trinidad, Benguet, winner of the Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC) for small estate farms, sold his green coffee beans at a record-breaking P9,900 per kilo.

The sale took place during the recent Philippine Coffee Expo auction, setting a new benchmark for local growers.







Photo Courtesy || DTI Cordillera Administrative Region

23/04/2025

Proof of legitimacy?

A question asked by a customer to our claim that our coffee products are indeed produced or sourced out in Cordillera. It's a fair question given the fact that a lot of sellers in different market places label their product as such. Here's a video during harvest season last December 2024; hope it will justify our humble assertion.

17/04/2025

Folks, we are now sharing.

Since we started serving coffee a few years back, a lot of you were asking if we are selling the same. Unfortunately, we were unable to share, mainly, due to lack of supply. This year, we were able to secure enough; both for serving in our small shop and for your home/office consumption or as a special gift for your friends or loved ones.

Rest assured that authentic Cordillera arabica coffee is what we offer.

02/04/2025

Thanks for dropping by idol!

20/03/2025

Smoked meat.

Long before refrigeration was invented, our ancestors had some ways to preserve food to avoid spoilage. Exposing meat to smoke produced by burning wood is one of them. Believed to be introduced in the Philippines by the early Chinese traders, this method is still alive in this modern time. In other countries, they do it with a similar method but with different names. Here in the highlands, we call it kiniing.

We are serving it to our customers since 2019.

03/11/2024

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