Manila's Third-Wave Coffee Scene Is Growing Up
From Kalsada to Yardstick, the Philippines is finally drinking — and exporting — its own beans.
Manila Learns to Drink Its Own Coffee
For decades the Philippines exported robusta and imported instant. Then a handful of roasters decided that was embarrassing.
The roasters worth the visit
- Yardstick Coffee (Legazpi Village) — the elder statesman, still setting the bar. - EDSA Beverage Design Group — a laboratory disguised as a café. - Kalsada Coffee — sourcing single-origin from Sagada and Benguet, and paying farmers what the beans are worth.
What changed
Kalsada's founders Carmel Laurino and Lacy Tan spent years walking Cordillera farms convincing growers that specialty grade was worth the extra sorting. It was. A kilo of Sagada natural now clears $18 wholesale, up from $2.
Order this
A Benguet washed as a filter, not an espresso. You'll taste bergamot, cacao nib, and — surprisingly — pandan.
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