Barako Coffee (Liberica) - What is it ?

Barako - What is it and the history behind it

Barako in the Philippines is the name given to a male stud bull or wild boar. A symbol of raw strength and power. Its name was given to the coffee by the farmers due to the strength in the taste and aroma of the coffee. We were skeptical of this until we felt the effect a few hours after a few sips. We have never tasted rocket fuel but thought it would be similar to this. To describe the experience, imagine insomnia, combined with profuse sweating and sudden spiderman-like reflexes.

Being of Liberica variety, the bean itself is huge compared next to Arabica or Robusta beans. It has a distinctive pointed oval shape. The trees at their peak tower at a height of 20m plus. It is one of the rarer varieties, accounting for less than 1% of coffee produced worldwide 

 The history behindBarako spans back 200 years. In short, the Philippines during the 1800s was one of the world's biggest producers of coffee. By the 1880s, it was the 4th largest producer of coffee in the world. This ranking was cut short as by the 1890s the coffee rust disease hit. This decimated coffee production and farmers began to give up and focus on other crops. Coffee production continued following this decline and was revived to a degree with the help of the Philippine Coffee Board and campaigns such as 'Save the Barako' but was nothing like its glory days. Farms now mainly producing beans to supply local chains. It is only in the last 5 or so years with the recent explosion of the third wave that the importance of local coffee production including Barako is coming back into the limelight.

 What Barako means to the Philippines

Barako is a shining symbol that is synonymous with the Philippines (after Manny Pacquiao and Jeepneys. Barako is that strong black coffee with a distinct smell of aniseed that Philippines older generations grew up drinking, and their parents before them. Traditionally brewed black served straight up or sweetened with muscovado. It was the drink your parents sipped at 5am with the rooster crowing whilst they were getting ready for another day under the sun. The rise of both local and international chains over the past 10 years has helped the Philippine coffee industry get back on its feet.

 Kapihan Serves Barako alongside Specialty.

Specialty coffee has exploded everywhere, the gradual shift to something better in taste and ethics ? but there are fixed notions, scores and most of it is actual aesthetics to what specialty coffee represents. We are dedicated to show Café culture of the Philippines, Barako is an extremely important part of that experience. Whilst liberica will be shunned by the majority of the specialty world, it is something so unique and Filipino that we serve this coffee with pride for its unique distinction.

We are the only coffee shop in London serving Barako to this quality and you can purchase online throughout the year.