Beans from Mt. Matutum
Mt. Matutum in South Cotabato, near Dole's pineapple plantations.
I got another package today! Green coffee beans from Mt. Matutum, a kilo worth of sampler beans that I got from Fred, of Greentropics Coffee from General Santos City. Mt. Matutum is such a beautiful mountain, conically shaped similar to but not as perfect as Mt. Mayon in Albay. It has a peak elevation of about 7,500 feet, high enough to grow the sought-after arabica coffee beans.
You see, I’ve been testing local beans once again, hoping that I can hit gold for a bargain. In terms of shipping, that is, coz if you know where to find, you can get specialty grade green beans from the world’s best coffee growing regions (like Brazil, Yemen, Ethiopia and Guatemala) at $2 – $3 a pound, whereas I pay P200 to P300 ($4 – $6) a kilo (or $1.82 – $2.73 a pound) locally. Most retail online ships sell specialty beans at $5 to $8, though, but distros at GCBC sell much cheaper.
I’ve tried Matutum beans of a previous harvest. Unfortunately, I didn’t like it. Fred also sold me a kilo of civet cat coffee way back. While I didn’t like it, friends did! But poop isn’t for me.
I’m worried, though, coz I can readily defects in the Matutum beans, those borer holes you can see in the picture. In specialty grade beans, you can almost not find those defects, which means the farmers have been very careful in tending their beans, and even much more meticulous later in selecting which goes to the best market. At P250 a kilo, beans IMHO should already be good enough. In Malaybalay City in Bukidnon, I got arabica beans from a comprador at P80 a kilo about 2 years ago. It was more expensive in Bansalan in Davao del Sur at an average of P100/kg.
Matutum beans in the package.
But of course the final word is in the cup, how good it tastes when brewed. Yemen beans aren’t as nice looking as those from Guatemala and Brazil. They do not have uniform sizes, some are broken, but none of those borer holes. And yet, in the cup, the Yemens are still my favorite, along with their neighbors just across the Red Sea, the Ethiopian beans.
just finished roasting half a pound of the Matutums, and we’ll see how it cups after a few hours’ rest.
Abangan …
I can see borer holes there ...
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Hi!
Would you know where we can get a variety of local ground coffee here in Davao City?
no idea in davao, rick. but even if they have, you shouldn’t buy already ground beans. at least buy the whole beans and grind them yourself just before brewing. but you should ask the vendor when they roasted it (hopefully not more than a week), and check if they’re properly stored in air-tight containers or in foil bags with one-way valves. but that’s not a guarantee yet that you’d have great coffee, coz it’s so difficult to source good coffee.
Attention: International Sales Manager
Dear Sir,
We have imported green Kona coffee beans from Hawaii to Japan for a couples of years. Now we are interested to import Cordillera and Mt. Matutum green coffee beans to Japan as well.
We are grateful if you let us know the contact information on the farmers association in the regions.
We hope to hear from you favorably at an early date.
Sincerely,
Kenji Okuyama, Chief Executive
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Kenji Okuyama
OCEANUS VINTNERS, CO., LTD.
2 fl. Shimayama Bldg., 2-1-1Honmachi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0071
Cell Phone: +81-(0)80-6523-4111
Phone: +81-(0)3-5352-7800 Fax: +81-(0)3-5352-7890 (Main) 7891 (Alternate)
Visit us at http://www.oceanus.co.jp
“We look for Something Different”
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Hey Rick, if you’re still looking for freshly roasted ground/whole bean coffee in Davao then I’m your man! Contact me anytime, I’m currently in Bajada area. Cell is 0922-788-8173 God bless!