Robusta coffee from Pangantucan, Bukidnon ranked 6th in the Best Robusta Category in the recently conducted Philippine Coffee Quality Competition (PCQC) 2021. Pablo Helomoc’s Robusta coffee garnered an average score of 83.46. The natural Robusta was described as having “spice, white pepper, dried mango, caramel, and cacao” as noted by the organizers.
Robusta is one of the most known and the second most-produced coffee species. It grows well at lower altitudes and is more commonly used in espresso blends because it packs more caffeine compared to Arabica. Meanwhile, another farmer still from Pigtauranan, Pangantucan, Bukidnon was given a special award for the Best Coffee Process for Robusta – Honey.
Eljean V. Dagohoy’s entry scored 81.46. Noted descriptions of her coffee entry include “caramel, honey, cocoa, walnut, creamy, hazelnut, and soft durian.”
Shaun Ong, PCQC 2021 head judge and head trainer of Bettr Barista Coffee Academy, recalled the coffee to be “very stable and very nice.”
PCQC is an annual competition that started in 2018 to search for the best Philippine-origin Arabica and Robusta coffee. It puts value and emphasis on the importance of quality coffee relative to consumer safety, market trust, value-adding, and ultimately sustained livelihood for its stakeholders.
A total of 103 entries were submitted for this year’s competition, with 16 farmers from Northern Mindanao competing against participants from 11 other regions. ♦
Date of Release: 1 June 2021