LivinginPeru.com reports that according to Peru's Minister of Agriculture, Ismael Benavides, the government had declared that Peruvian Coffee Day would be celebrated the fourth Saturday of every August. Because of the coffee industry, there has been an additional 2 million jobs in Peru. In addition, Benavides said that:

"This is a decision that fills the coffee industry with pride because it recognizes everyone that is in some way tied to coffee such as producers, industries, exporters, distributors and consumers"

With all the support that the local coffee industry here in the Philippines is getting, there should also be an official day for coffee or for the barako too. We should celebrate as we not only save the barako but also become known worldwide for our great coffee again. This should be great for the country as it can create more jobs (as we really need them).

The Philippines and all other countries should include a coffee day in their calendar. Why? Because a lot of people love coffee and this could also create more jobs because of the demand for more people.

Here is a simple list that I compiled of coffee days by different countries:

March 24 - National Coffee Day in Brazil
September 12 - National Coffee Day in Costa Rica
September 19 - National Coffee Day in Ireland
October 1 - National Coffee Day in Japan

While there still has no complete list of all the countries who have a coffee holiday, I vote that everyday should be a coffee day for everyone. I guess that's what happening for the millions of people who drink coffee everyday.

I got this email today and I am hoping that it is not just a marketing scheme or something by Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Philippines. So how do we get that? It says just print that picture above out and you get a free tea latte. Well, looks like you can also get one free too just by printing that one right? (You're welcome:)) I can't wait to find out! If it is not true then it will be ok since I can buy one of their drinks and still enjoy. I'll let you know by tonight if this is true. If anyone who knows if this is true or not, hope you can still leave us a message. Thanks! Have a great week ahead everyone! Looking forward to my free tea latte...

What's a great way to help fight memory loss and even improve our memory? One is sleeping right but according to research another would be eating right. According to Joy Bauer MS, a TODAY nutritionist,

"Every cell in your body needs a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients in order to stay alive and work properly, including brain cells. Because oxygen and nutrients are carried in the blood stream, anything that impedes blood flow will starve those all-important brain cells."

SO..what are those foods that can help boost our memory? Let's start with our favorite drink:

Coffee

Good news for coffee lovers. About two years ago, researchers from the University Innsbruck in Austria found caffeinated coffee can temporarily sharpen your focus and memory. After giving volunteers the caffeine equivalent of about two cups of coffee, they observed that their brain activity was increased in two locations—one being the part responsible for memory. Results were observed using MRI technology. Without caffeine, there was no increase in brain activity.

Then, earlier this year, another study published in a leading Neurology journal, found the effects of coffee may be longer lasting — specifically in women. This four-year long study involving about 7000 participants... all participants went through thorough baseline evaluations – cognitive function was tested, along with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other vascular issues. Participants were re-evaluated at the two-year mark, and again at the four year mark.

At the end of the four year period, researchers found that women age 65 and older who drank more than three cups of coffee per day (or the caffeine equivalent in tea) had 33 percent less decline in memory over time than women who drank one cup or less of coffee or tea per day. The results held up even after researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect memory abilities, such as age, education, baseline cognitive function, depression, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, medications, and other chronic illnesses. This caffeine-memory association was not observed in men — the authors hypothesize that perhaps that’s because men and women metabolize caffeine differently.

So if memory problems are a major concern for you, and if you don’t have a medical condition that precludes caffeine, feel free to indulge in a cup or two in the morning to jump-start your brain.

Note: If you have elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, you should limit your caffeine fix to plain brewed coffee or tea. There is some evidence that unfiltered coffee (the kind used to make espresso, cappuccino, and latte) may raise cholesterol levels, especially in people who are already battling high cholesterol. To be safe, skip the fancy brews and stick with a regular cup of joe. Of course, be cautious and moderate with added sugar! [Read the full Article]

Muscle biopsy. (Credit: John Hawley, RMIT University)

Here's another reason to drink coffee especially for those who are active and workout a lot. Add Coffee to your post workout diet and eat carbs! Isn't that weird? I must admit that even as a coffee lover, I'd rather go for something cold like a Gatorade after workout to refuel my body and something like coffee rarely crosses my mind to do that. My heartbeat would still be fast after a workout and I wouldn't want to make it work faster by drinking more caffeine. But this research is convincing and I just might have changed my mind about drinking coffee after a workout. This is taken from the Science Daily:

Glycogen, the muscle's primary fuel source during exercise, is replenished more rapidly when athletes ingest both carbohydrate and caffeine following exhaustive exercise, new research shows. Athletes who ingested caffeine with carbohydrate had 66% more glycogen in their muscles four hours after finishing intense, glycogen-depleting exercise, compared to when they consumed carbohydrate alone, according to the study

If you have 66% more fuel for the next day's training or competition, there is absolutely no question you will go farther or faster," said Dr. Hawley, the study's senior author. Caffeine is present in common foods and beverages, including coffee, tea, chocolate and cola drinks.

I am now convinced that coffee and yes, chocolate can be part of our diet after a tiring workout. Being a chubby guy, I can't outrun some of the guys who I play basketball with and this research is something I can look forward to in helping me increase my speed (Hopefully even if I've accepted that I was born slow). I will update you the whenever this becomes part of my "workout" all right? Let's see if it works even if it is just works psychologically. Tell me also if this research works for you too. Have a great day everyone!

*Originally posted in Coffee Tickle

Philippine Coffee Board Executive Director Carlo Perez talks about their private sector group's aim to revive the our coffee industry and Kape Isla, the Philippine Coffee Board's cooperative marketing program. (Video taken by INQUIRER.net online videographer Janie Christine Octia).

There was a part where he said something related to drinking Philippine coffee should be cool also as compared with drinking coffee from international coffee shops (Starbucks, CBTL, etc). For me, as a coffee lover, I love Philippine Coffee (Although I've tasted some that just were not that great) but I am also guilty of loving international coffee too. Eventually people will also love our own and be part of helping the local coffee industry. But how?

There should be a lot of creative marketing here to make people drink the local coffee. I love how they're trying to make the Kape Isla Logo a seal of excellence. It might take time for people to recognize this if there are minimal advertisements but this idea will work. Another idea is maybe to follow the strategy of Burgoo, Texas Road House Grill and other restaurants who have marketed their establishments in a way that it looks American/International. If there's a coffee shop that looks International, I think people would want to try it.

Take for example Figaro, when I was in high school back in the late 90s I didn't know it was local. Another would be Bo's, if it were not for seeing them in the Philippine Ad Congress in Cebu back in 2001 and knowing that they were Cebu-based, I might have thought they were foreign. You know how marketing is, it's all about perception. When us Filipinos think it's from another country then we go buy or try it. Once we try it then if we like it then we become loyal customers.

These are my thoughts on how we can help the coffee industry. How about you?

ABS CBN reports that the local government in Tinglayan, Kalinga is trying to eradicate marijuana plantation in their villages. According to its Mayor Johnny Maymaya:

Enhancing our coffee production will make the local farmers realize that there are other kinds of livelihood aside from planting marijuana

Despite having problems with marijuana plantation, Kalinga is progresively starting to be known as producers of Robusta Coffee. Agriculturists are also looking into cultivating Arabica beans in the upper part of the municipality.

Another good thing is that there is a growing demand for Cordillera Coffee in Europe and in the U.S. This is something the locals can take advantage of in helping change its image of being a marijuana farm.

This is just great for Kalinga since it not only tries to eradicate marijuana but also tries to make a name for itself in the coffee industry. I hope this continues and helps the Philippine Coffee Industry be better known for great coffee around the world not only in the U.S. and Europe.

It's great to be getting some recognition in these areas of the world, but we have to strive more and be known worldwide. The Philippines can do it and I know sooner than later, as long as we keep cultivating and teaching, we can be major players in the coffee world.

So..everyone should stop smoking marijuana and just start drinking coffee. Tickle Away to a Great Day everyone!

I was doing some research the other day (Yes! I do the research for you guys so you can just sit back, relax and read) and saw this Ristretto coffee mouse from early 2007. I didn't know how to react when I first saw it but it sure wasn't a positive one. Talk about an ugly mouse - the beans just don't go well with it.

I give the design 2 thumbs down but I guess a positive here is that you wouldn't have to worry about staying awake while working on a paper or a project late at night since the coffee aroma from the beans will help you with that. Well, unless your hands sweat too much and somehow changes the smell of the coffee beans. Hmm...I think that was just wrong! Anyway, tell me what you think about this coffee mouse. Coffee Tickled or Coffee Ticked?

With the declining production of coffee in the Philippines in the past years or so, Nestle Philippines has addressed this problem by creating a cropping system that will not only the production of coffee but also help as a supplement to the coffee farmers.

According the the Manila Bulletin:

The system involves the planting of so-called companion crops like peanuts, corn, mungo, forage and other crops to supplement the farmers’ incomes, and serve as an incentive for others to go into coffee farming.

Nestle Philippines started this system in 2004 under a Sustainable Agriculture Initiatives (SAI) program. This system is free of charge to any farmer who is interested. [Read the full article]

Ed's Comments: This is just great for the end user, coffee industry and of course the coffee farmers. We know that the production of coffee has dwindled in recent years and at least Nestle has done its part to help keep up with the growth of this industry. Great job on their part!

We really benefit from this as this might create better coffee and with that there would be more happy customers. I am proud of our coffee here but we could still improve on it. I am not sure how since the beans would depend on the weather, soil etc but in terms of efficiency and volume of production and the quality of beans I think that these are things we should concentrate on first. Any suggestions on how we can help our industry?

These improvements would really help our coffee industry in terms of marketability. I really want our coffee to be known worldwide. I want it to be of great quality and great taste (no advertisement here :P) so we could really tell the world that the Philippines makes great coffee.

Let us not forget our farmers, because without them these dreams of being known worldwide won't come true. Again, great job with this SAI, since this system targets the coffee farmers and helps them with their methods and practices. With them learning more and getting more incentives out of farming especially on the financial side, there would be more happy farmers. You know what happens when the people are happy with their work, great things can happen. This is just a win-win situation for the farmers and the coffee industry.

In addition to that, with the SAI, these farmers would not have to wait two to three years in order for them to reap what they have sown. Right now it only needs them less than a year (yes, less than a year!) to earn from their coffee farms. This has been such a great improvement for them.

This is a Pinoy Coffee Tickle moment where everyone is happy. A great achievement for the Filipinos. We just have to stick with it and hopefully this would benefit more in the long run. Thanks to Nestle and to all those who have supported our coffee industry. (This makes me want to write about those who have helped our industry hmm...)

As we say here, Tickle Away to a Great Day! To a better Philippines!