Another one from Mindanao!

Welcome to the fourth episode of Java Jabber! Today I have two kinds of beans to review/feature, both from the same Shopee shop.

Locally, I've covered coffees from Sultan Kudarat and Batangas and I'm adding one more place to the list: Bukidnon. Like Sultan Kudarat, Bukidnon is also located in Mindanao and is known to be a major producer of rice, corn, pineapples, bananas, and sugarcane, and now it seems, coffee as well. I've always been curious about coffees from the South so coffee from Bukidnon is right up my alley.

Kape Ni Lola Nena is a shop I found in Shopee where you can get coffee beans that are solely from Bukidnon. They ship green coffee from Bukidnon then roast the beans in Manila. They have quite a selection of beans but they're mostly from two mountains in Bukidnon: Mt. Kalatungan and Mt. Kitanglad (except for their Kape Argi Dulce that's from South Cotabato). Both the beans I'll be featuring today are from Mt. Kitanglad.

Let's start with the smaller bag I got, the reason why this coffee purchase happened in the first place. I saw that the shop had an available sampler pack for Kape Dulce and after reading the product description, I was just sold. I mean, how could I not? Kape Dulce is described as a sweet, medium-roasted single-origin Mirayon Arabica with a caramel aroma. When I opened the bag, I was instantly hit with this bold caramel scent mixed with that classic bitter coffee smell. It was heaven.

Since the beans are medium-roasted, I didn't get any strong bitterness from my cup of coffee. It was just the right- bitter but not overly so. The coffee I got has a light to medium body, great if you just want a chill, laid-back coffee experience. I think the feature I like the most with Kape Dulce is that it doesn't have a strong acidity. I could actually just have it black, maybe a bit of muscovado sugar, and call it a day. It's smooth, silky, and just easy to drink. Love it and I'm really glad I went ahead and bought it! I'll probably get it in full-size next time because it's that good.

The next coffee is a full-sized version and it's the Kape Fino. Kape Fino is a robusta with a medium dark roast that has a mild bitter taste and a nutty aroma. It's definitely like Kape Dulce's older sibling that's more mature, bold, and refined. This one's great for those who prefer their coffee clean and straightforward.

I know I mostly lean towards Arabica beans but I thought I'd give Robusta another go because I actually like the stronger caffeine Robusta gives me. The last Robusta I had was pretty strong and bitter so I thought for this time, I'd pick a Robusta that's more on the medium roasted and that's what I got from Kape Fino! The coffee I get with Kape Fino has a more of a medium to full body and it's smooth, clean, and has the right amount of acidity. I love drinking it because it doesn't fill heavy on the stomach and the caffeine kick it gives me is just fantastic. It's not big on aroma so I think it'll pair well with a nice, maybe flavored, Arabica bean (French or Italian roast comes to mind!)

I absolutely loved both beans! Kape Dulce was quite a surprise and I really enjoyed having that sweet aroma on my light-medium bodied coffee. Kape Fino was really great as well, especially for my morning coffee as it gave me the boost I needed. Both great beans, both worth buying, and I can't wait to try the other beans from Kape Ni Lola Nena! (Already got my eye on Kape Rojo Miel and Kape Agri Dulce!)