Coffee is an important commodity next to oil. It’s one of the world's most popular beverages with over 501 billion cups consumed every year. It has been around for more than 1,000 years. During that time, coffee has been considered a food, a medicine, an aphrodisiac, and even a wine. This was before the advent of specialty coffee shops in the country. Today, however, coffee is known as a beverage to be savoured and enjoyed. And thus, specialty coffee shops are a common sight especially in the Manila Metropolis. Specialty/Gourmet coffee refers to the highest-quality green coffee beans roasted to their greatest flavour potential by true craftspeople and then properly brewed to well-established standards (Specialty Coffee Association of America/SCAA). The SCAA further explained that specialty/gourmet coffee tastes better than instant or mass-produced coffee because it is made from coffee beans grown only in ideal climates and prepared according to exacting standards. Also, specialty coffee possesses a richer and more balanced flavour. The Specialty/Gourmet Coffee is not frequently purchased on commodities exchanges. For instance, Starbucks purchases nearly all its coffee through private contracts that often pay double the commodity price. Thus, it is also important to note that the coffee sold at retail is a different economic product than wholesale coffee traded as a commodity. Such has coffee’s popularity grown through the centuries. Today, it can be safely assumed someone, somewhere is savouring a cup, a mug or any of coffee’s delightful and delicious preparations at almost every hour of the day. From sun up to sun down, it’s coffee time!
History Specialty coffee shops trace their roots from the coffee shops of Europe in the 16th and 17th century upon the introduction of coffee which became a popular drink. In the United States, specialty coffee shops are said to have been popularized by Starbucks Coffee. Starbucks Coffee was