How the Philippines is influencing global specialty coffee culture

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Key takeaways

• Filipino cuisine blends local, Spanish, and American influences.
• Ube and pandan are becoming mainstream ingredients in coffee shops worldwide.
• The Philippines grows liberica and excelsa, two under-explored coffee species.
• Filipino diaspora communities are opening coffee shops in key markets, reshaping local menus.

The global coffee industry’s attention has turned to the Philippines for several reasons.

Ingredients like ube, pandan, and salted egg yolk are trending in coffee shops worldwide, attracting the attention of younger consumers seeking more globally-inspired flavours and customisable drinks.

“People are looking for flavours that are authentic, meaningful, and connected to a story,” says two-time Philippine Barista Champion Michael Harris Conlin. “While vanilla, chocolate, and caramel will always be popular, people are becoming more adventurous and curious about discovering new tastes.”

Liberica and excelsa coffees, both grown in the Philippines, are also gaining popularity, with an excelsa-only coffee shop opening in San Diego, California.

“What excites me most is that the Philippines is embracing its uniqueness,” Michael says. “We are one of the few countries that commercially produce arabica, robusta, liberica, and excelsa. As specialty coffee continues to seek new flavours and experiences, more producers are focusing on creating distinctive coffees that tell a story and express a sense of place.

“I believe the Philippines is evolving from being simply a coffee-producing country into a source of coffee innovation, and the world is beginning to take notice.”

You may also like our article on whether ube is a lasting trend in coffee.

The Philippines’ influence on global food and beverages

Filipino food culture has always absorbed outside influences. Spanish colonisation shaped both sweet and savoury food, while American occupation introduced a taste for fried fast food. Decades of migration then carried these flavours to cities across the world.

No brand captures this better than Jollibee. In the Philippines, the fast-food chain consistently outperforms McDonald’s and Burger King, with more than 750 stores nationwide. Its menu is a direct expression of Filipino taste: crispy fried chicken, savoury spaghetti made with a banana ketchup-based sauce, and the layered dessert halo-halo. 

Halo-halo shows how Filipino ingredients are reaching new audiences. The dessert combines sweet preserved beans, coconut meat, jackfruit, ube (sweet purple yam), cream caramel flan, shaved ice, and milk, topped with ice cream. It’s gaining ground among non-Filipino consumers across the US, and its core ingredients, particularly ube and jackfruit, now appear on menus globally.

Pandan, a fragrant green leaf used in Southeast Asian baking and cooking, is following a similar path. So are salted egg yolk and salted cream cold foams, toppings that have spread from Asian coffee chains to cafés in London and New York.

Impact on coffee

The reach of these flavours extends into coffee. Ube was named the 2024 Flavour of the Year by major flavour and fragrance producer T. Hasegawa, and Datassential predicted it would outperform 88% of all other foods, beverages, and ingredients from 2024 through 2027, with its presence growing by 48% on US menus alone. 

Pret A Manger launched an ube brûlée iced latte in the US and Europe in 2025, and specialty brand BIGFACE Coffee found that its canned ube vanilla latte became its most popular flavour.

According to Monin’s 2024 research, 67% of consumers said they were likely to purchase an ube-flavoured beverage or dessert, underscoring its shift from a Filipino pantry staple to mainstream global menus.

“For me, ube isn’t a trend,” Michael says. “Growing up in the 1980s, there was almost always a tub of ube ice cream in our family freezer. It was part of birthdays, family gatherings, and everyday life. Like many Filipinos, I have a deep personal connection to it.

“What excites me is seeing the world discover something Filipinos have loved for generations. Beyond its vibrant colour and unique flavour, ube (and pandan) carry stories of culture, family, and tradition,” he adds. “As people become more interested in global cuisines, these ingredients offer a rare combination of authenticity and novelty, which is why they’re resonating with consumers around the world today.”

The Filipino specialty coffee scene is also growing

The Philippines occupies a unique position in the coffee world. It both grows and consumes coffee, and it grows varieties that most of the world has never tasted. Alongside arabica and robusta, Filipino farms produce liberica and excelsa, two species with distinct, sometimes polarising flavour profiles. 

Liberica is known for its woody, smoky notes and irregular bean shape. Excelsa, often classified as a variety of liberica, has a tart, fruity complexity. Neither has had significant exposure in Western markets, but that is changing.

“The Philippine specialty coffee industry has transformed significantly over the past decade . When I entered the coffee industry more than 20 years ago, the focus was largely on increasing production and improving basic quality,” Michael says. “Over time, the conversation shifted toward post-harvest processing, quality control, and helping farmers understand how quality creates value.

“Farmers are paying closer attention to soil health, varietal selection, fermentation, drying, and traceability. More producers are experimenting with processing methods that enhance cup quality rather than simply maximising yield,” he adds. “On the consumption side, Filipino baristas, roasters, and coffee professionals have gained greater recognition internationally, helping showcase both our talent and our coffees.”

This local innovation is crossing borders. Younger consumers in traditionally tea-drinking cultures across Asia are drinking more coffee, and the Filipino diaspora in the US is driving a parallel shift.

Filipino-inspired coffee shops are opening in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York, shaped by the growing appeal of Southeast Asian ingredients, rising demand for customisable drinks, and a generational shift among Filipino-Americans who want to see their culture reflected in food and beverages.

The Philippines brings new coffees to a global audience

While flavours like ube and pandan appear on more coffee shop menus worldwide, excelsa and liberica are shaking up the specialty coffee market. Excelsa Café, the San Diego coffee shop serving excelsa exclusively, would have been unimaginable a decade ago. It reflects a broader shift: as specialty consumers grow more curious, they are looking beyond arabica and robusta for new coffee experiences.

“The coffee industry is constantly looking for new flavours, new experiences, and new solutions to the challenges facing coffee production,” Michael says. “Liberica, excelsa, and the recently recognised hybrid Libex offer something genuinely different.”

Michael showcased Philippine liberica (specifically barako) in his 2025 World Barista Championship routine, blending it with Colombia eugenioides.

“Liberica is especially exciting because of its distinct sensory profile, often expressing tropical fruit, florals, spice, and an intense aroma unlike any other coffee species,” he explains. “Excelsa brings vibrant acidity and fruit complexity, while libex shows great promise by combining desirable traits from both parent species.

“Beyond flavour, climate resilience is becoming increasingly important. As climate change affects traditional coffee-growing regions, the industry is looking more closely at species that can adapt to changing conditions while still delivering quality.”

While these coffees won’t replace arabica, they are gaining traction in the global specialty coffee market. “Like ube, what was once uniquely Filipino is now beginning to gain global appreciation,” Michael says.

Handled responsibly, the spread of Filipino culture offers value to the global coffee industry.

Excelsa and liberica give roasters and consumers access to new flavour profiles, while Filipino-inspired cafés give younger consumers a different reason to engage with coffee.

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Filipino coffee FAQs

• What are ube and pandan?

Ube is a purple yam native to the Philippines with a sweet, vanilla-like flavour and a distinctly vibrant violet colour. Pandan is a fragrant green leaf used widely across Southeast Asia. It has a subtly sweet, slightly floral flavour that works in both sweet and savoury dishes.

• What makes Filipino coffee species different from arabica and robusta?

The Philippines grows arabica, robusta, liberica, and excelsa. Liberica produces large, irregular beans with woody, smoky, and sometimes floral notes. Excelsa, often classified as a variety of liberica, offers a tart, fruity complexity. Neither species has had significant commercial exposure outside Southeast Asia.

• Why are Filipino-inspired coffee shops opening worldwide?

Filipino-American communities, particularly younger generations, want to see their cultural identity reflected in everyday spaces. At the same time, consumer appetite for Southeast Asian flavours is growing, driven by social media and curiosity about global flavours.

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