Editorial · The Philippine scene
Philippine coffee roasters.
A field guide to the local scene.
Over 160 roasters, one archipelagoThe Cascara catalog tracks more than 160 active specialty roasters across the Philippines — 84 of them with a live bean listed at the last count, the rest rotating in and out between releases. The breadth surprises even people in the industry. Manila holds the densest cluster, but the scene runs from a surf town in La Union to micro-roasteries under Mt. Apo. This is a field guide, not a ranking: who roasts where, and how to find the ones your palate will actually like.
How to read this guide.
Every roaster below links to its page in the Cascara roaster directory, where you can see its current beans, origins, and processes. The featured set skews toward roasters with deep or distinctive catalogs; the directory holds the full 160-plus, and the State of Philippine Specialty Coffee report has the numbers behind the whole scene.
Metro Manila & nearby.
The densest cluster in the country. Makati alone holds a dozen roasteries, from long-established names to one-person operations roasting in back rooms — with more just past the city line.
H Proper Coffee Roasters
Makati. One of the deepest catalogs in the city, and the buyer of the top lot at the 2026 Philippine Coffee Quality Competition.
Yardstick
Makati. An early mover in Manila specialty; equal parts roastery and brew bar.
Plain Sight
Mandaluyong. A quietly rigorous catalog that leans clean and precise.
18 Days Coffee Roasters
Las Piñas. A wide rotation across origins and processes.
Primal Brew
Makati. Small-batch roasting with a taste for expressive lots.
Prism Coffee Roasters
A catalog that moves between comfort profiles and competition-grade lots.
Escolta Coffee Company
Manila. Named for the historic high street of the old downtown.
Toyo Specialty Coffee
Biñan, Laguna. A specialty bar pairing its roast list with matcha service.
North & Central Luzon.
The Cordillera provinces grow most of the country's arabica, and the roasters nearest the farms often get first pick of it.
El Union Coffee
San Juan, La Union. The surf-town roastery that put the north coast on the specialty map.
Kalsada Coffee
Benguet. Works directly with Cordillera producers; Philippine origins are the identity, not a side project.
Nest Coffee Roasters
Baguio. Roasting at altitude, close to the Benguet farms.
Kape Umali
Baguio. A local fixture for Cordillera beans.
Hopeland Coffee Roastery
San Fernando. A steady source for Luzon roasts.
High Peak Roastery
Subic. Roasts with a wide brief, from familiar to adventurous.
Dagop Coffee Roasters
Batac, Ilocos Norte. A small northern operation with a distinct point of view.
Visayas.
Cebu anchors the central Philippines scene, with Bacolod and Dumaguete close behind.
Mindanao.
The south grows robusta, excelsa, and increasingly serious arabica on Mt. Apo's slopes — and its cities roast it.
Hinge Coffee Architect
Davao City. One of the most distinctive catalogs in the south.
Humble Press Coffee Roaster
Cagayan de Oro. A wide-ranging list from the northern Mindanao coast.
Purge Coffee Roaster
Davao City. Small-batch, experiment-friendly.
Aslom Micro Roastery
Digos, Davao del Sur. Micro-roasting in Mt. Apo's shadow.
The question isn't which roaster is best. It's which one roasts for your palate.
Explore by palate, not by hype.
Less than a minute of calibration maps your palate against every roaster in the catalog — and tells you whose beans to try first.
Start calibrating →Common questions.
How many coffee roasters does the Cascara catalog track in the Philippines?
Over 160 active Philippine roasters as of August 2026, spread across Metro Manila, Luzon provinces, the Visayas, and Mindanao. Of those, 84 had at least one live bean listed at the July 2026 State of Philippine Specialty Coffee count — the rest rotate in and out between releases.
Where are most Philippine roasters based?
Metro Manila holds the densest cluster — Makati, Quezon City, and Mandaluyong especially. But some of the country's most distinctive roasting happens outside the capital: La Union on the surf coast, Baguio and Benguet in the Cordillera, Cebu and Bacolod in the Visayas, and Davao and Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao.
Do Philippine roasters roast local beans?
Many do both. Philippine-grown lots from Benguet, Sagada, Mt. Apo, and Bukidnon appear alongside imports from Ethiopia, Colombia, and Brazil on most local menus. A growing set of roasters build their identity specifically around Philippine origins.
How do I choose a roaster to start with?
Start from your palate, not from a list. A roaster known for bright washed Ethiopians will frustrate you if you want syrupy naturals, and vice versa. Calibrate your palate first, then explore roasters whose catalogs lean toward your corner.
Read next.
What Filipino coffee drinkers are drinking
325 logged brews from 56 members across 75 roasters. The varieties and processes Filipino drinkers actually brew — and how often the tasting notes on the bag hold up in the cup.
The State of Philippine Specialty Coffee 2026
A data report from the Cascara catalog — 200 roasters, 1,598 beans, 36 origins. Natural process has overtaken washed, one bean in five is fermented, and 11% of the market is Philippine-grown.
Author · Gil Erez, Founder of Cascara · 7 August 2026