WHEN the International Coffee Organization first celebrated International Coffee Day on October 1, 2015, it was to promote coffee as a beverage.
“International Coffee Day is a celebration of the coffee sector’s diversity, quality, and passion. It is an opportunity for coffee lovers to share their love of the beverage,” the organization said in a blog post in September 2015.
However, I think the celebration of International Coffee Day, goes beyond enjoying a cup of coffee. It also raises awareness of the whole supply chain for coffee — from bean to cup. A reminder of how much goes into that delicious cup of coffee for you to enjoy.
Farmers work tirelessly to produce quality coffee beans that will be roasted by skillful coffee roasters. The roasted coffee will then be made available in local coffee shops and brewed by talented baristas.
On International Coffee Day, I want you to #SupportLocal — Support local coffee shops, support local farmers.
As part of my personal campaign to #SupportLocal coffee shops in Davao City, I have created the Kape Ta! Coffee Shop Guide in Davao City. In this list, I have included all the local coffee shops that I have been to and liked. I do my best to constantly update this list to ensure that I include all the local coffee shops that I would love to recommend to friends and my readers.
As I made the list, I noticed how there are growing clusters of small coffee shops in Davao City. I like how you can literally plan out a D.I.Y. coffee crawl in one area of Davao City. Hence, a list of coffee crawls you can do to celebrate International Coffee Day.
“Obrero Coffee Town” crawl
Obrero has become known as one of the “coffee hubs” in the city for having a coffee shop on almost every street. For an outdoorsy vibe, you have Hid’n along N. Torres St. For those looking for plant-based coffee shops, you have Thirty Third Cafe along Lupo Diaz St. Looking for a good pour-over? You have Stash, Darkk, and Balay Coffee. Into sweet coffee drinks? Owl Coffee, Lerus, and Southside serve delicious sweetened coffee drinks. These are just some of the coffee shops you can visit in the area. Being located right at the heart of the central downtown area of Davao City, Obrero allows you to “crawl” from one coffee shop to another without needing to have a car. You can walk from one coffee shop to another, like the one I did here.
Juna Subd. – Ecoland – Maa crawl
This is a large area to cover, but it has some of my top coffee shops in the city like Purge, Onse, and Olo. You will also find here some bistro cafes serving good coffee and good food like Lara Mia and Acacia Lanes. You can also be inspired by how coffee promotes peace at Coffee for Peace at One Oasis. For desserts, you can visit Revel in Maa. Aside from coffee, you can create a food and coffee crawl in the area with the number of food options you can find here — House of Sambal, BC Chicken, Cengiz Place, Stella’s Cuisine, and Breakfast Joint, just to name a few.
Marfori – Torres crawl
This area is the OG of food districts in Davao City. Hence, it is also a place where you can find some really good coffee shops. For example, you have Steep Kohi serving a delicious cup of pour over and their non-coffee drinks are some of the best I have had. You have Spark offering delicious food and a great cup of coffee. You have atCurbside where you can enjoy sinfully delicious desserts with your coffee. The newly opened Baristro will allow you to explore different coffee drinks with their unique concoctions. Zandro’s also serves unique coffee drinks with their Laguna Beach being one of my favorite drinks. Similar to the Juna Subd. – Ecoland – Maa area, you can also play around with your crawl here with the number of food options – Ramenikko, Vegan Dinosaur, Cafe 99, Cucina Ilocana, to name some.
Matina Aplaya – Bangkal crawl
A coffee crawl in this area is not the first thing I would think of. Prior to the pandemic, there are not many coffee shops and restaurants to visit here. However, the options have since then grown. However, now is different, there is a growing number of coffee shops in the area. You have the OG cafe in the area, Secret Garden offering not only good coffee but a mean grilled cheese sandwich. You have FLTRD offering a good cup of coffee in Tahimik. There is also Kofi Gram in Matina Aplaya offering a pretty good cup of sweetened coffee drinks. While not a coffee shop, Saikiko Ramen has one of my favorite kori kohi in the city.
Joy ride crawl
This is for those who are willing to travel long distances from north to south. You can visit Espresso Lab in Lanang for a delicious pour-over or try their unique blend of coffee drinks. Then, drive all the way to Mintal for some pizza and coffee at Craft Coffee. Cap your long drive with a Shiro Blend, Ramen, and Teriyaki Chicken at Life Cycle Coffee in Langub. Another place where you can end this crawl is at Wood and Coffee in Magtuod. The coffee shop is also a gallery showcasing the works of Gil Bumanlag.
Poblacion Coffee Crawl
This crawl will include other coffee shops outside the Obrero and Marfori areas. Near the Davao City Police Office, you have Humble Coffee. Their Bandung is my absolute favorite. Then you have the OG third-wave coffee shop in the area — Glasshouse Coffee’s main branch along Rizal. This is one of the most beautiful coffee shops in the city and they serve good coffee. They also have another branch in Aeon Towers. You also have some of the first mobile coffee shops in the area like Grind Coffee in Padre Gomez and Kanto Coffee in Dona Vicenta. You can also enjoy Joaquins’ delicious pecan caramel cheesecake with coffee at Cafe Prelaya in Dona Vicenta. Near Ateneo de Davao University, you can find Espresson along Jacinto St. and Coffee Co. along Juan Luna St. Tucked within the very busy Chinatown is Fourth Street Cafe.
I know I have not listed other coffee shops in the description, but other coffee shops can be found in my Kape Ta! Coffee Shop Guide.
Anyway, this International Coffee Day, let’s support our local coffee shops. When you support them, you also support the whole local coffee supply chain. Now grab a friend, and crawl!