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by Christian George Acevedo
If you intend to taste an authentic, no-frill pure blend of coffee in Capiz, ditch the airconditioned, posh cafés and head to the town of President Roxas - still famous for its old name Lutod-Lutod - just thirty minutes from Roxas City (both President Roxas and Roxas City are named after President Manuel A Roxas).
At the heart of the poblacion, right across the parish church is a 70-year-old cafeteria that keeps brewing - and serving - strong, pure blend, for P25 a cup (a ten-peso increase since the last time I ordered in 2019).
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| Lilia's is a no-fuss, no-frills cafeteria that serves strong, freshly brewed coffee in plane glass and no none-sense setting. |
Lilia's used to be located somewhere else in the town center, where the locals play chess while sipping their coffee, but had since moved to its present location.
And the coffee? Stronger, more aromatic, and kicks better than the coffee in your usual chic coffee shop. Of course, made sweeter if you add a teaspoon of brown sugar from the nearby sugar mill. I asked where they source their coffee, the one-man manager-waiter-roaster-cashier, who also happens to be Lilia's youngest child - said he gets the coffee beans at the local market. Apparently, President Roxas has a potential as coffee supplier, too.
Lilia's still subscribe to time-honored way of roasting coffee beans on huge wok over burning, chopped fire wood. They boil water over the same and still uses the same technique of filtering the coffee observed for decades. The freshly brewed concoction is then transferred to a thermos, which keeps the coffee hot when poured on the glass and served to the eager customer. A smell of the aroma is enough to lift the mood, but drinking it awakens the spirit.
If there's any reason to visit President Roxas, then, it's to enjoy the coffee at Lilia's Cafeteria!
