The time I started college was also the time I discovered coffee. All throughout my elementary and high school years, I have never even heard of Starbucks or Seattle's Best. My experience with coffee was limited to the words "It's bitter," and I could not have cared less what happens to the Philippine coffee industry. It was not something that affected me, or so I thought.

But the minute I stepped into the busy world of college students, I was immediately caught up by the coffee craze. Starbucks was first introduced to me in June 2001, and I have been hooked ever since.

It was not only the coffee that attracted me to Starbucks. It was also the ambience. My friend and I could stay there all day just talking and drinking coffee.

Why do people drink coffee?

First of all, they like it. They like drinking coffee. It is a combination of sweetness and bitterness that one cannot seem to get enough of.

Second: it gets you going. Some people find it hard to function well in the morning without their favorite coffee. It has been proven that drinking coffee gives you an energy boost.

Third: who does not love sitting comfortably at Starbucks? The place is especially designed to have a relaxing atmosphere that just compels you to stay and drink their coffee concoctions. Also, being inside Starbucks is like being in a different country. The style inside is obviously European-based.

So we all love the European coffee shops.

But what about our local coffee and coffee shops?

I have just recently discovered that Figaro is a Filipino coffee shop. Even though I have passed there a number of times, it was only through my research that I found out it was Filipino-owned.

It could not have been more obvious, really.

First of all, the title "Figaro." It is obviously not a Filipino word, it sounds too foreign-sounding, probably European. (It's Italian, actually. - Ed.)

Second, the interior design bears a similarity to the styles of Starbucks. Stylish, posh, European. Its prices also cater to the A or B class.

How are we going to help the local coffee industry when it is copying the styles of foreign companies?

How could Figaro emerge victoriously among the other coffee shops if it does not look any different from the others?

Wake up and smell the coffee.

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