Where do you get your honey?

We ethically source honey from colonies of Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera) and Philippine Giant Honeybee (Apis dorsata breviligula). Raw honey used by Coffeexmead are primarily from our own Western Honeybee colonies in Fairview, Quezon City, and in Barangay Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales. Coffeexmead augments our honey supply from other ethical and local suppliers for our mead production and coffee operations. We do not import honey.

What is mead?

Mead is often referred to as the nectar of the gods and is one of the oldest known fermented beverages. It is created by fermenting honey with water, sometimes with the addition of fruits, spices, grains, or hops for flavoring. It’s alcohol content varies but is typically around 5–20%.

Why is mead expensive and difficult to produce?

Mead is expensive because honey is expensive.

Why does mead come in different colors?

The color of mead depends on the color of the honey used. It is also influenced by other ingredients used during the fermentation process. La Mesa Mead mainly uses honey from Western honeybee. To support local farmers, we may also release mead batches using honey from the Philippine Giant Honey Bee.

Mead from honey produced by Western honeybees result to a mead that is transparent golden yellow to reddish brown. On the other hand, mead from honey produced by the Philippine Giant Bee would age directly to reddish brown but the clarification process takes longer. The taste profiles are also different although using the same recipe (except for the honey) and aging process.

Why is honey expensive?

Honey production requires a lot of time, labor and resources, and the supply of honey is affected by factors such as climate change, bee diseases and pests. Therefore, honey prices are high and mead makers have to pay more for their main ingredient. Mead also takes longer to ferment than beer or wine, which adds to the production costs.

Where do you get your coffee beans?

We’re still a work in progress with our own coffee beans. Our Arabica and Liberica coffee plants in our farm at San Antonio, Zambales are still growing and has yet to provide its first harvest.

For the meantime, we are procuring our coffee beans from ethical sources of Arabica and Liberica beans grown locally. We majority make use of Liberica because its properties compliment honey the most.

Can I buy a bottle of mead?

Yes, check here.

Can I buy honey?

We don’t sell honey as we use all of our output to manufacture mead.

Where do you brew your mead?

We brew our mead at Neopolitan Greater Lagro, Fairview, Quezon City. We are approximately 1 kilometer away from La Mesa Watershed, the last remaining rainforest of its size in Metro Manila.

What is La Mesa Mead?

La Mesa Mead is the brand name of our specialty mead using locally sourced honey from the Republic of the Philippines. It is made only with the help of yeast and Filipino spices. Brewed nearby La Mesa Watershed, the last remaining rainforest of its size in Metro Manila. It has an alcohol per volume of 15% and is sold in 750 mL bottles and comes in a wooden box. La Mesa Mead production spans 1 month and is further aged for 1 month.

What is a session mead?

Coffeexmead offers session mead for in-house consumption. Session meads are light meads with an alcohol content below 8%. Our session mead is aged for 1 week.

Are your materials locally sourced?

Our honey is 100% locally-sourced. The wooden boxes are manufactured by carpenters in Quezon City. We have yet to validate the wood used are also locally sourced. Instead of bubble wraps and the likes, we use washed and dried leaves as fillers in the wooden box to protect the glass bottles and the mead while being transported. 

I am a beekeeper. Can I supply you honey?

We are actively looking for more suppliers of Apis mellifera honey that is locally-maintained and ethically managed. If you are interested, email us at hello@coffeexmead.com.