Along with the Manille Liqueur de Calamansi we reviewed last week, a coffee based liqueur has also made its way into local markets. Coming from the same company that makes Manille, the Amadeo also proudly uses homegrown products in their creations. Four different kinds of coffee beans grown in the Philippines are blended together with rum to create our very own coffee liqueur. Even its name reflects the Filipino coffee heritage, as Amadeo, Cavite is one of the largest coffee-producing regions in the country.

The fact that a major alcohol producer, Destelleria Limtuaco, has made it a point to use local flavors in its products speaks volumes about the risks big companies are now willing to take to satisfy new trends in the market. It’s a development that really should’ve begun sooner, it’s a real shame that we don’t use more of our local flavors in our alcoholic drinks.

Cost

The 50mL bottle featured here retails for around PHP 90. I didn’t see anything larger in the stores I visited, but since the small one is in the same price range as Manille, I’d hazard a guess that its bigger brother would be between PHP 300 to 400 as well. Again, it’s a bit more expensive than other local drinks, but fairly priced when you consider the added cost of sourcing local ingredients.

Appearance

The bottle is a bit plain, and the purple label doesn’t really help it stand out, especially since the contents are already dark to begin with. It’s nothing gaudy or overdone, which is a good thing, but it just doesn’t catch your attention either.

Bouquet

The first note you’ll get hit with is a faint, but sharp medicinal smell. It’s almost like a tincture, similar to Jägermeister. The coffee aroma is also weak, which I found surprising. I thought there would be a stronger coffee scent.

Taste

I chilled the bottle first before taking a sip. Similar to Jägermeister, the medicinal taste is what coats the tongue first. I can’t say I enjoyed it. The flavor was sharp, and it reminded me a bit of iodine. The coffee component itself reminded me of coffee candy, which is to say it didn’t taste too much like coffee at all. I think the flavors really didn’t go together well here.

The Verdict

I wanted it to have a stronger coffee flavor, and maybe hoped it would taste something like this. Sadly, it was too sharp, and the coffee taste was too weak. I have a sneaking suspicion it would taste better if there was cream involved, but by itself, it simply does not do it for me. I’d give Amadeo Coffee Liqueur a pass.

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