PHILIPPINES NATURAL PIGTAURANAN KALSADA

Origin: Philippines Region: Pigtauranan, Pangantucan, Bukidnon, Philippines Growers: 26 smallholder family farmers MASL: 1400-1700 Variety: Bourbon Process: natural

In our fourth year of working with Kalsada Coffee, we’re bringing in another two lots of coffee to highlight the range of diversity that Philippine coffee has to offer. In previous years, we had a washed and a natural coffee both from Benguet. This year, our natural coffee comes from Sitio Pigtauranan in Bukidnon, located in the southern island of Mindanao.

Pigtauranan is at the foothill of the Kalatungan mountain range, a protected area with a rich, biodiverse ecosystem that is home to the Manobo tribe and several endemic birds and plants. It has rich volcanic soil and a unique microclimate, making it an ideal area for growing coffee. The Manobos initially cultivated coffee for both commercial and their own consumption until prices dropped in the 1960s. Since then, coffee as a primary crop has been replaced by sugarcane and corn.

Kalsada was introduced to a cooperative of coffee farmers in Pigtauranan in 2016. At the time, most cultivated robusta and arabica, in which the latter had little attention since robusta dominated the commodity market. After helping process coffees in the region and tasting it’s potential, Kalsada was able to build the Pigtauranan mill in 2020. 

At first sip, this coffee has a sparking quality that reminds of strawberry seltzer. It has a juicy, refreshing mouthfeel akin to watermelon, and at the finish, it has a sweet, delicate, almost floral tasting note of pandan, which is sometimes referred to as the “Asian vanilla.” This is a fun, lip-smacking coffee that’s delicious both hot and iced!