Friday, July 26, 2013

The Organic Farm Tour Series, Part 4: A Visit to One of Sagada's Organic Coffee Farm



Coffee is a staple in most people's daily lives. I have friends who say they can't function well without this beverage and I also know people who really spend a lot for their coffee fixes.


Me? I'm not much of a coffee drinker as I prefer to simply have a mug of Milo every morning for breakfast. But I do drink coffee every now and then when I meet with friends in coffee shops or simply feel I could use a cup at home whenever I need to stay up all night to finish my writing deadlines.


During a recent trip up North, our group of bloggers stayed in the Agricultural Training Institute dormitory located inside Benguet State University where we could grab a cup of organic coffee several times a day. Surprisingly, many of us really did like this kind of coffee because it is not too bitter and tastes really good!


When we went to Sagada, we did a courtesy call at the Mayor's office where the agricultural extension representatives there had us try their organic coffee. Again, we enjoyed the smooth blend that is a pleasure to drink especially during that very cold morning.


Later, we saw for ourselves how organic coffee is grown in the farm of Mr. Osenio Lay-os. His coffee plantation is interspersed with other crops such as passion fruits and pears. He generously offered us to try them and we had fun munching on these healthy produce.


The coffee grown in this farm is the Arabica variety, which is very apt for the cool climate. Mr. Lay-os belongs to a cooperative that has acquired machines that help them process coffee beans for roasting and grinding. 


They house the machines in a small structure where we had a really nice lunch of a traditional Sagada dish that has Pinikpikang Manok (native chicken), Etag (smoked pork), and vegetables. The flavorful hot soup was perfect for the weather.


Please read more about our Sagada adventures in other posts coming up in the next few days :)

You can view more Sagada photos here and here

For more information on organic agriculture, log on to www.ati.da.gov.ph and www.e-extension.gov.ph.


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