Care to try Barac -O, Sorry not the Candidate

Certainly, not Mr. Barack Obama. I am talking about our own coffee variety called barako.

Four excellent-tasting varieties of coffee are grown in the Philippines. The ‘robusta,’ comprise 90% of total coffee production. Robusta serves as the main ingredient for the local instant coffee products. The ‘arabica,’ ‘excelsa,’ and ‘liberica’ or the Philippine barako'' make up the remaining 10% of total output.

Barako coffee beans are largely known for their strong aroma. Many claim that it is better tasting than arabica. Though I think that is true I find it too strong for my palate. Barako coffee beans are round in shape and large, and grow in clusters. The trees grow to be 18 feet, and possess thick leaves.

Liberica because of its strong and acidic flavor do not have many coffee flavor fans but I remember almost 40 years ago, I used to buy ‘barako’ coffee from the wet markets.

That distinct powerful odor as it was being grinded, overpowered my adolescent sense of smell. I thought that was STRONG. At that time it was what almost everyone was drinking.
Today, however, you have to be a real coffee connoisseur to appreciate its taste. Truly earthy and whole bodied in character, barako is magnificent in flavor. I should know.

Being children, were not allowed to drink coffee but I managed to enjoy barako every time I successfully stole sips from my mom’s coffee cup. I also remember pouring it over my breakfast’s white or fried rice or using it as a dip for my morning bread when there was no one looking.

Barako according to local press is now actively grown in the hills of Amadeo, Cavite, and Kalinga in Apayao . Thanks to the entepreneuring efforts of Figaro, a local company, barako coffee has been reinvigorated, giving barako coffee production a boost, at the same time helping support many coffee farmers. Today, around sixty thousand families remain dependent on coffee growing as a means of livelihood.

Cheers! Take a break. Have an espresso from barako:-)

Popular posts from this blog

Tora Bika Cappuccino

My daughter sent us this superb tasting ready to prepare cappuccino mix. Made in Indonesia, it comes in two separate packs: (1)the coffee mix and (2)a much smaller sachet which contains the chocolate granules. Judging from the Italian flag type packaging I surmise the choco granules originated from Italy. I tried to experiment to test how the mix could achieve a superior flavor. For my initial test, I used 1 cup of boiling hot water per packmix and then added the chocolate granules. Ooooh! It was too sweet. The next time, I used 1 large mug of boiling hot water plus the chocolate granules. Surprise! I got the perfect blend. Unlike other coffee flavors, even those dispensed by large coffee shops, Tora Bika tastes good even when it is cold. Ingredients: Sugar, creamer, instant coffee, chocolate granules
Read more

MSG in most coffee blends?

I got this from my email: The food additive MSG (Mono-Sodium Glutamate) is a slow poison. MSG hides behind 25 or more names, such as "Natural Flavouring." MSG is even in your favorite coffee from Tim Horton's and other brand-name coffee shops! I wondered if there could be an actual chemical causing the massive obesity epidemic, and so did a friend of mine, John Erb. He was a research assistant at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and spent years working for the government. He made an amazing discovery while going through scientific journals for a book he was writing called The Slow Poisoning of America. In hundreds of studies around the world, scientists were creating obese mice and rats to use in diet or diabetes test studies. No strain of rat or mice is naturally obese, so scientists have to create them. They make these creatures morbidly obese by injecting them with MSG when they are first born. The MSG triples the amount of insulin the pancreas creat
Read more

Pininyahang Manok cooked Marikina style

This is a Marikina concocted dish which I borrowed. Ingredients: 1 whole fresh chicken fryer, cut into small serving pieces or use chicken breasts for a more delicate taste 1 cup 7-Up soda (for marinating chicken pieces) salt and white pepper for seasoning 3 tbsps vegetable oil 1 garlic clove, minced 1 medium size white onion, finely chopped 1 small fresh pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks or use 1 small can pineapple in chunks, drained and reserved juice on the side 1/2 cup of heavy cream or evaporated milk Preparation 1. Put chicken pieces in a large bowl. Pour over the 7-Up soda on the chicken and mix slowly. Cover the bowl and let marinate the chicken for 2 hours in the refrigerator. 2. In a small casserole, heat the oil in a medium heat without burning, add and sauté the onions until soft, then add the garlic. 3. Drain the chicken pieces from the marinade and add to the casserole with the onions and garlic. Fry the chicken pieces in a medium heat until cook (for about 25 minutes),
Read more