Kiniwar | Collectors Connection

The Advocacy Behind Cafe Yagam

Posted on May 18, 2016 by rence chan

25 J. Felipe St., Gibraltar Baguio City

We took a short rest after the hearty lunch at Azalea Hotel . We were assigned room number 405 and I was grouped together with Ms. Tina Perez ( a mommy lifestyle blogger ) and Ms. Vance Madrid ( lifestyle and online content contributor ) .

Cafe Yagam signage

We were given a list of places to visit in Baguio. Almost everyone got excited that we will have a sample tasting of organically grown brewed coffee from the Cordillera region. The place is just located near the Wright Park and between 5 minutes to 10 minutes taxi cab ride from Azalea Hotel . One can have a leisurely stroll from Burnham park or Wright Park . For those taking a jeepney ride , Gibraltar Jeep or Mines view Gibraltar Jeep located near Danes at Session Road.

coffee beans ( Arabica variety )

Origin

Cafe Yagam was opened to the general public on July 2014 and was named after the proprietor’s daughter. ( Yagam ) The coffee shop also serve breakfast and offers full meals including native Cordillera delicacies, Pasta and Sandwiches. Traditional Ifugao drink Tapuey ( Tapuy ) which cost Php 45 a glass and Php 180 per bottle .

roasted coffee beans in bottle ( light , medium and dark)

Advocacy :

Cafe Yagam sources its coffee beans from Cordillera Green Network (CGN) an environmental non-profit organization. In 2006, CGN introduced coffee as cash crop in their partner communities in the Cordillera as part of their Agro-Forestry advocacy. Farmers in Kibungan, Coros, Kabayan, Tublay in Kapangan Benguet and Kadaclan ,Mountain Province offered the use of their farmlands. In turn, CGN provided them with coffee seedlings plus workshops on how to grow and tend the coffee plants. Most of the arabica variety were grown at an elevation of between 1,000 to 1,400 meters above sea level .

Ms. Poleen Carla Rosito gave a short story behind the advocacy and their coffee shop

Handpicked beans are always freshly roasted and ground just minutes from when you sip from your cup.

It is best accompanied with traditional food like Pinikpikan with Etag –Php 200 per order , Pinuneg ( Cordilleran blood sausage ) –Php 200 per order and Binunsor ( A type of Kalinga spicy vegetable stew with Agurong ). Agurong is a type of common black freshwater mollusk .

. The proprietor told us that they wanted to promote local traditional foods of the region. They are served only on special occasions.

workers select the coffee beans

The group also saw around half a dozen workers carefully selecting and hand-sorting coffee beans . There is also a growing demand for coffees grown in Metro Manila ,the standard pack is about 200 grams and are also exported to Japan . The Japanese are also the ones helping the farmers network in marketing and how to properly process the coffee beans.

menu board

Kiniwar and Inanchilla with freshly brewed coffee

The group were treated to an afternoon snacks which consisted of Inanchila ( made from sticky brown rice from Kalinga province, grounded and wrapped in banana leaves ) – It is best accompanied by muscovado sugar or ladek ( made from coconut cream ) . This is like the suman of the Tagalogs . This taste different compared to the one that are sold in Metro Manila ( quality of the brown sticky rice )- Price Php 60.00

inanchilla

Kiniwar ( Biko ) Kiniwar is the local name for Biko – according to Ms. Poleen , the term is from Kankanaey word for “mixed” . This delicacy is made of diket (sticky rice), tagapulot (sugar syrup)-Price Php 40.00 per slice

Pesto sandwich

The pesto sandwich is a must try for those who will visit this place. This consisted of pesto made from fresh basil leaves , fresh sliced tomatoes , boiled eggs and wheat bread slices . Php 90 per serving

fire place

The coffee shop also sells some art works and souvenir items from the province . The shop can accommodate between 40 to 45 people within their premises at any given time.