Everday Coffee in the City - TonG Coffee's Casero blend

For this week, we are sampling a coffee called Casero Blend by TonG Coffee (pronounced as ton-gee). I brought this coffee from my trip to Manila last Christmas.  I chanced upon this coffee while walking around the Salcedo Saturday Farmer's Market in Makati.  Narda, of TonG Coffee, was passing around small paper cups with coffee samples. We liked it so we bought a bag.  We were told that this coffee is grown  in the mountains north of Luzon.

Here are my notes:

Coffee Origin/Name: Philippines/Casero blend (arabica and excelsa)
Roaster: TonG Coffee 
Producer: not indicated
Roast Date: not indicated
Brew Method: Drip/Espresso
Sampled: Week of May 7th 

Notes: I can say this TonG coffee blend is probably the best Philippine coffee I've had. It is as good as my favorite Kona and Bourbon coffees.While still having hints of smoky and earthy flavors, they do not overwhelm the over all aroma and taste of the coffee. The beans were semi oily and dark brown in color. The roast date is not indicated but it says on the back label that they sell the coffee one week after roasting. I tasted some hints of caramel and raisins. For this taste test, I also tried the coffee as a cafe latte. The coffee still tasted great not just with milk but also with almond milk.

I absolutely recommend this coffee to anyone. This coffee delivers either as an espresso or drip. Unfortunately, I do not know if this coffee is commercially available in the States though it is available online through themunchymarket.com.ph.

I will definitely look for TonG again when I get a chance to fly back to Manila this year. Thanks, TonG!

~rl