My first blog post in a long time! This time, I want to help promote a new coffeeshop franchise. The name is Old Baguio Cafe, and it set up its first Metro Manila branch in Robinsons Forum, Mandaluyong just last August 1!

Old Baguio Cafe has been in business in Baguio for over two years. It specializes in premium arabica coffee from Atok, Benguet.

Better-known beans, like Sagada arabica and Batangas barako, have received their share of praise. But this franchise aims to bring the brilliance of Atok arabica coffee to prominence.

Was able to chat a bit with the very nice supervisor, Mark, who is helping set up the Mandaluyong branch. He says that on September 1, they will open a branch in Parañaque, and on October 1, in Vito Cruz. Mark will then be managing the Parañaque branch. If you’re in the area after the new branch opens, make sure to say hi!

Mark told me that Old Baguio Cafe has been in business for two years in Baguio, where it already has two branches thriving. It was only this year that they began opening franchises in Metro Manila. They’re also opening branches outside of MM and Baguio very soon.

My frequent travel buddy, Lar from Philippine Travel Photos, told me about this cafe, so it was only fitting that we went together to try their Americano (P70 for regular, P90 for upsized).

Benguet arabica is known to be robust, and Atok arabica is no exception. The flavor is rich, not bitter at all, and most definitely not watered down, as sometimes franchise coffee tends to be. This is a must-try for gourmets who want sophisticated local coffee at a reasonable cost.

They also have a variety of lattes, frappes and smoothies!

Their bestselling dessert is the carrot cake (P90 php per slice). It’s not sweet at all, and I agree it tastes swell with their coffee.

I liked their coffee so much that I bought a 250-gram bag (P375). I’m normally iffy buying roasted coffee where the roasting date isn’t printed on the bag, but I took their word for it that the bag I was buying was from a batch just roasted a couple of weeks ago (July 18).

My dad used the beans for our early morning coffee the next day, and confirmed that it was freshly brewed: there was still some bloom over the grinds (he used the pour-over method). It still made for great morning coffee!

By the way, Old Baguio Cafe sells strawberry and ube jam, which I’ll have to try sometime! Take note, however, that the ube jam is sold in a “buy one take one” basis (currently P250 for two bottles) because traditionally made ube jam goes bad after just one week in storage. Good to know! That’s probably a good sign, which says their ube jam has no artificial preservatives that would give it a longer shelf life and affect the flavor.

I think Mr. Mark also said their company sells coffee equipment, but their stall in Mandaluyong offers little by way of that. For now, it really is a simple coffee stall: a great place to sample their excellent coffee.

Here’s where their first Metro Manila branch is located:

Old Baguio Cafe
Ground floor, Robinsons Forum (near Handyman)
Pioneer St., Mandaluyong City

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OldBaguioCafe

Old Baguio Cafe’s first MM branch may be small, but it has an attentive and knowledgeable staff (they sure know their coffee!), and comes with an old-school, cozy feel, perfect for chill rainy day hangouts.