Sagada coffee is Arabica. More precisely, it is a single-origin Arabica of the Typica variety, grown in Sagada in the Cordillera highlands. So if you have seen people ask whether Sagada or Arabica is better, the answer is that they are not rivals. One is a place and the other is a species. Here is the fuller story, because it helps when you are reading a label.
What kind of coffee is Sagada coffee?
Coffea arabica, Typica variety. Sagada is a town in Mountain Province, and Sagada coffee is the Arabica grown there and in neighbouring Besao. Sellers describe it the same way. Bo's Coffee lists its Sagada beans as 100 percent Arabica, with Typica and Red Bourbon as the varietals.
Why do people ask about Sagada versus Arabica?
Because bags and menus use both words as if they were flavours. Arabica is a species of coffee plant. Sagada is where a particular Arabica is grown. Saying Sagada versus Arabica is a bit like saying Guimaras versus mango. What people usually mean is whether Sagada is better than ordinary Arabica from somewhere else, and that depends on the farm and the roaster. Our Arabica versus Robusta explainer covers the species side in full.
How did Arabica get to Sagada?
It arrived late, in the last years of the 1800s. Most accounts credit Jaime Masferré, a retired Spanish soldier who married a Sagada native and started a plantation in Batalao in the late 1890s, growing citrus, chayote and Arabica coffee that probably came from Benguet. The trees are said to have been carried to the northern villages by Okoi, a Japanese carpenter who planted seedlings in Fidelisan. There are century-old coffee trees in Fidelisan that still bear fruit.
Where exactly is it grown?
In Sagada and the neighbouring town of Besao, in Mountain Province, mostly on backyard and small-scale farms. Bo's Coffee lists its Sagada beans as grown at 1,300 to 1,400 metres above sea level. That height is the reason Arabica does well there. The climate of the Cordillera highlands suits it in the same way Benguet's does.
What do Typica and Red Bourbon mean on a bag?
They are varieties of Arabica, in the way that carabao and pico are varieties of mango. Typica is the old heritage variety that Sagada coffee is known for. Bourbon is another classic Arabica variety, and Red Bourbon refers to the colour of its ripe fruit. Seeing either on a label is a good sign. It means the seller knows what is in the bag and is telling you.
Is Robusta grown in the Cordillera at all?
Yes, lower down and further north. A Philippine Daily Inquirer report on Cordillera coffee notes that the region's high altitude suits Arabica, while the stronger Robusta thrives in Kalinga. In 2023, Arabica made up 60 percent of the Cordillera's coffee production and Robusta 38 percent. So a bag labelled Cordillera coffee could be either. Our Sagada versus Kalinga comparison explains the difference.
Why is real Sagada coffee hard to find?
Because there has never been much of it. Sagada coffee has mostly come from backyard and small-scale farms, and for a long time most of it was drunk locally. The town takes it seriously. A municipal ordinance requires every household to plant at least five Sagada coffee trees, and couples are asked to plant the same number before they get a marriage licence. Even so, it remains rare, including in local markets.
Who grows Sagada coffee?
Families, for the most part. Cultivating and harvesting Sagada coffee were traditionally women's activities and often involved the entire community. For much of its history the coffee was grown for the household, with surplus beans bartered to traders from the lowlands or exchanged with local merchants for goods. That history is part of why supply is so small. It was never a plantation crop.
How can you tell a bag is really Sagada Arabica?
Read the label like a detective. Look for the species, the town and ideally the farm or cooperative. Look for a roast date. Be a little wary of a very cheap bag that says Sagada and nothing else, because a rare coffee does not usually come at a bargain price. Buying from a roaster that names its farmers helps. GMA News' visit to SGD Coffee in Quezon City describes one such cafe, which works with Sagada farmers through a heritage project its founder started in 2009.
Does being Arabica change the caffeine?
It does. Arabica has roughly 1.2 to 1.5 percent caffeine, against about 2.2 to 2.7 percent for Robusta. So a cup of Sagada has noticeably less kick than the same cup made with Robusta, and much less than most three-in-one sachets, which lean on Robusta. Our piece on whether Sagada coffee is strong goes into what strong really means.
Is Sagada the same as Benguet coffee?
They are close cousins. Both are Typica Arabica from the Cordillera, and the first Sagada trees probably came from Benguet. The difference is where they are grown and who roasts them. Our Sagada versus Benguet comparison sets the two side by side, and our Benguet version of this question covers the blends you see in Baguio.
What does all this mean for the cup?
It means you can expect the gentler, sweeter side of coffee: less bitterness than Robusta, more aroma and a cleaner finish. Our guide to what Sagada coffee tastes like has the published tasting notes, and our buying guide has the places to find it.