Sinag Coffee Roastery: The Only Roastery Cafe In Oriental Mindoro

In Mindoro, milk tea shops are so 2019. The latest trend as of this year 2021 is coffee shops. After the height of lockdown, I’m surprised that cafes were suddenly appearing here and there. There are Korean-inspired ones, minimalist ones, hotel cafes, bar-type ones, street-style kiosks, mobile coffee shops and more. It’s kinda hard to emerge in this array of coffee shops. But Sinag Coffee Roastery was able to pop up and be relevant.

If you got the firsthand experience with Sinag, you would understand how and why. The first reason is the coffee itself. It’s incomparable. It has high quality. I can feel the passion and craft in every sip of their coffee. The second reason is the comfortable vibe of the place. It’s simply furnished with wood and white colors yet it’s welcoming. The third reason is, of course, the roastery. While enjoying your cup of coffee, you can watch how they roast their beans. In this way, they have more control on the flavor of the beans since they process it from scratch and we can ensure that we are drinking freshly roasted brew.

Here are my top choices from Sinag so far.

Iced Latte

They roast their own coffee so as expected, the outcome is luscious. But I don’t think they use the same kinds of beans for their coffee every day so I’m not sure about the consistency. As for this latte, I could sense the acidity. But I like the nutty effect so it was kinda toned down. The proportion of milk and coffee is just balanced. I like how they surprised us with this unsweetened coffee so we can appreciate the java more.

Hot Spanish Latte

I’ll be honest. I’m used to Spanish Lattes that has this distinct sweetness of condensed milk, which I only bought from local coffee shops. I do not know how the authentic one tastes like. The flavor of condensed milk in Sinag’s Spanish Latte isn’t evident but this seems to be close to real. I describe it as a latte with mild sweetness from milk so the essence of the coffee is still present. I appreciate the latte art, too.

Honeycomb Coffee Jelly

Compared to the plain latte, the base is quite sweetened in Honeycomb Coffee Jelly. There’s nothing much to say about the coffee base because it’s great. The honeycomb toppings are also incredible. I like the burnt sugar flavor that it gives to the drink. I just wish it has more honeycomb blocks though because they’re gone in just two sips. Actually, the coffee jelly isn’t necessary. I’ll be happy if I can swap coffee jelly with more honeycomb.

Matcha Latte

Legit premium matcha indeed! That’s the first thing I have to say. It’s the actual outcome of what we see in Japanese home cafe tiktok videos and they made it good. I think, they just have to properly whisk the matcha so it would mix and infuse with the milk well and I wouldn’t gulp a whole powder of it. I wish the matcha was stronger than the milk tho. But others may like it milky.

Dirty Horchata

It seems that Sinag is having a version of El Union’s Horchata drinks and I must say that they nailed it big time! I always notice their lattes’ flavor notes resemblance to Sinag’s, not just in their Horchata. I’m happy that we don’t have to go to La Union anymore to have this kind of coffee goodness. Their Horchata got that perfect balance of java, rice milk and cinnamon. It has creamy texture, too. It’s so addicting that I always dream of going to Calapan just to have this. And as you can see, I forgot to take a photo before having a sip.

Ham and Cheese Panini

For a budget-friendly price, I don’t expect something extravagant with their paninis. For the ham and cheese, you merely get what you order. There’s no more excessive unnecessary fillings aside from the quality chicken ham, mozzarella and cheddar sandwiched between toasted Gardenia bread slices. The chips seem to be Vcut, which is good choice of potato chips. The panini is a great addition to your coffee break. 

Chicken Pesto

Choosing rotini pasta for this dish is a great idea since its curls holds a good amount of sauce resulting to a flavorful pieces of pasta. Plus, it is placed in a deep bowl so the pasta is sure to soak all the flavors of pesto. When it comes to sauce, they succeeded on making a fragrant earthy one. It is balanced with saltiness from parmesan. It also has an ample amount of chicken bits. The Chicken Pesto Pasta is incredible but if they opted to put grilled chicken instead, then it will be perfect.

Sultan Coffee Beans

Since we witnessed this cafe first as a seller of home-roasted beans, we didn’t think twice to bring home a pack of Sinag’s ground beans. They’re using local beans for their operations. I’m glad that we can have a taste of their coffee even at home. I’m not an expert to fully recognize the notes of the beans and to differentiate the flavors of each brand. But I approve that they are comforting to drink when brewed. Sometimes, I feel the joy when the coffee I make almost tastes like what I get in Sinag.