Pagguhor: The Art of Harvesting Tuba
Tuba is made through a process of extracting the sap of coconut bud or unopened coconut flower. It can be colorless but it is usually milky white in color. Tuba has a high alcohol content(80 and 90 proof). It has a stinging sweet and bittersweet taste.
It is often referred to as poor man’s drink because of the inexpensive way of distillation process and the source is abundant throughout the Philippines. In barangay Hambian, Banton, Romblon resides Mang Celso Fegalan who learned to climb coconut trees and harvest tuba from his father. For 46 years of harvesting he is already a pro in this area and is ready to show how the process of pagguhor or harvesting is done.
In preparation, Mang Celso seeks a prospect tree, cleans it and bends the unopened coconut flower or bud by tying until it yields downward. He also cuts and prepares bamboo or sayor about a foot long to make into a container for the coconut sap. Then he prepares or cuts a bigger bamboo to make another container or kalawit for the sap to be transferred to. He will carry this bigger bamboo container on his shoulder when he climbs up the tree.
· The process begins as he climbs the tree again with sanggot or knife, sayor and higot or strings attached on his waist.
There are no safety harness and the danger of falling from a tree about 30-feet high is infinite.
· By cutting the tip of the yielding bud using sanggot it releases a sap. With the cut udo or the spathe serving as a funnel at the opening, he then attaches the sayor to catch the flowing juice. It must be secured properly so it won’t fall.
· Every afternoon, Mang Celso climbs the same tree carrying the kalawit on his shoulder. He transfers the collected sap, cleans the sayor, cuts the bud again and fastens it right away. He goes down with the kalawit filled with fresh tuba.
Tuba in this stage or fresh from the tree is ready for drinking. It has a kind of rough sweetness taste in it.
After all the tuba is collected, fermentation begins. It is transferred into a plastic or glass container. A glass container is preferable. Aside from being free from chemicals, the sediments can be seen through it. In olden days gallons made of glass were abundant. Now tuba is usually seen inside plastic gallons ready for trading. Tuba products are delivered by mang Celso to his suki in barangay Poblacion particularly in Tampos where the town folks visit to buy some. This organic wine is affordable for everyone who wish to buy a drink for a liter only costs 15 pesos only.
Drinking tuba used to be a communal thing- men gather, sit around and take turns drinking shots from a cup. While someone plays the guitar, some start singing and dancing with the tune as the tuba gets into their veins. It is much better than any alcoholic beverages nowadays for there is no hang over.
