Coffee-infused and sugarcane tuak draw crowds at Bazaar Gawai Dayak 2025
Melissa Manis Pongka showcases her unique blends of tuak at the Bazaar Gawai Dayak 2025 in MJC Batu Kawa. Also displayed is a piece of 'kayu koong' the traditional tree bark used in fermenting her sugarcane tuak. – Photo by Desiree David
KUCHING (May 19): Visitors to the Bazaar Gawai Dayak 2025 at MJC Batu Kawa are getting a taste of tradition with a twist, as one brewer's unique blends of tuak are drawing steady interest.
Melissa Manis Pongka, a tuak maker from Kampung Jugan in Bau, is offering a coffee-infused tuak made from Liberica beans grown on her own farm.
The beans are harvested, processed, and brewed into rice wine, which is then left to ferment for five months.
'When you drink it at first, it tastes like stout. The coffee taste and aroma only come through at the end,' she said when met by The Borneo Post.
Her special coffee tuak has become the top-selling item at her stall since the opening day of the bazaar.
Melissa is also showcasing a more complex variety, sugarcane tuak, which she brews without yeast.
Instead, she uses what the Bidayuh Bau called 'kayu koong', a type of tree bark traditionally used by the Bidayuh community in Bau and found only in old forests.
Melissa speaks to her customers, explaining her tuak flavours. – Photo by Chimon Upon
'The pieces of wood are cooked with sugarcane juice for four to five hours using firewood.
'After it cools, the tuak will be fermented in the 'tajau' or fermentation jar, or a glass bottle,' she explained.
The sugarcane tuak takes more than six months to ferment and unlike other types, grows darker with time.
'For example, glutinous rice tuak becomes clearer as it ages, but sugarcane tuak becomes darker,' she said.
The Bazaar Gawai Dayak 2025 which runs from May 15 to 25, features a wide array of stalls offering traditional Dayak food, handmade crafts, cultural performances, and festive outfits, a vibrant celebration of Sarawak's rich indigenous heritage. Bazaar Gawai Dayak lead local delicacies Melissa Manis Pongka tuak
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