The Art of Palm Sugar: A Morning at the Senteurs d'Angkor Sugar Palm Workshop

A Sweet Morning in the Countryside

A short drive north of Siem Reap, past rice fields and wooden stilt houses, the road narrows into a dirt lane lined with sugar palm trees. We park near a thatched shelter in the commune of Chreav, where the Senteurs d’Angkor Sugar Palm Workshop operates. The air carries a faint, caramel-like sweetness even before we step out of the car.

This is not a polished tourist attraction. It is a working family compound where palm sugar has been made for generations. The workshop is open to visitors who want to understand the process from tree to jar. We arrive at 8 a.m., just as the morning’s sap collection is finishing.

From Sap to Sugar: The Process

A sugar palm tree can be tapped for sap twice daily. The tapper climbs the trunk using a simple bamboo ladder and cuts a thin slice from the flower stalk each morning. A bamboo tube catches the dripping sap. We watch as a young man lowers a full tube, careful not to spill the cloudy liquid. He pours it into a large metal wok set over a wood fire.

The sap is stirred constantly for about three hours. As it thickens, the colour shifts from milky white to deep amber. The smell changes too: at first grassy and faintly sour, then rich and nutty. The woman tending the fire uses a long wooden paddle, her movements steady and practised. She tells us through a translator that the sugar is ready when it forms a soft ball in cold water.

We taste the warm, liquid sugar straight from the wok. It is not cloyingly sweet; it has a buttery, almost toffee-like depth that cannot be found in refined sugar.

Tasting and Buying

After the sugar cools, it is poured into small bamboo moulds or left in blocks. The workshop sells several forms: solid blocks for grating, soft paste for spreading on rice cakes, and liquid syrup for drinks and desserts. We try a piece of the solid sugar with fresh coconut. The combination is simple and perfect.

Other products made from the same palm include vinegar, a fermented drink called palm wine, and the young fruit sold in local markets. The workshop also demonstrates how the palm leaves are woven into roofing panels and baskets. Nothing from the tree is wasted.

Getting there from the villa

From the villa, drive north on National Road 6 for about 6 km, then turn right onto a smaller road marked by a sign for Senteurs d’Angkor. Continue for 1.5 km along the dirt road. The workshop is on the left, behind a row of sugar palms. The drive takes 20 minutes. A tuk-tuk can also be arranged; ask your host for a recommended driver.

Good to know

• The workshop is open daily, but the best time to visit is between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., when the sap is being boiled. Afternoon visits are quieter but the fire may not be lit.
• Wear closed shoes. The ground around the fire pit can be muddy, and there are embers from the wood fire.
• Bring cash in small denominations if you wish to buy sugar or other products. Prices are set by weight, but the exact amount per kilo changes with the season; ask your host for the current rate.
• The workshop is family-run. Please be respectful of their home and work. Photography is welcome, but ask before taking close-up shots of the family members.

Staying in Siem Reap? Our 6-bedroom villa with a private pool sleeps 12 and sits 15 minutes from Angkor Wat — see our rates or check availability.