Description
Thai Coffee?!?!? A rare origin in the U.S. for stand up beans, turns out they grow a lot of coffee in Thailand. The specialty market has been up and coming and the beans getting better and better. Similar to origins like India but with more hybrid processing methods. These beans have a unique story and taste.
We have been looking for tasty Thai coffee for quite some time, had some friends on the ground over there for a bit but every time we got samples, tasted more like robusta with some overly earthy tones, reminded me of more European style espresso beans. We hooked up with Lanna coffee recently to source some higher end and in our opinion tastier Arabica lots. Doesn’t hurt that it is a very feel good project run by awesome folks as well.
This is a Honey Processed lot. That means it was dried in the flesh of the coffee fruit, but with the fruit skin removed. Generally this gives the cup a thicker body, and more sweet citric tastes. If dried quickly, they tend to be more along the line of a washed processed, if dried slowly, more like a Natural. These beans are a little closer to the washed processed but does have just a pinch of a fruit note at the lighter roast points.
Testing Notes: Best at the lighter roast points but a very clean and tasty cup from light to dark. Marked and pleasant acidity, with a citrus profile (lemon/orange) that balances well with a clear sweetness; a cocoa/chocolate base with a nutty undertone and a slight herbal spice note in the aftertaste. Fruitier in the light ranges with hints of melon and strawberry while maintaining a medium body; in the medium range, it gains roundness with chocolate and spices; in the dark range, it becomes heavier, with dominant cocoa and low acidity. A balanced and easy-to-enjoy profile.
Roasting Notes: Honey that “tastes” closer to washed, but roasts naturally: more chaffy and slightly uneven, although it is still easy to roast and performs well from light to dark (the medium range is usually the favorite for balance). Light to accentuate sweetness/brightness; medium to enhance chocolate and spices while maintaining liveliness; darker for a fuller, herbal/chocolatey cup with lower acidity. Start at your preferred level and adjust based on the emphasis you’re looking for (sweetness/brightness vs. chocolate/body).
Law Wu:
The villagers of Law Wu belong to the Lahu tribe, an indigenous group originally hailing from China and mainland Southeast Asia. The village’s location at 1,700 meters above sea level offers an ideal environment for coffee cultivation. The cool climate, consistent shade, and unique terrain of the region create the perfect conditions for growing exceptional coffee. Although coffee has only been grown in this area for about 15 years, the quality and flavor of the beans have steadily improved, attracting the attention of those looking for standout microlots.
Partnership with Law Wu began in 2017, and in that time they have shown tremendous growth. In the first season it was just four dedicated farmers. After seeing the consistency and quality of the work, the village expanded to include five more members. Today, the village’s nine coffee farmers represent a growing community of people committed to cultivating top-quality coffee beans.
Much of the coffee from Law Wu is shade-grown, allowing the cherries to mature more slowly and develop a fuller, more complex flavor. Given the higher elevation and cooler climate, this unique geography enables the beans to retain their distinct characteristics, leading to a richer, more layered profile.
Lanna Coffee:
“Coffee from Thailand?” you might be wondering. After all, Thailand is far from a traditional growing region for coffee. Most of us are used to seeing coffees from places like Ethiopia, Kenya, and Colombia. But Thailand isn’t exactly where people think of when they think of where their coffee came from. So, what is it about Thai coffee that makes it special? Why is it a mainstay of the Lanna Coffee lineup?
For over a century, refugees fleeing political and social upheaval in China and Southeast Asia have migrated to Northern Thailand. Stateless, these refugees live in poverty without many chances for a better life. It isn’t in any one person’s power to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the world, but, when we work together, we can do great things.
When Lanna was founded, we had one thing in mind: service. How could we serve our coffee farmers as well as our customers? We wanted to roast premium coffee from a nontraditional region, but we also wanted to ensure that our business could improve lives in the communities we sourced from. To achieve this, we partnered with an NGO with a similar goal: the Integrated Tribal Development Foundation.
The ITDF is an organization committed to improving the lives of poor hill tribe communities “in many aspects of life, including clean water, sanitation, agriculture, education, health, and cash crops.” For the past thirty years, the ITDF has been partnering with these communities to equip them with the training and equipment to produce stellar coffee. Today, over 40 villages are a part of Thailand’s first certified fair trade coffee co-op, immeasurably improving the lives of the people living there.
We are proud to say that Lanna Coffee is the largest buyer of Thai coffee in the U.S. Thanks to your support, we’ve been able to demonstrate our commitment to Thai coffee and encourage other farmers to convert their crops to one that provides a more stable revenue source for themselves and their communities. Every time you purchase from Lanna, you directly contribute to this goodwill that has allowed coffee production in Northern Thailand to flourish.
Today, over 400 coffee farms in Northern Thailand are 100% farmer owned. We purchase single-source, pesticide-free coffee beans directly from these farmers and are constantly grateful for the literal fruits of their labor. Whether this is your first or your hundredth bag of Lanna, know that it’s thanks to your purchase that we are able to continue serving the hill tribes of Northern Thailand. You can make a difference, even if it’s through something as simple as a cup of coffee.
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