From the Land of Smiles - Thailand Doi Chang Coffee

Thailand Doi Chang Coffee offers something deliciously different for the speciality coffee lover. This quality, single-origin coffee is grown and produced in the beautiful mountain region of Doi Chang in northern Thailand’s Chiang Ria Province. A smooth and full-bodied cup, Thailand Doi Chang has a balanced acidity, delicious caramel and nut flavours, and a unique, rich aroma. It has a relatively high oil level, a low caffeine content, and is suitable for all brewing methods.

Although a relative newcomer to the coffee industry, Thailand has earned a reputation for producing quality, world-class speciality coffees that are appreciated for their complexity of flavours. Thailand’s coffee industry started as a result of a royal initiative that encouraged farmers to grow Arabica coffee as a cash crop, as well as fruit trees, in an attempt to eliminate opium production. The Thai Royal Project was set up in 1969 by King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and one of its main objectives was to enable hill tribe people, who relied on opium poppy production for their livelihoods, to turn their hand to coffee cultivation instead. Not only did this result in increased prosperity for the farmers, but also, sustainable methods of farming have helped to restore areas of forest that had been ravaged by deforestation.

Both Arabica and Robusta coffee beans are grown in Thailand; Robusta is mainly grown in southern Thailand, but the higher quality Arabica coffees are grown in Thailand’s northern provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Ria, Mae Hong Son, Lampang and Tak. In these regions, a cooler climate, rich soil, and high elevations produce some of Southeast Asia’s best coffee beans. Coffee grows in shaded areas, as well as in the sun, with coffee trees often intercropped with fruit trees. Coffee cherries are selectively hand-picked to ensure optimum ripeness, and are then wet-processed and dried in the sun.

Thailand is a place that is known for its tea drinking culture, but it has embraced a coffee culture that has taken off in a big way in recent years, with chain coffee shops and small independent ones opening across the country. A large percentage of coffee grown is for the domestic market, making those varieties that are exported much in demand. Thailand’s flourishing speciality coffee market has made coffee cultivation a career choice for young entrepreneurs, with many coffee farms being run by a younger generation of farmers compared to other coffee growing countries.

Thailand Doi Chang Coffee has now been added to our fabulous range of Asian Coffees, each of them offering a unique flavour profile to enjoy. At Coffee-Direct, we roast to order, so your coffee will always arrive in the freshest condition possible, and offer a range of grind options as well as whole beans.