Thailand is not traditionally known as a specialty coffee producing country, yet it has been producing Arabica coffee since the early 80's. It started off as part of the Thai King’s opium eradication project. Because Arabica coffee thrives in a similar condition as opium, it was selected as a substituting crop against the cultivation of the illicit plant. Today, Thailand produces about 8,000 tons of Arabica coffee, mainly in the mountainous north of the country. On top of that, Thailand produces about ten times as much Robusta coffee, making it the third largest coffee producer in Asia. Thai specialty coffee is rarely seen in the top specialty roaster segment abroad and this is the first Thai coffee we have offered in our 10 years.
Efforts to reforest degraded land and introduce coffee and other crops to replace illicit cultivations proved extremely successful. Farmers’ mountain properties today are flourishing, with many of the original planted varieties—like Catuai, Typica, and local Chiang Mai which is a cross between SL-28, Caturra, and Timor hybrid.
Enter Beanspire, an exporting company made up of a group of young Thai specialty coffee enthusiasts who exist to provide a window for Thai specialty coffee smallholder farmers to the world. Their mission is much like that of the importer This Side Up - but since they are mainly based in origin, their combined value was apparent from the start. They decided to do a pilot project with the 2016 harvest aimed at attracting the interest not only adventurous roasters, but of other, larger importers as well.
Noi Duongdee, the producer of this coffee, is an industry legend in Thailand, having worked as a coffee processor for over a decade. He cut his teeth at different mills across the country for a few years, before starting his coffee processing plant in Chaiprakarn, Chiang Mai.
For this coffee, cherries are harvested throughout the day and rested for one night in cool temperatures before being pulped in the morning. After the coffee is pulped, the wet parchment is left to ferment for one day in order to partially remove the mucilage. The coffee is then dried for up to 25 days on a patio covered with plastic sheets for cleanliness during the drying process. When the moisture is at 10-12%, the coffee is then cured in hermetic bags for two months before milling.
