Thailand Coffee

[Nucer]

Just received a sample from Thailand, Dios region. The coffee looks well prepped with almost no defects. Hey one or two is expected. I have cupped the coffee this morning after 20 hours of rest. I wanted to let it rest for 24 hours but my impatience got to me.

Surprisingly, to both the wife and me, it was a good cup of coffee. It was spicy with an aftertaste of chocolate. A vey strange cup. The beans are small but left little chaff after roasting. So now wait until tomorrow to try another cup.

Just wondering if anyone else has tried Thailand coffee????

 

[ensoluna]

Just wondering if anyone else has tried Thailand coffee????

yes, i idid. actually i even went to thailand just 5 weeks ago to have a meeting with a couple of exporters. i drank
a lot of thai coffee (not the foo foo stuff, but supposedly real specialty stuff. but i was not impressed at all).

perhaps that is why thai coffee is not really well known.
Also, for your information, in Thailand, there are no other countries coffees are available. Thai Gov't imposes 60 to 70% tax on importing coffee beans from other countries, just like China. But they really help Coffee farms/exporters to export their coffee, however, it is a shame that their coffee is not really great.

Also, Up north of Thailand, there are "elephant Dung coffee" (trying to steal the fame from Luwak, I guess..., but so far, not successful).

by the way, i think the reason thai coffee is below par is that thai coffee shares very similar coffee region as vietnam and yunnan, china coffee region which also are not really specialty coffee.

BTW Yunnan, China is where Starbucks had invested in their own coffee farm project in 2012. they should be harvesting now.

 

[Nucer]

Normally I agree with you Ensoluna but this time I think not. I cupped the coffee after roasting it to the start of second crack. It was a spicy earthy coffee with an aftertaste of chocolate. A very enjoyable cup. One I am defintiely intersted in. I am thinking of importing some and see if others agree.

I suspect that if you didn't roast the coffee in Thailand yourself, then they roasted it to a rolling second crack. I have found that since they use the coffee with evaporated milk, they think that all coffee should be roasted like Charbucks (starbucks). Most of the coffee I have gotten from Asian friends that they have roasted themselves is definitely over roasted and not very good. So when I tasted this coffee it was a pleasant surprise. If I order it I will send you some.

(drinking a coffee roasted in Viet Nam from a friend and realizing it is overoasted)

 

[ensoluna]

Normally I agree with you Ensoluna but this time I think not. I cupped the coffee after roasting it to the start of second crack. It was a spicy earthy coffee with an aftertaste of chocolate. A very enjoyable cup. One I am defintiely intersted in. I am thinking of importing some and see if others agree.

I suspect that if you didn't roast the coffee in Thailand yourself, then they roasted it to a rolling second crack. I have found that since they use the coffee with evaporated milk, they think that all coffee should be roasted like Charbucks (starbucks). Most of the coffee I have gotten from Asian friends that they have roasted themselves is definitely over roasted and not very good. So when I tasted this coffee it was a pleasant surprise. If I order it I will send you some.

(drinking a coffee roasted in Viet Nam from a friend and realizing it is overoasted)

yes, you have a great point. that was over roasted for sure.
when you get some, please let me know. I would love to buy some from you for my own evaluation.
thanks for informative posting.

 

[Musicphan]

Do you know what species the coffee is? Is it Robusta?

 

[ensoluna]

nope. it is absolutely arabica. if it is robusta, nucer will definitely not bring them for his own roasting.

 

[Nucer]

Ensoluna that is the absolute truth. I got some coffee from Ghana, Africa, which was still in the cherry but it was obviously Robusta. The beans were big, round and not at all like arabica. I didn't even bother to roast just used the garbage can. The coffee from Thailand is definitely Arabica and surprisingly very good. Still working with the farmer to see if we can work something out.

 

[ensoluna]

Ensoluna that is the absolute truth. I got some coffee from Ghana, Africa, which was still in the cherry but it was obviously Robusta. The beans were big, round and not at all like arabica. I didn't even bother to roast just used the garbage can. The coffee from Thailand is definitely Arabica and surprisingly very good. Still working with the farmer to see if we can work something out.

hey Nucer, please be careful about importing the beans from Thailand. Even though it is good beans, you will find it bit difficult to market them in USA since it is not known so well nor widely sold here. you might need to give some samples to your main customers to try them out first.

also, I am sure that you will have to bring them in small size, a pallet or even less. A pallet will hold about 20 bags (100 lbs), but even that might be too much. so if you bring them in small q'ty, let say about 5 bags, you will probably bring them in by air. please make it sure to use grainpro, yet vacuum pack will be the best. vacuum pack comes in 30 kgs and 15 kgs.

again, the worst thing about this will be freight cost + handling charges from Thailand and USA end, including inland trucking..etc.
please calculate your cost & sales pricing very carefully and ask your customers in advance to make it sure they are marketable.

thanks and good luck to you.
PS: if you are bring them in, please let me know. I would love to buy and try some out, just few pounds for my own family and my company members in Guatemala. take care.

 

[Barrie_1860]

Nucer, when you say that the coffee was spicy, do you mean that it perhaps had an additive to the beans or something done during processing? Or was that just the beans flavour after roasting? I've had Oliang (Colb Black Thai coffee) before, which is why I wondered. For Oliang, they add stuff to make it spicy.

 

[Nucer]

I did not notice anything on the beans and did not add anything myself. The beans appeared clean and free of dust or additives. So the spicy taste was complletely from the beans themselves.

 

[ensoluna]

hey Nucer, this is Alex. Just got back from Guatemala trip.
too much of Guatemala coffee for entire month, including so many cuppings with customers.
I AM READY FOR THAILAND COFFEE :+)

when are you getting some for me to buy few pounds off you?
PS: please make it sure not to put any "spice" on them. I rather put them on my own, Kimchi flavor!!! Just kidding!