Thailand Chaiprakarn Black Honey Single Origin Espresso
Our third and final Thai coffee of the season has a juicy and sweet profile with that truly flourishes in espresso form.
This standout coffee was black honey-processed by coffee industry veteran Noi Duongdee from his own processing mill in Chaiprakarn, located in Thailand’s Chiang Mai growing region.
Flavor Profile
Origin
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Tasting Notes
Juicy and sweet with flavors of passionfruit, strawberry candy, and hazelnut.
Roast Level
LightMed LtMedMed DarkDark
Origin Story
Smallholder Producers; Noi Duongdee; Beanspire Coffee
This coffee was processed by coffee industry veteran Noi Duongdee who has been working as a coffee processor for over a decade. Noi worked with one of the pioneering mills in the Thai specialty coffee industry for many years before venturing out to start his own coffee processing plant in Chaiprakarn, Chiang Mai.
Coffee farming is a relatively new industry in Thailand and is proving to be attractive to young farmers and entrepreneurs. Thailand's current coffee history dates back to the 1970s, when an opium eradication project introduced the first coffee trees. Efforts to reforest degraded land and introduce coffee and other crops to replace illicit cultivations have proved to be extremely successful.
We sourced Chaiprokarn Black Honey through our partners at Beanspire Coffee, an exporter founded by Fuadi Pitsuwan and Jane Kittiratanapaiboon, who are part of the young generation moving the Thai coffee industry forward. Thailand is unique as a coffee producing country; the country’s specialty cafe and roaster scene is thriving, and domestic consumption demands regularly outpace the country’s production volume. Only around 5% of Thailand’s specialty coffee is exported each year, while the rest is enjoyed by Thai coffee drinkers.
Altitude
4,100-4,750 feet
Variety
Chiang Mai, Typica, Catuaí
Processing
Black Honey
Why We Love This Coffee
Chiang Mai is Thailand’s northernmost province in what is known as the Golden Triangle, the intersection of the borders with neighboring Myanmar and Laos. The region’s high mountains were once the epicenter of the country’s opium cultivation and smuggling routes, but coffee, banana, coconut, and pineapple crops have replaced illicit farming with environmentally and socially sustainable alternatives.
The city of Chiang Mai is the largest in northern Thailand and has a long history of influence from the various dynasties who have ruled Southeast Asia. Recent reforestation efforts have restored Chiang Mai’s mountains, and Thailand’s young generation sees the potential of farming quality coffee as a path to success for landholders. Farms are located close to cities and are very accessible; this proximity expedites the transitions between processing stages and provides quality assurance.
While there are many variables that contribute to dialing in espresso, here are the parameters that have been yielding the best results in our lab:
1:2.1 coffee to water ratio in 22-24 seconds
Good Coffee, Better Planet
We treasure our relationships in the global coffee community and invest in projects at origin to support our partners in their commitment to environmental sustainability and social welfare. We also invest in reducing our day-to-day impact, through initiatives like energy-efficient Loring Smart Roasters to reduce carbon emissions per batch by 80%.
As a certified B Corporation, we are a leader in sustainable practices that impact people and the planet. This third-party certification requires us to demonstrate transparency and accountability throughout our supply chain and quantify the impact our business creates for our employees, the community, and the environment. We are proud to be part of this community working together toward one unifying goal: using business as a force for good.
HOW TO BREW
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