Doi Saket, Thailand

Origin

• 🇹🇭 Thailand

Tasting notes

Character

• Experimental
  50
• Funky
  40

Region: Chiang Mai Producer: Intakad Family, Beanspire Altitude: 1350 MASL Process: Anaerobic NaturalAnaerobic fermentationCherries or depulped seeds ferment in sealed, oxygen-free tanks. Produces intense, unusual flavors — cinnamon, bubblegum, boozy fruit — that divide opinion. VarietyVariety (cultivar)The botanical subtype of the coffee plant — Gesha, Bourbon, SL28 — analogous to grape varieties in wine. A major driver of cup character alongside origin and process.: Yellow BourbonBourbonOne of the two foundational arabica varieties (with Typica), named after Île Bourbon (Réunion). Sweet, balanced, caramel-leaning; parent of countless modern cultivars. (Mayaguez 139) Tasting NotesTasting notesThe flavors a roaster perceives in the cup — 'jasmine, apricot, black tea'. Descriptive associations, not ingredients: nothing is added to the coffee.: HoneyHoney processThe skin is removed but some sticky fruit mucilage is left on during drying. Lands between washed and natural: more sweetness and body than washed, cleaner than natural., Almond Biscotti, Yellow Plum About Doi Saket Doi Saket in Chiang Mai is one of Thailand’s earliest Arabica-growing regions. Coffee was introduced here in the 1970s by the late Thai King as part of an initiative to replace opium plantations and strengthen the agricultural economy. Some of the country’s oldest coffee trees are still found in this region, growing at elevations between 1,300 and 1,500 metres above sea level. Doi Saket is also a region of ongoing innovation and growth, as a new generation of young producers enters agriculture with a long-term view, often leaving city jobs to take over their parents’ farms. Among this new wave of producers are husband and wife Nui and Aoy, based in Baan Pong, Doi Saket. Both left their city careers, with Nui trained as an engineer and Aoy as an accountant, to return home nearly eight years ago and revitalise the family farm. Beanspire is a Thai exporter that works closely with farmers to develop their coffee through processing support, dry milling, and by facilitating access to international specialty markets. Since the mid-2010s, they have worked to address challenges related to infrastructure, perception, and economics that have historically worked against producers. One of their initiatives is guiding farmers to make the most of the area’s old cultivars, such as TypicaTypicaThe oldest cultivated arabica lineage, ancestor of most Latin American coffee. Low yield, clean and sweet cup; the baseline other varieties are measured against. and Bourbon, rather than replacing them entirely with modern hybrids. In doing so, they demonstrate that even with lower yields, these trees are rare assets capable of producing distinctive coffees and commanding premium prices when handled with care. Nui and Aoy partnered with Beanspire on a long-term project to produce coffee with a more intentional focus on processing and quality. One such example is this anaerobic natural lot, where ripe cherries were selectively picked in the morning and p