What do you get when you take one of our favorite lots and throw in a dash of attitude? A little bit of something pretty amazing!
For the second year (with many more to come), we’re lucky enough to be able to feature something that highlights a lot of the incredibly hard work that the Thai coffee industry is doing in advancing the quality of Thai coffee. Thailand represents a region with incredibly fortuitous conditions for growing coffee, and in the mountains alongside the northern city of Chiang Mai, the lush forests provide the perfect canopy under which this incredible plant can flourish. Tending to these plants are members of the Akha hill tribe (as well as members of other neighboring hill tribes), who make up many of the inhabitants of tiny villages dotting the mountainside such as Doi Pangkhon.
In Doi Pangkhon, our good friends Fuadi Pitsuwan and Ata Meecheku have been working for years with around 30 or so farmers to improve the quality of Thai coffee, and show the world that there is an incredible potential that exists when everybody works together. And sometimes when incredible minds work together, ideas start to spin, and experiments happen - what you see here is the result of one such effort! Dry processing can be incredibly difficult in an area as humid as Chiang Rai, and it’s very risky to allow for fermentation to occur for as long as it has here, as inclement weather can ruin an entire crop if not cared to correctly. That is why this black honey process is incredibly special. When allowing the beans to ferment with much of the fruit still on it, for quite a long time, we’re left with an incredibly complex, stout-bodied flavor wonderland that needs to be tasted to be believed. From bright citrus to dry white wine, this one has it all, and you won’t want to miss it!
Region: Doi Pangkhon, Chiang Rai
Producer: Meecheku Family
Varietal: Chiang Mai, Catuai, Typica
Process: Black Honey
Altitude: 1250-1500m
Notes: Kumquat, Albariño, Butterscotch
Weight: 12oz / 340g
