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As one of the closest coffee-growing countries closest to the Philippines, Thailand is a must-visit destination for traveling caffeine junkies.
For
those who can’t live without their caffeine fix, the search is
always on for a good cup of joe. Next-level coffee junkies, however,
take their caffeine obsession to a different level. They visit coffee
plantations, pick cherries, learn how to roast, and join coffee
cupping activities. In fact, the taste of coffee in the places they
visit are some of the most defining moments of their experiences.
If you
are a traveler seeking this kind of experience overseas, Thailand is
one of the closest coffee-growing countries you can visit. Though
Thailand is not often linked to world-famous coffee, it is home to
many plantations where your coffee dreams can come true. Aside from
giving you a taste of Thailand’s unique coffee origins, this
country’s farm tours have fascinating stories to tell.
From
bean to cup: a glimpse and taste of history
Thailand’s
burgeoning coffee industry scene had a unique role to play in the
Southeast Kingdom’s history and development. For many years, the
highlands where Arabica coffee was grown used to be bleak and barren.
This
is because the tribal communities who lived there survived from
slash-and-burn agriculture, which resulted in massive deforestation
and the depletion of food sources. Poverty drove them to opium
cultivation, drug trafficking, and heroin production. It took
interventions from Thailand’s royal family to turn the tribespeople
from opium to coffee, which now provides a source of livelihood for
these communities.
One
such coffee plantation is Suan Lahu located north of Chiang Mai,
where you can have a short four-hour visit, a day tour, or even an
overnight stay with a host from the Lahu tribe, giving you the
opportunity to immerse in the tribe’s way of life. Here you can go
on a guided hike with the locals, pick coffee cherries, observe
coffee processing, and even roast your own Arabica. From January to
December, you can even enjoy traditional campfires.
Doi
Tung in Chiang Rai Province is another of these opium farms turned
coffee plantations. This community located at 1,389 meters above sea
level is home to more than 3.5 million trees, a source of livelihood
for almost 900 families. Doi Tung’s farm to cup experience immerses
you in different aspects of coffee production, from cherry picking to
roasting and tasting. Aside from its coffee farms and facilities, Doi
Tung is also home to the Mae Fah Luang Arboretum where you can find
thousands of unique temperate plants.
Doi
Chang is one of Chiang Rai’s must-visit destinations for coffee
junkies.
Another
possible destination in Chiang Rai is the village of Doi Chang, which
is situated in an altitude of up to 1,700 meters above sea level. At
the village’s coffee shop, you can take a sip of the organic,
single origin coffee while enjoying the fresh mountain breeze. The
nearby museum called Academy of Coffee lets you learn more about the
region’s produce. Outside the museum, you can look at the coffee
trees filling hills and plots owned by local families. Finally,
there’s the coffee processing plant, which you can see at work
during the main coffee season.
Some of the
world’s finest
Many
of Thailand’s coffee farm tours immerse you in a journey from bean
to cup.
Thailand’s coffee
farms don’t only give you a glimpse of the coffee’s journey from
bean to cup. They also produce some of the world’s best coffee.
Doi
Chang, for example, is home to free-range, stress-free civets that
eat only the ripest, sweetest cherries. These undigested beans are
infused with the flavors of the civet’s diet and the enzymes in the
its stomach. When roasted, these beans have the flavor profile of
citrus-toned acidity, cedary dark chocolate, and raisiny fruit.
The
social enterprise Akha Ama Coffee in Chiang Mai, which also hosts a
three-day Coffee Journey with the local Akha tribe, has also produced
award-winning coffee. Known for its distinct citrus notes and
acidity, Akha Ama’s coffee was selected for the World Cup Tasters
Championship in 2010 and 2011.
While
visiting these coffee farms let you enjoy delicious coffee, it also
lets you support local communities who are making a living and
preserving their heritage. This makes your #THAImazing story both
memorable and meaningful.
To
know more about Thailand’s coffee farm tours, visit
www.tourismthailand.org,
or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TATPhilippines.
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