Thailand · Chiang Mai · Fermented Natural
Thailand doesn't export much specialty coffee. Cafés there have multiplied faster than farms, so most of the good coffee gets drunk at home. This lot is an exception. It comes from Khun Tuen, in the Omkoi District of Chiang Mai province near the Myanmar border. Smallholder farmers here grow their coffee in the shade of taller trees, in rich red soil.
The farmers bring their cherries to a wet mill run by Big Black Box Company, a Thai team that has been winning local competitions since 2020. Within 48 hours of picking, the cherries are floated in water so the lighter, lower-quality ones can be skimmed off. The rest sit in bags for a 72-hour controlled ferment. Then they're spread thin on raised beds, sorted by hand again, and turned three times a day until dry. That ferment is where the fruit comes from.
The variety is Catimor, a hardy tree that grows all over the world. It isn't rare. What makes this coffee is the processing.
In the cup, raspberry hard candy leads. Limoncello brings a bright, sparkling acidity, lilac adds a floral note, and it finishes long and sweet on chocolate hazelnut.
The result is punchy and fruit-forward but surprisingly clean. Lots of fruit, without the funk some naturals have.
On resting: Our coffees are roasted to order. For the first couple of weeks after roasting, the coffee keeps releasing CO2. As it settles, harsh or roasty edges soften and the sweetness comes forward. Coffees like this one, grown lower and less dense than high-altitude lots, settle faster. We recommend resting this one at least 7 days after the roast date. It usually tastes best between 2 and 4 weeks.
