Mae Chedi

Thailand: Mae Chedi, Chiang Mai, Washed Syrupy body and brown sugar sweetness combine with a sprinkle of sultanas , raisins and candied citrus peel to remind you of a mince pie. There's a hint of hazelnut and chocolate on the finish too, but it's the dark caramel and dried fruit which lingers on the aftertaste. Watchara Yawirach, 36, leads a cooperative with 19 members in the Mae Chedi area of Chiang Rai. The Mae Chedi region, in the mountainous north-west of Thailand, is traditionally known for tea plantations, with tea being the area’s primary cash crop. The Chiang Mai coffee varietal is a local hybrid - a cross between SL28, Caturra, and Híbrido de Timor. It is a Catimor variant (similar to Colombia and Castillo varietals) that has been backcrossed with SL28 to improve cup quality. This rust-resistant cultivar was developed under the late King Rama IX’s initiative to help hill tribes transition away from opium cultivation in Northern Thailand. Coffee has typically always been a lesser part of farmers’ livelihoods than tea. With the recent rise in demand for specialty coffee, the younger generation of farmers in Mae Chedi have recognised the potential for profitability and begun taking coffee production more seriously. The cooperative comprises a group of exceptional coffee farmers, led through experimentation and innovation by Watchara to yield a really phenomenal harvest this season. With the recent rise in demand for specialty coffee, the younger generation of farmers in Mae Chedi has begun to take coffee production more seriously. This marks the cooperative’s fourth year producing specialty coffee and its second year exporting. The cooperative consists of skilled farmers who have begun using local tea fermentation techniques, adapted for coffee production, in an innovative combination of tradition and modernity. Beanspire also collaborates with the cooperative to experiment with innovative methods, making this coffee one of the finest washed processed coffees from Thailand this season.