A Brief History of Myanmar's Coffee Industry: Why is Myanmar Coffee Affordable? Myanmar Coffee Brand Recommendations

In recent years Myanmar's coffee industry has begun to shine on the international stage through the joint efforts of the Myanmar Agriculture Department, USAID, the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) and the country's hardworking farmers. When British missionaries brought the first coffee trees from Costa Rica nearly a century ago, the industry was like a newly hatched chick; today it is a thriving sector with abundant production. OGS works closely with Myanmar's specialty coffee producers, dedicated to supplying roasters with high-quality Myanmar beans for customers who want to explore a different or new producing region.

Myanmar's geography places it next to an unusually diverse set of neighbours: India, Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal to the west; China, Laos and Thailand to the east; the Himalayas to the north; and the Andaman Sea to the south. Few countries share borders with such a varied group.

A Brief History of Myanmar Coffee

1885: British missionaries plant the first coffee trees in Myanmar.

1936: Myanmar exports 95 tons of coffee.

1952: The S-795 variety is introduced near the town of Pyin Oo Lwin in the Mandalay region.

1986: The Government of Myanmar (GOM) launches a national coffee cultivation program and imports the T8667 and Catuai varieties from Costa Rica.

2015: With assistance from the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI), Winrock International and USAID, Myanmar holds its first National Cupping Competition in Yangon, markedly improving quality from cultivation through post-processing.

2016: Myanmar coffee makes its debut at the SCAA annual conference in Atlanta, USA.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), northern Myanmar has high-quality red-soil plateaus and other soils above 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) suitable for coffee, along with 1,500 to 2,500 centimeters (59 to 79 inches) of well-distributed average rainfall and the distinct dry season that coffee needs. That gives the country the potential to produce the maximum quantity of high-quality Arabica coffee.

Myanmar's Coffee Growing Environment

Cultivating and producing high-quality coffee depends on several important environmental factors, among them altitude and temperature, rainfall and water supply, soil, aspect and slope.

Altitude

Altitude influences several key environmental factors, so when defining the ideal growing environment it should be considered first, alongside temperature, rainfall and water supply, soil, aspect and slope.

Arabica must grow above 1,000 meters; low-altitude Arabica does not meet the requirements of the global market. Myanmar's coffee estates and micro-farms typically sit between 1,100 and 2,200 meters, and in remote areas such as Chin and Kachin States coffee is grown at altitudes of 2,800 meters.

Temperature

Arabica prefers a cool environment, with the most suitable daily average temperature between 20-24°C (68-75°F); Pyin Oo Lwin averages 19.7°C (67.5°F). Above 30°C (86°F) photosynthesis in the coffee tree can stop, while average temperatures below 15°C (59°F) inhibit growth and lead to inferior quality. Because Arabica is highly susceptible to frost damage, adequate shade trees are needed to reduce the risk.

Myanmar's Rainfall and Water Supply

The ideal annual rainfall for Arabica is over 1,200 to 1,500 centimeters (47 to 60 inches), and both the total and its distribution matter equally. Pyin Oo Lwin receives 1,400 centimeters (55 inches) a year.

Shade Trees

Myanmar's coffee estates commonly use silver oak as shade trees. Besides providing wind protection, silver oak serves several other important functions. In the dry season its shade protects young coffee trees from drought stress and excessive sun. Shading also helps the trees stay balanced through flowering and fruit development and can reduce the likelihood of frost damage. Fallen leaves and pruned branches from the silver oak generate organic matter and nutrients, continuously supplying the micronutrients that keep the soil healthy.

Varieties

Several coffee varieties have been planted and tested in Myanmar's main growing regions. The main cultivated varieties today are SL-34, S795, Catuai and T8667.

T8667

Country: Costa Rica

Growth Habit: Short

Cupping Quality: Good, with herbal and fruit-peel aromas

Notes: Large fruits and coffee beans

S795

Country: India

Growth Habit: Tall, upright and open

Cupping Quality: Excellent overall performance with mocha flavor

Notes: Large fruits

Catuai

Country: Brazil, a cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra

Growth Habit: Short, dwarf plant

Cupping Quality: Good bean quality, excellent bean size

Notes: High-yield plant

SL-34

Country: Kenya (selected from French Mission)

Growth Habit: Tall, upright and open

Cupping Quality: Known for excellent sweetness, balance and complex acidity

Notes: Large fruits

Cultural Introduction

Most of Myanmar's coffee growing areas are hilly and tribal. The people working the cultivation farms have lived and worked in these hills for generations, so they understand the local land instinctively and know how to farm it for the most perfect results. Perhaps because most Myanmar people center their lives on great temples, their simple way of life keeps them cheerful and friendly by nature.

Chemicals and Pesticides

Myanmar coffee contains no chemicals or pesticides. Farmers use natural fertilizers from cattle and chickens and focus on sustainable land development; in the Southern Shan State region in particular, the use of chemicals and pesticides is strictly prohibited.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Myanmar coffee is prized for being sweet, smooth and easy to drink, with a mild rather than sharp acidity - a balanced, medium-roast profile. FrontStreet's medium-roast lineup is the closest match. FrontStreet Brazil Queen Estate comes from Brazil, the world's largest coffee producer, and is a distinctive local Yellow Bourbon: gentle and sweet, a medium roast brings out creamy peanut, chocolate, toast and sugarcane, and it suits pour-over, moka pot and espresso machine alike.

If you want something sweeter, FrontStreet Strawberry Candy is built for fruit: it blends a honey-processed Costa Rican coffee with a washed Panamanian Geisha and is roasted medium to balance orange-blossom honey against rounded sweetness, and it works for cold brew, pour-over and espresso. For a more classic balance, FrontStreet 2013 Natural Typica is a Chinese specialty representative with an authentic Yunnan small-grain character, roasted medium to keep its nut, brown sugar, red tea and dried apricot flavors gentle and even; it handles pour-over, cold brew and drip with ease. And FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1, grown from the Typica variety, is the benchmark for balance - a medium roast fuses its distinctive acidity, bitterness, sweetness and body into an elegant whole, with chocolate, roasted nuts, cream and caramel right from the first sip.