Is Coffee the Most Famous Thing in Laos? Introduction to Laos Coffee Varieties, Cultivation, Flavor Characteristics, and Taste Profile

Introduction to Lao Coffee

Before the Taiwanese coffee company "Oklao" appeared, Laotian coffee produced in Laos was rarely seen in Taiwan's green bean trade.

Coffee cultivation in Laos, however, began before World War II. In 1927, 90% of the production from Laos' Bolaven Volcano was exported to French companies and sold in Europe.

Laos is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. The Bolaven Volcano Plateau and its surroundings possess precious volcanic soil and geographical conditions.

In 2002, the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development (CIRAD) stated that Lao coffee beans are among the world's finest.

Although Lao coffee beans are still rarely seen in major international competitions or evaluations, their quality is evident.

Coffee Growing Conditions

Coffee is Laos' fifth-largest export product. The Bolaven Plateau in the south is the country's largest coffee growing region, producing about 95% of Laos' coffee. The growing area lies at 15 degrees north latitude, at elevations from 600 to 1300 meters, covering over 500 square kilometers. With abundant sunshine and rainfall, cool temperatures and fertile, slightly acidic volcanic soil, these are excellent growing conditions with the potential to produce large quantities of high-quality Arabica. Lao coffee has a rich, mellow flavor with hints of mild citrus and floral aroma.

Historical Development

In the 1920s, the French transplanted three coffee varieties, Arabica, Robusta and Liberica, from Vietnam to Laos for cultivation. A major frost in 1949 then killed coffee trees on a large scale. Farmers abandoned disease-prone Arabica and low-priced Liberica and switched to the more disease-resistant Robusta. According to 2001 data, 34,000 hectares of farmland and 23,000 families were engaged in coffee production, with 88% Robusta and 12% Arabica. This included both low-yield smallholders and systematically managed large estates. Most large estates have their own brands and processing plants. The Lao government has worked with development agencies from various countries to introduce high-yield, high-quality Arabica trees to Laos, raising farmers' incomes.

Harvest Season

October to February each year is the coffee harvest season. If you are interested in visiting coffee plantations, experiencing farmers' lives and hand-picking coffee cherries, consider a trip to Laos in December.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Arabica is the species that makes Lao coffee worth seeking out, and it is also the backbone of the FrontStreet range. Coffee divides simply into three original species, Arabica, Robusta and Liberica, and no coffee grown anywhere escapes those three. Arabica is by far the most varied, with complex and clean flavors, which is why it is the most popular; Robusta is intense and full-bodied, rich in oils, and mainly used in espresso blends and the instant coffee most people first meet. Liberica, having little commercial value, survives mostly in research collections. Almost every specialty coffee on the market today is Arabica, and different origins give it distinctive characteristics.

For the natural side of Arabica, FrontStreet Hua Kui comes from Ethiopia's most common native heirloom varieties, a mix of several unidentified coffee trees, so bean size varies and the cup carries a delicate floral note with especially prominent fruit. Grown with classic natural processing, it shows cream strawberry, mango, jackfruit, citrus and blueberry, the ripe tropical-fruit character typical of FrontStreet's Sidamo natural beans, and it won first place in that year's TOH green bean competition on the strength of exactly this rich berry aroma.

For the washed side, FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Gotiti Cooperative is the counterpart. Yirgacheffe's clean, translucent lemon and citrus profile makes it a cornerstone of washed Arabica. Gotiti village has its own processing station, or cooperative, and the beans sit at Ethiopia's highest grade, G1, showing elegant white florals, citrus, orange and green tea. FrontStreet also offers Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1, a Typica, one of the archetypal Arabica varieties and among the first transplanted from Yemen into India, Indonesia and the Americas. Typica is very balanced, gentle and smooth, with acidity that is never sharp and a full, clean aroma, though it is disease-prone and low-yielding. The Blue Mountain Typica was moved from Martinique to the Jamaican Blue Mountains in the 1720s; over more than 200 years it evolved better disease resistance than ordinary Typica, and FrontStreet's cupping of this bean shows a balance of flavor that no other origin quite matches.