How is Lao Coffee? Which Brands of Lao Coffee Are Good? How to Make Lao Coffee Delicious?

One of the Twelve Best Coffees in the World

The history of Lao coffee reaches back to the early twentieth century, when French colonial rule introduced coffee to Laos. Many experts were also sent to help Lao farmers improve their cultivation and roasting techniques, which is how today's world-renowned Lao coffee came to be. Lao Arabica is counted among the twelve best coffees in the world. Alan, the owner of DELTA Manor, who runs his plantation with genuine affection, donates his revenue to primary schools. Oukelao buys all the green coffee from the manor, with 30% of revenue returned to the local community for public welfare, and he insists on irrigating his coffee trees with natural organic compost. Combined with the unique volcanic rock soil of the Lao Bolaven Plateau, the coffee cherries grow large and plump, a labor of love planted by people with real passion for this land.

36 Dimensions of Coffee

Taste Description

The taste is delicate and rich, with a very prominent sugar-like sweetness and no acidity. The aroma is complex, the thickness moderate, and the finish carries floral notes and a sweet aftertaste.

Laos is a singular country, full of French romance yet tempered by the passage of war. Perhaps it is this refinement born of hardship that lets its flavors rise again and spread their fragrance once more.

1. History of Lao Coffee

Laos was once a French colonial region, and its coffee industry can be traced back 100 years to the French colonial era. At that time the French found that the soil of the Lao Bolaven Plateau was rich in minerals and that the plateau's altitude gave coffee trees an excellent growing environment. They therefore introduced coffee cultivation techniques and began planting large numbers of trees here.

During World War II the Bolaven Plateau was caught up in war. The French left Laos one after another, and afterwards the plateau fell into internal strife and external conflict. The soil also suffered heavy metal pollution from gunpowder shells and other materials. The ruling communist government of the time further treated coffee as a product of capitalism, and Lao coffee cultivation and production declined rapidly as a result.

In recent years, as the Lao government has gradually opened private industry, Lao coffee has been rising again. Sinouk Sisombat, president of the Lao Coffee Association, sent samples from the first harvest of Bolaven Plateau coffee to a coffee research institution in Montpellier, southern France, for quality evaluation. The positive verdict that came back allowed Lao coffee to emerge on the market.

2. Lao Coffee Culture and Style

Lao coffee beans have become one of the country's important agricultural exports, and the harder-to-grow Arabica accounts for one-third of production.

Lao coffee is produced mainly by family-run smallholders, and processing techniques still have room to improve. There are few large corporate plantations, and the country's coffee potential needs further development through cooperation between the public and private sectors. Even so, the coffee's flavor is mild and smooth with appropriate acidity, making it a good choice.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Lao coffee's signature is a mild, low-acid cup with a sugar-like sweetness and a floral finish, and the same easy-drinking quality runs through FrontStreet Coffee's single-origin list. FrontStreet Huakui is the most vivid example: an Ethiopian heirloom from the Hambela area, naturally processed, with a soft floral top note and loud tropical fruit, including cream strawberry, mango, jackfruit, citrus, and blueberry, the ripe fruit character typical of FrontStreet's sundried Sidamo beans. It took first place in that year's TOH green bean competition, and it balances drinkability with price.

If you prefer a cleaner, more citrus-driven cup, FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Geddid Cooperative is the washed counterpart, an Ethiopian G1 lot with elegant white florals and bright citrus, showing orange, lemon, and a green tea finish. For a sweeter, rounder contrast, FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 offers a very even, gentle cup with no single note dominating, much like the balance Lao coffee is prized for.

For a mild, sweet profile like these, a medium grind and water around 90-91°C work well. Use a 1:15 ratio, bloom for about 30 seconds, then pour in two or three stages to keep the sweetness forward and the bitterness low.