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Chiang Mai: Thailand's Emerging Coffee Culture Hub

Located in northern Thailand, Chiang Mai has become one of the popular tourist destinations in recent years. What captivates travelers includes not only the historically rich Buddhist temples and scenic landscapes but also the products representing the local leisurely lifestyle culture—coffee. As Thailand's second-largest city has continuously expanded its coffee industry in recent years, striving to develop from production, roasting to trade and retail, this has deepened the relationship between coffee and Chiang Mai, making it a local cultural特色 that people take pride in.

The main coffee beans produced in Thailand are Arabica. Chiang Mai, situated in northern Thailand, is one of the few cities in the country with a relatively cool climate, where at least one or two months of the year don't have to endure scorching weather, so both hot and cold coffee have considerable market support locally.

The Royal Project Foundation

The successful development of Thailand's Arabica coffee bean market can be attributed to the Thai Royal Project initiated by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1969, which included the "Northern Thai Mountain Agricultural Development Plan." This encouraged local people to invest in sustainable industries, aiming to replace opium with high-value economic crops, reduce "slash and burn" agricultural practices related to opium production, thereby alleviating poverty and combating drugs while creating an eco-friendly economy.

From Forest Crop to Cultural Phenomenon

As a forest crop, coffee production and exports have fluctuated since 1970. According to statistics from the International Coffee Organization (ICO) for the 2015-16 period, Thailand exported 500,000 bags (60kg each) of coffee during that period. However, domestic consumption alone reached 1.2 million bags. It's evident that under strong demand, Chiang Mai inevitably faces considerable impact.

Today, strolling along Nimman Avenue in Chiang Mai, it's no longer as easy to encounter locals selling coffee as before. Instead, you'll find various glass-windowed coffee shops offering free wifi, or mobile coffee trucks parked roadside. In the city, besides the presence of large coffee chain Starbucks, there are also many exquisite specialty shops where coffee enthusiasts can indulge. Here are some noteworthy recommendations:

Featured Coffee Shops

Nine One Coffee

Located on Nimman Avenue, Nine One Coffee's story originated when local owner Wullop Pasananon acquired a piece of land in the suburbs of Chiang Mai. He learned that this land had geographical advantages quite suitable for coffee cultivation, so he planned to use this land to create a business. After diligent research and learning, he not only managed to handle coffee cultivation, roasting, and brewing himself but also engaged in wholesale sales to surrounding shops due to enthusiastic demand, thus making his business increasingly successful.

Akha Ama

Another equally representative coffee shop in Chiang Mai—Akha Ama—has a name with two meanings, combining the coffee-producing mountains and the Akha word for "mother." This lovely small shop is located in the ancient city area. Besides selling coffee, it also serves as a green coffee production and roasting hub. Lee Ayu Chuepa, a northern Thai native, has considerable influence in Chiang Mai's coffee industry, helping the local coffee industry adhere to the "seed-to-cup" concept. It's known that Lee was invited to speak at TED. Currently, his coffee shop has gained fame both domestically and internationally.

Asama Café

Relatively speaking, Asama Café seems to be located in a more remote location, with some travelers sharing that it takes quite a while to find by car. However, it must be emphasized that this is also a specialty coffee shop recommended by many coffee enthusiasts. The pink exterior wall with a wooden shop sign is exactly this shop's distinctive feature. The shop has an outdoor café where you can see two sets of Kees van der Westen coffee machines. Inside the shop, you can overlook a calm and beautiful lake through spacious large windows. The shop owner Mook has impressive credentials, holding a World Barista Championship (WBC) certificate. The shop sells roasted coffee from famous sources around the world.

Ristr8to Lab

The shop's inspiration comes from Australia and San Francisco, filled with a strong industrial-chic artistic style, and currently has three retail coffee shops in Chiang Mai. It's reported that the young owner Arnon Thitiprasert went to Australia to work in coffee shops, later gaining fame through participating in latte art competitions, which also made Ristr8to a pilgrimage site for coffee fans both domestically and internationally. The three shops each have their own theme: the home-roasting laboratory, Cult Coffee & Coffee focusing on coffee-based alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and Satan Coffee Corner mainly providing various handcrafted single-origin coffees. If tourists are lucky enough, they might have the opportunity to taste exquisite foam coffee personally prepared by Arnon Thitiprasert.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473