Thai Coffee Culture and Thai Coffee History_What Coffee Brands Exist in Thailand Besides Starbucks?

Thai people love drinking coffee, though not with the romantic Western sentiment that "life should be wasted on beautiful things." Their coffee culture is closer to Taiwan's tea culture.

Coffee entered human life in the 14th century, and its name comes from England. In many languages, including Chinese, the word for coffee derives from the English "Coffee." Thailand only began to formally recognize coffee around the early 19th century. Although Thailand came into contact with coffee relatively late, it has become a country that loves coffee!

A Brief History of Thai Coffee

The first coffee tree entered Thailand in 1824, but it was planted within the palace grounds. Ordinary people could not even see it, let alone drink it. Although itinerant merchants brought small amounts of coffee into the Thai market at that time, ordinary people still did not recognize coffee.

Later, in 1904, Robusta (coffee beans that can grow at low latitudes) officially entered Thailand. A merchant, Mr. Ti-Moon, introduced coffee and planted it in Slongklar. This was also the first time Thai people encountered coffee face-to-face. Since coffee had no name in Thailand at the time, people simply called it "Coffee." Due to accent differences, it gradually became "Ka-Fare," and eventually the name stuck. A book from that era even recorded: "Ka Fare - small tree seeds from abroad, soaked in hot water and drunk like tea."

By 1976, Thailand had become a coffee-exporting country, selling an average of 850 tons of Robusta annually on the international market.

When coffee costs rose in 1980, the Thai government did not abandon coffee as an economic crop but continued to support farmers in developing Robusta. Thailand went on to export even more coffee.

By 1987, coffee had become a ubiquitous beverage in Thailand, but the total amount consumed by Thai people was not as high as one might imagine. At that time, Thais consumed only 500 grams of coffee per person per year on average. In 1988, Thailand launched its first instant coffee, produced by Nestlé, which solved two major problems in the Thai (and wider Asian) market: first, Thai people did not like grinding their own coffee and brewing it; second, coffee shops were too expensive for the Thai blue-collar class.

Canned coffee then began to appear and became very popular because it was inexpensive, accessible, and easy to drink.

Delicious Coffee in Thailand Besides Starbucks

Thai coffee usually does not use syrup the way Starbucks does. Many Thai coffees use condensed milk. Thai people are avid users of condensed milk - many desserts must include it, and coffee is no exception. Using condensed milk instead of sugar and creamer makes the flavor very rich. This is why people who have lived in Thailand for a long time feel that Taiwanese coffee tastes like water with only coffee flavoring when they return to Taiwan - because Thai palates prefer strong flavors!

Thai "Yuanyang" (Coffee Tea)

"Yuanyang" is also called coffee tea in Southeast Asia - it is coffee and tea mixed together. After drinking it, I felt it could compete with energy drinks...

When I drank this Yuanyang, it was around one o'clock in the afternoon, and it kept me up all night that day. (I am usually someone who can sleep soundly even after drinking coffee at night - a true coffee addict...)

Yuanyang can be served hot or iced.

This Yuanyang is not very easy to find in Thailand. So far, I have seen it in a traditional market in western Thailand, but it is really rare elsewhere. However, there is a 24-hour coffee shop in Bangkok called Baan Rai Coffee in the Ekkamai area that sells it.

Coffee lovers visiting Thailand can go there and give it a try!

Coffee World

Coffee World uses syrup like Starbucks, but its coffee is richer than Starbucks.

The price is similar to Starbucks, and I personally prefer Coffee World.

S&P Blue Cup

S&P Blue Cup also uses syrup. S&P actually started with baked goods only, later began making meals and microwave foods, and then launched its own coffee brand called Blue Cup.

S&P also runs promotions where you can buy one get one free one day each month. Below are this year's dates - everyone can go on those days to get the deals.

Actually, I think Black Canyon's food is better than their coffee, so I will introduce their food properly next time.

Popular Affordable Coffee Brands

Next, I will introduce several very popular affordable coffee brands that use condensed milk instead of syrup.

Coffee Today was originally found in hypermarkets, near department store supermarkets, and even in traditional markets. Now you can see it has storefronts in certain places.

Amazon! My favorite! This coffee shop's coffee is fragrant and strong! The key point is that it is not expensive.

It was originally found in PTT gas stations, but now it has also entered major department stores. However, the prices at gas stations and department stores are different.

Chao Doi coffee also uses condensed milk instead of syrup, and its flavor is also very rich and strong.

The Main Event: Black Ivory Coffee

There is a type of coffee that exists only in Thailand, and one cup costs fifty US dollars (over 1,000 Taiwanese dollars).

It is called Black Ivory Coffee.

Black Ivory Coffee is an "exquisite" coffee produced exclusively by a company in northern Thailand (the Black Ivory Coffee Company...). The production method is very special. First, high-quality Arabica coffee beans are fed to elephants. After the elephants excrete the coffee beans, the beans are picked out from the feces - roughly completing the process. This entire digestion process takes 15 to 70 hours. Black Ivory Coffee mainly uses the elephant's stomach acid to break down the proteins in the coffee beans, turning them into semi-digested coffee beans. This removes bitterness and enhances aroma. Fermentation with other plants in the elephant's stomach gives the coffee its unique flavor.

Yes,

that is right,

let me repeat,

it is coffee beans picked from elephant feces.

In Thailand, Black Ivory Coffee is mainly sold to 5-star hotels and ultra-luxury resorts. Internationally, civet coffee beans cost about $500 per pound, while Black Ivory Coffee costs $50 per cup. The main reason it is so expensive is that from 70 pounds of Arabica coffee beans processed (fed to elephants), only 2 pounds remain that can be brewed, and the entire process relies entirely on manual labor.

Someone must ask whether caffeine harms elephants. The answer is no.

Because the coffee beans used are Arabica beans with low caffeine content, about 1% only (Robusta has twice as much), and raw coffee beans have an outer skin protecting the coffee oil inside. In addition, the coffee beans need to be roasted at 200 degrees and fermented at 93 degrees. The elephants have all had blood tests to prove that coffee beans are harmless to them. In fact, elephants themselves consume coffee beans in the wild.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Thai-style condensed-milk coffee has sparked your curiosity about the wider coffee world, FrontStreet Coffee's Arabica lineup is a natural next step. FrontStreet's Huakui is a naturally processed Ethiopian bean with a bold tropical-fruit character, while the Yirgacheffe Guttiti Cooperative is a washed Ethiopian G1 known for elegant white florals and bright citrus. For a more classic cup, the Jamaican Blue Mountain No.1 and the Panama Red Label Geisha show off balance and layered florals respectively.