Coffee

[Gaybutton]

Many people may not be aware that the mountainous regions of northern Thailand is excellent coffee growing country and there are several Thai brands. Unfortunately, Nescafe instant seems to have cornered the market in far too many Thai restaurants. I don't like it at all. You can get real, good quality brewed coffee at some restaurants and places such as Starbuck's, but in most restaurants forget it. You're going to end up with Nescafe instant, and even then you're lucky if you get more than half a cup in a small coffee cup. And most of the time, if you want a second cup you'll be charged for it. Paying twice for the equivalent of one full cup of coffee, for crappy coffee is not - well - not my cup of tea . . .

In Pattaya, the Foodland grocery store carries coffee beans and has a grinding machine, but it's quite expensive. In many grocery stores there are plenty of different brands to choose from, but again mostly instant.

For me, at home it doesn't take any longer to make a cup of brewed coffee than it does to make instant. Again, many of the import brands of good quality ground coffee for brewing are quite expensive - 300 baht on up for a 250 gram package.

Have you tried any of the Thai brands? I use one called Doi. They have a few varieties. The one I like best is their French Roast. Their 250 gram package costs 118 baht at Makro, but I've seen it in a few other grocery stores as well at a slightly higher price. I know I've seen it at Villa Market and I think I've spotted it at Friendship and Best. That coffee is as good, if not better, than most other coffees I've had in my life and definitely far less expensive than most other brands available in Thailand. It's certainly a hell of a lot better than the Nescafe instant.

Doi French Roast is now my personal favorite. How about you? In Thailand, do you have a favorite?

[thaiworthy]

The marketing of Nescafe in the states has been recently steeped (if you'll pardon the pun). Last month I found 2 free samples of a new brew of their instant coffee wedged in between the Sunday pages of my home-delivered Houston Chronicle! I tried it. What a surprise! It tasted just like the instant coffee I am forced to drink right here in Thailand. I suppose when I am homesick for the LOS, I might try it again, but like GB, it is too easy to brew it from real beans. Perhaps Juan Valdez is live and well and living in Thailand, after all.

[TheCornerBar]

You can buy a Bon Cafe machine for 33000b, then buy the Bon Cafe beans at MAKRO for 76b for a 250g bag. Every cup is ground and brewed fresh. You can adjust the strength of the coffee from espresso to American. I use that machine in the bar.

[Gaybutton]

You can buy a Bon Cafe machine for 33000b.

33,000 baht? I like good coffee, but not that much. I love the cappuccino at Corner Bar, but at home I think I'll be sticking to the Doi and my Mr. Coffee machine clone.

By the way, if you use coffee filters, they're on the expensive side in Thailand too. About 75 baht for a package of 40 of them, a Japanese brand. I hope their factory wasn't washed away in the Tsunami. When I have friends traveling back and forth between the USA and Thailand, I usually ask them to bring back a good sized package of coffee filters for me as part of the CARE package.

[painai2]

Starbucks is my favorite, though they did raise their prices this week. A cup of brewed coffee is now 70 baht. You can get 10 baht off with you own cup, which the TUCCOM branch will keep for you. MacDonald's McCafe at the Avenue does a great coffee latte for only 50 baht. I'm too lazy to brew at home.

[Trongpai]

Doi Tung is not bad, I can drink it, but my favorite is imported Kenya AA. There's several Doi Tung (Starbucks clone) coffee shops spring up around Bangkok. Prices around the same as Starbucks, Black Canyon et al. I find that the Doi Tung shops don't put enough coffee in their cappuccinos. If you buy and brew your own, you have to look hard to find good reasonably priced coffee brewing machines or pots. I use a simple double glass pot thing, put coffee in a filter and put hot water in the top and it drips into the lower glass pot. I bought it at the Emporium a few years ago. It's chipped now and I went back to buy a new one and it was no longer offered. I am still looking around for a new one.

Over at the site of the former Suan Lum Night Bazaar, there's a new modern blue building facing Rama 4 that has a big Doi Tung sign. I thought it was just corporate headquarters, but now there's a big banner saying that they are now open. I'll have to see what's on offer inside.

[richsilver]

Makro also sells several varieties of ground Bon Cafe for under 100 baht for the 250 gram bag. They are really quite good!

[bao-bao]

Coffee beans are usually on the list of things friends ask me to bring them when I'm coming to Thailand. For the last few trips I've packed enough ground beans in an air-tight container to last me personally and I also pack one of those mug-top V-shaped cone filter holders. It seems most places I stay have a hot pot, and I can get my morning coffee before having to dress and go downstairs - or deal with little foil tubes of Nescafe.

I don't care for the business practices of Starbucks* so I avoid them like the plague, but I do enjoy "real" coffee at other places in Thailand.

Thanks for the tip on Doi, though - I've seen the beans, but haven't thought to try bringing some back home to try here. A little pricey, maybe - but worth a try.

*[One oversimplified example: back when Starbucks was getting started a small, family owned coffee outfit called Peets helped them out by roasting their beans for them. Starbucks returned the favor by running roughshod over them via business practices I found unfair. One of the original SB guys now runs Peets, and I understand they're actually trying to buy it now.]

[Gaybutton]

Coffee beans are usually on the list of things friends ask me to bring them when I'm coming to Thailand.

I have a feeling if some of those friends try some of the Thai coffees, that will be the end of them asking you to bring any over. Until I discovered some of these coffees, the only brand I wanted to drink was Maxwell House, from the USA. It's available in Thailand, but very expensive. I used to ask people to bring some for me. But I no longer do. I like these Thai coffees much more than I ever liked Maxwell House and now I have the added bonus of it being far less expensive. And the way the exchange rate is going, that's a good thing.

[atri1666]

I dont care about coffee in LOS because i never saw my favorite brands. I like Hawaii Kona, Jamaica Blue Mountain, Kopi Luwak, Toraja and Altomajo Organic Espresso. All brands without lots of acid. May be a little expensive but good taste.