Anybody Know How I Can Get Some Doi Chaang Coffee Beans Sent To Me?

[Lopburi99]

Hi all,

I ran out of my Doi Chaang whole coffee beans which I grind for use in my french press. They come in silver plastic bags, two sizes I am aware of. I bought a big bag in Chanthaburi but won't be back there for a few weeks to get another. Buying online would be fine, or doing a bank transfer to a shop willing to send by post to me.

Doi Chaang coffee I understand is community grown, shipped to Canada for roasting, then shipped both back here and worldwide. It is great.

Thanks.

[TongueThaied]

I cannot help you with that brand, and have to admit that since coffee begins to deteriorate at the moment it is roasted, I can't see the highest quality coffee being roasted in Canada and then shipped back here. How old is it. I use an excellent coffee grown in the north by a Hilltribe group. I admit that I am a bit of a coffee snob. Here is my blurb that I have put on here before:

How to Store Coffee

I confess I am a bit of a coffee snob. I enjoy drinking fresh roasted and ground coffee each morning, and insist on grinding the beans myself. I wrestled with the coffee thing for a couple years after arriving here (Phitsanulok). At first I could not even find whole beans, then discovered Doi Tung at Lotus, but at 250 baht for 200 grams, the price was ridiculous. Also, it had been on the shelf several weeks since roasting and was not fresh. I drove up to Chiang Rai and went to the Doi Tung facility, got their contact info and began buying 5 kg at a time (their minimum) from them, but it came routed through Bangkok. It was still fresher than the off-the-shelf stuff, but at 700 baht/kg, it was still expensive, too. Then one day about two years ago I was driving north from Phitsanulok and stopped at a little roadside hill tribe coffee shop called Landoy Coffee. It was in Uttaridit or somewhere.

The coffee was delicious, so I asked about buying beans by mail, she said yes, and I have been one happy coffee drinker ever since. Their coffee is nothing less than outstanding. They grow it somewhere in Chiang Rai. It has had a couple of price increases since I started doing business with them (was 350 baht/kg), but is still a bargain at 450 baht/kg (for Thailand, anyway). I think their price has now gone up, but they have held it at 450 for me as a continuing customer. You might have to pay 500. The beans are large and uniform (number 2). It comes packed in convenient 500 gram Mylar sacks, and I order 4 kg. each time (8 sacks). You MUST request the 500 gram sacks, as they also pack in larger sacks, which is not good for the non-commercial consumer. They send it by post collect, which costs about 200 baht. When I open the last 500 gram sack (must ask for this size when ordering), I have my wife who speaks Thai call them to place another order. I highly recommend these people. Their quality has proven consistent and they have proven themselves completely reliable. They tend to roast a little dark, so if you order a medium roast, it will be nearer medium/dark (like a French roast), which is perfect for me. After you order the first time, you can adjust your roast request to your tastes. The beans are roasted to order, so they are extremely fresh when they arrive -- much fresher than anything you will ever find on a store shelf. I have attached their business card. Just tell them the farang named John from Phitsanulok sent you. If you feel four kilos is too much, they may be willing to ship three, or perhaps you can share an order with a friend.

Some people worry about the coffee staying fresh. If the Mylar sacks are UNOPENED, you can (must) freeze them and they are perfectly preserved. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER open a frozen Mylar sack as moisture will immediately condense on the beans, and moisture is the enemy of coffee beans. After the sack reaches room temperature, I open it and immediately put the contents in a Tupperware container that holds exactly a half kilo. NEVER refrigerate this Tupperware, as moisture will condense on the beans every time you open it. Leave it at room temperature. Half a kilo lasts me about a 5-7 days. When I fill the grinder with the last of the coffee from the Tupperware, I take another sack out of the freezer to thaw for the next morning. Using this method, the last sack is as tasty as the first. And as I said, if you place a new order when you take the last sack from the freezer, it will arrive right on time.

One more thing. For the best coffee, get a burr grinder like the Krups sold by Central World and ThaiMart. Well worth every baht if you like great coffee. Blade grinders get the coffee overheated during grinding and do not grind uniformly; the coffee tastes like shit. If you use a blade grinder and wonder why your coffee is not that great, well, it's the grinder, don't blame the beans.

Enjoy.

[Lopburi99]

I do recall reading that somewhere before TongueThaied, but I appreciate reading it again now. I am tempted to try your exact method but I confess I may not completely recognize the improved quality, similar to a fine wine guru giving (er, selling) me a bottle of his favorite wine.

Last night I was sent a pm by an extremely gracious TV member who offered to buy and ship me some Doi Chaang beans. I am hopeful I can someday return a favor his way.

Lop