Kaffair Boran (thai Traditional Coffee)

[buadhai]

I've been doing Kaffair Boran (traditional Thai coffee) at home for several months now; sock filter and all.

After sampling several brands I'm convinced that all of them are infused with caramel or some other coloring/sweetening agent.

I concluded this based on the flavor of the brew before adding milk or sugar and because the label on some of the Khao Shong (sp?) instant coffee says that it contains caramel.

Does anyone know for certain whether or not this is true and if it is possible to buy traditional Thai ground coffee that does not contain anything but ground coffee?

[sabaijai]

I've been doing Kaffair Boran (traditional Thai coffee) at home for several months now; sock filter and all.

After sampling several brands I'm convinced that all of them are infused with caramel or some other coloring/sweetening agent.

I concluded this based on the flavor of the brew before adding milk or sugar and because the label on some of the Khao Shong (sp?) instant coffee says that it contains caramel.

Does anyone know for certain whether or not this is true and if it is possible to buy traditional Thai ground coffee that does not contain anything but ground coffee?

Traditional Thai coffee, I assume you mean the kind that comes already ground in big cans or in plastic bags? It may have sugar added, or a sugar syrup. Caramel is of course simply sugar that has been heated slowly till it melts and browns, so perhaps that's the form the sugar takes since it then doubles as as a colouring agent. I believe there are other (natural) additives in traditional Thai coffee.

If you don't want that caramel taste, try buying roasted whole beans and grinding them yourself. Or just buy regular ground coffee, from beans grown in Thailand - not quite as cheap as the canned/bagged stuff, but a lot tastier.

[buadhai]

I wouldn't mind grinding my own if I could find reasonably priced whole beans here in Korat. I pay 30 baht for 800 grams of the ground coffee. The cheapest beans I've seen cost almost ten times as much, by weight.

I drink a lot of coffee and I'm a fixed-income retired geezer, so price is important.

[sabaijai]

Here in Chiang Mai you can buy green (unroasted) beans very cheaply, since a lot of coffee is grown in the north, then roast and grind them yourself to save money. Still might not be quite as cheap as 30B per 800g.

I have a feeling all the cheap stuff is mixed with coffee and also ground tamarind seeds for colour.