Ground Coffee

[curber]

This might sound a little stupid but here goes ....we are heading back to Hua Hin this winter ...we bought a condo there last year and so are taking some of the foodstuffs we didn`t find last year...my wife has decided there isn`t any ground coffee in Hua Hin,so she has stocked up and is taking some with her...she leaves before me ...I told her "of course there is coffee in the new Market Village" Am I correct or will I be packing coffee cans when I head over?

[GuestHouse]

Well I certainly remember buying ground coffee in Thailand (Vaccuum packed), but if you have a special brand that you particularly want, take it with you.

[tutsiwarrior]

if you like really good coffee then bring over a few pounds of your favorite roast and a grinder and keep in the fridge and grind as required. When you run out, hop it over to Ho Chi Minh City where excellent coffee abounds...loads of shops selling nothing but. Have a nice weekend holiday (district 1 in HCMC is excellent) then return with yer treasure trove of the best coffee to be had in SE Asia.

Something to be said for the french colonial heritage...

(the beans keep better in storage than already ground which when opened must be consumed quickly...electric coffee grinders are small appliances about as big as a tomato soup can)

Edited October 29, 2006 by tutsiwarrior

[chaiyapoon]

So far I have found thai grown coffee to be excellent

[tutsiwarrior]

So far I have found thai grown coffee to be excellent

never seen no thai coffee beans at tescos...are they available in shops in BKK? If so, they would carry VN beans as well...presumably

[Maizefarmer]

You can certainly purchase instant type coffee in tins and bottles (Nestle brand) - so if that is what you are wanting, no need to bring with you, it will be avalible locally.

Thailand interestingly is one of South East Asia's biggest producers of coffee, but ironically it can be diffiuclt to purchase roasted coffee beans or ground coffee beans outside of Bangkok - in that case, yes maybe you should bring some with you.

But still Hua Hin - it's a resort town for above average earning Thai's and has a large ex-pat community so I find it hard to believe you wouldn;t be able to get coffee beans or vacum packed ground coffee of some or other brand around there.

But tin or bottled instant - absolutely defineatly avaliable.

Tim

[SabahCafeandCinima]

Definantly buy ground coffee at foodland and villa. They have beans that you can grind as well if you want fresh.

Try coffee cartel for thai coffee

"The Coffee Cartel Co., Ltd.

We are the producers of Thailand's only single estate washed Arabica beans. We also the country's first and only boutique roaster.

We are the broker for the green Arabica beans from the highlands of Chiangrai Province. Most of our washed beans are from the famous hills of Doi Tung. - 99/2 Nonthaburi 48, Sanambinnam, Tambon Tasai, Ampher Muang, Nonthaburi 11000 Thailand - Tel: 66-2-954-4850 66-1-639-0786 - Fax: 66-2-954-4850"

They have good coffee with a hundred or so different roast

Don't keep beans in the fridge or freezer was what i was told (for thailand)

[Meerkat]

Tesco sells "The Coffee Bean Company" Thai ground coffee here in Patum Thani. Three different blends; the Arabica is my usual morning fix, and the Espresso blend is good too. Can't remember what the third one is. They also sell some foreign brands too, but was pleasantly surprised at the flavour from the Thai stuff.

Big C in Rangsit has a huge selection of beans and the girl will make up your own blend for you and grind it. Didn't think the beans were as fresh as the Tesco vacuum packed coffee though.

I'd be surprised if the Tesco in HH didn't stock anything.

[The Skipper]

A variety of responses, from Instant Nescafe to personally Flying to Ho Chi Min City, to purchase fresh roasted beans.

[Fred C. Dobbs]

I roast my own green coffee beans here in the states. It's easy and fun to do. It is also cheaper in the long run as green coffee is about half the price of roasted coffee. I am single and find the small Fresh Roast Plus 8 to be satisfactory. I do about 2 roastings every 4-5 days. Just make sure you can buy arabica green coffee there. I would appreciate it if this could be verified as I may be moving there late next year. I posted a link below to a seller of 220 volt roasters.

http://www.greenbeanery.ca/bean/catalog/in...42351fb4b2066ba

A variety of responses, from Instant Nescafe to personally Flying to Ho Chi Min City, to purchase fresh roasted beans.

[Fred C. Dobbs]

I forgot to add that these coffee roasters really give all the smoke. Make sure you have a place to roast or can live with the smoke. You also need to plug them directly into wall sockets and not through extension cords as the voltage will probably not be high enough.

[raslin]

So far I have found thai grown coffee to be excellent

never seen no thai coffee beans at tescos...are they available in shops in BKK? If so, they would carry VN beans as well...presumably

Ground coffee is available at Tesco. Much better than Nescafe as Gold Blend seems unavailable.

[t.s]

So far I have found thai grown coffee to be excellent

never seen no thai coffee beans at tescos...are they available in shops in BKK? If so, they would carry VN beans as well...presumably

Ground coffee is available at Tesco. Much better than Nescafe as Gold Blend seems unavailable.

or, in an extreme emergency, you could pop into any one of 100 bangkok starbucks and pick up a bag.

[Beavis and Butthead]

That's a lotta Starbucks!

[t.s]

That's a lotta Starbucks!

it is an exaggeration, certainly, but there have to be at least 20 or so out there, probably 60+ in all of Thailand.

my point being that cofee of all sorts is available in thailand. i am sure hua hin has a starbucks of its own.

[ZZZ]

83 Starbucks in Thailand, 2 in Hua Hin.

But they can't beat the local street vendors when it comes to a good cup of coffe, delicious.

[fruittbatt]

I recall the (3) Coffee Worlds, Doi Tung and World News Cafe flat whites as being OK in HH. Starsucks is <deleted> everywhere IMHO. You can buy a good variety of ground coffees in Tesco or Tops s/markets, local and imported.

Incidentally, it is a serious coffee crime to refrigerate the bags. The resulting flavor is subdued even if you pre-heat the plunger & cups.

Edited October 30, 2006 by fruittbatt

[phibunmike]

Good coffee grown in the Boloven Plateau in Laos

Why would anyone mention Starbucks in a thread about coffee ? Disgusting slop they serve....

[alexth]

I suggest you take some coffee with you, I for one, take advantage of any occasion to bring my coffee, specially if you're an expresso fan, there is no decent coffee in Thailand (or maybe I haven't found it yet), God how I miss the italian coffee (i.e. Segafredo, Kimbo, Morganti)

[Ulysses G.]

I always wonder if all these coffee snobs are just taking the p*ss.

I find a cup of non-instant coffee with cream and sugar quite enjoyable, but that is about the extent of it - It ain't the ambrosia of the Gods.

As far as Starbucks being so terrible, I think that someone is fooling themselves. One thing that is true though, is, that it isn't worth near what it costs!

[Firefan]

Starbucks do ok coffee I think (as well as a ton of stuff I would describe as milkshakes rather than coffee ) but the prices are high. I generally order the expresso or americano as still around 50-60 Baht a cup with the most expensive choice on the menu topping out around 150 Baht (that is about 9 liters of coke from TEsco Lotus if one needs the caffeine with lots of suger)....

Nevertheless - Starbucks have been a huge global success due to selling ok coffee TOGETHER with an experience (cozy/familiar).

I buy the Suzuki brand (vacum packed) after I found out that Thai Airways use that, and I normally liked their coffee. I DO keep it in the fridge, as the alternative is worse; the humidity and heat.

Ulysses do have an interesting point. I think the "coffee experience" is more than the taste. This is also what Starbucks realized and build their success on. We all hold different memories of cozy/great moments in life, and coffee (and beers?) have often been part of it. Even BEFORE I started drinking it I remember the smell of fresh brewing coffee at family gettogethers/christmas Etc.

It is also a "ritual" that we use to focus on things at work.

Finally caffeine can be slightly addictive - but one could just chew a spoonfull of instant Red Cup to cover that part - so there is more to it.

Cheers!

[fruittbatt]

I always wonder if all these coffee snobs are just taking the p*ss.

I find a cup of non-instant coffee with cream and sugar quite enjoyable, but that is about the extent of it - It ain't the ambrosia of the Gods.

As far as Starbucks being so terrible, I think that someone is fooling themselves. One thing that is true though, is, that it isn't worth near what it costs!

Ulysses, you have obviously never been ADDICTED to this legal pleasure. Out of respect for my skin and bones I have cut down to one EXQUISITE cup per day, and no more.

It is not a question of "snobbery", but of possessing the olefactory instincts of a drug-crazed sniffer dog, and taste buds that refuse to obey when the waft of freshly ground cofffeeee hits the breeze.

Starsucks is brown slop, not coffee.

For those with time and patience: read Thomas Pynchon's "Mason & Dixon" for interesting insights into 18th century coffee-house culture & caffeine addiction in England and America.

[longball53098]

Hey there,,,,,,,,based on a Google search there is supposed to be a Starbucks in Hua Hin near the Tourist Police office,,,,,,,,,,,check it out?

There are worse coffees than SB's

Good coffee hunting

[phibunmike]

There are worse coffees than SB's

Good coffee hunting

Starbucks is succesful, as is McDonalds. But there is a big difference in the coffee preferences of North Americans and Europeans. Being English, I find most American coffee weak and bitter, rather than the full bodied experience of drinking coffee in Italy, Spain or France. But it is a matter of taste, and I know when I lived in the States that many hated the coffee that I made. Most of the big chains, including SBs, base their product on North American preferences.

[Ulysses G.]

I always wonder if all these coffee snobs are just taking the p*ss.

I find a cup of non-instant coffee with cream and sugar quite enjoyable, but that is about the extent of it - It ain't the ambrosia of the Gods.

As far as Starbucks being so terrible, I think that someone is fooling themselves. One thing that is true though, is, that it isn't worth near what it costs!

Ulysses, you have obviously never been ADDICTED to this legal pleasure.

I get headaches for a few days after I stop drinking it.