Khun Lao

THAILAND - Khun Lao (Red Honey)

ESPRESSO ROAST

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A BIT ABOUT THIS COFFEE

We’re stoked to share another deliciously sweet and unique coffee from one of Thailand's top producers, Mr Jaroon Jaipin.

This is the fourth coffee we’ve showcased from Jaroon, and this time around it’s a vibrant Red Honey lot. Jaroon sustainably produces his coffee in a pristine environment surrounded by jungle in Khun Lao village, Chiang Rai.

WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT

This coffee exemplifies the unique flavour profile of Khun Lao village coffee. High sweetness with a wonderful array of bright fruits and a complex and velvety texture, literally mouthwatering!

HOW TO BREW

Recipe:

Dose: 20g

Yield: 46g

Time: 25-27 Seconds

THE STORY

The first thing you notice arriving at Jaroon Jaipin’s village, ‘Khun Lao’, is how pristine and picturesque it is. Like stepping into a carefully curated fairytale landscape, Jaroon’s coffee grows in exceptionally well-managed garden-like plots surrounded by dense green jungle-clad peaks. Jaroon’s attention to detail is evident from the way he manages his coffee farm through to the meticulous care given during processing.

The main variety he cultivates is Chiang Mai 80; a local hybrid developed by the late King that combines Catimor and SL-28 for both disease resistance and good cup quality. We also spotted some Bourbon and Typica trees here and there. Before coffee was introduced to the area 40 years ago, Khun Lao had a history of tea production that dates back centuries.

Thailand is one of the only countries in the world where you have a strong consumer market for specialty coffee just hours away from coffee-growing regions. This proximity provides a unique opportunity for roasters and growers to collaborate closely on processing. This lot is a perfect example of the magic these collaborations can produce! Jaroon works alongside our partner co-op Beanspire, as well as some of Thailand's best roasters, to get exceptional results from his farm.

Honey-processed coffees are given their name due to the colour (white, yellow, red, or black) and the amount of sticky fruit mucilage intentionally left on the outside of the parchment during drying. This gives the coffee certain flavour attributes such as increased body or complexity.

For this Red honey lot, the whole cherries were fermented in closed HDPE bags and submerged underwater at low temperatures for 3 days. Then the coffee cherries were pulped without water (leaving some fruit mucilage on the bean parchment), and then dried on raised beds inside a greenhouse with the assistance of a dehumidifier. Thailand usually suffers from high relative humidity and rain during the harvest season, so this is an innovation that they have applied to assist with the drying - and the results are amazing.