1 / 5Northern Thai coffee is arabica grown above 1,000 m on the mountains around Chiang Mai, much of it by hill-tribe farmers and Royal Project farms on Doi Inthanon, Doi Pui and around Mae Kampong. Chiang Mai has become one of Asia's coffee cities on the back of it, with roasters and cafes across Nimman and the Old City, and in Mae Hia you can drink it in cafes looking over rice fields to the mountains it came from.
What it is
Coffee in northern Thailand is young compared with the world's famous origins. For much of the last century the hills grew opium, and coffee was one of the crops introduced to replace it, through the Royal Project and other development programmes working with Karen, Akha, Lisu, Hmong and other hill-tribe communities. Arabica suits the cool, misty slopes above 1,000 m, and over the years farmers have learned to grow, pick and process it well.
Today the result is a coffee scene that runs from farm to cup within one province. Farmers on the mountains grow and process the beans, roasters in town roast them, and cafes serve them a short drive from where they were grown. The typical profile of a good northern arabica is clean and gentle, with notes of chocolate, nuts, brown sugar and sometimes fruit, especially in lighter roasts and naturally processed lots.
You will also see two kinds of "Thai coffee" in Chiang Mai. One is the specialty coffee above, brewed as espresso, pour-over or cold brew. The other is the old-style local coffee, kafae boran, strong, dark, sweetened with condensed milk and sold at markets. Both are part of the city's life.
How to order
Cafes in Chiang Mai have English menus, and ordering works as it does anywhere. A few local habits help:
- Ask for local beans: most specialty cafes list the farm or mountain, such as Doi Inthanon, Doi Pui or Mae Kampong. Ask what they have from the north.
- Try a pour-over: filter brewing shows off the lighter, fruitier side of mountain arabica.
- Iced is standard: in the hot months most locals order iced drinks. Iced Americano and iced latte are everywhere.
- Say the sweetness: for old-style iced coffee at a market, ask for less sweet (wan noi) if you do not want it very sweet.
A cup costs 50 to 120 THB: market coffee and simple cafes at the low end, specialty pour-overs and cafes with a view at the top.
Where to drink it
These cover the city, the Mae Hia area and the mountains themselves.
- Rice-field cafes in Mae Hia, near Royal Park Rajapruek. Garden and rice-field cafes with mountain views, a few minutes from the airport. Middle to top of the price band. Walk the nearby Mae Hia rice fields before or after.
- Nimman roasters and cafes. The densest cluster of specialty coffee in the city, with roasters serving single-farm northern beans. Middle to top of the band.
- Old City cafes. Small cafes in the lanes around the temples, good for a coffee between sights. Middle of the band.
- Mae Kampong. A mountain village where coffee grows around the houses and cafes sit over the forest. Best in the cool season. Middle of the band.
- Doi Inthanon and the Royal Project outlets. Cafes and shops on the mountain sell coffee grown on the slopes around them, and are the best place to buy beans. Low to middle of the band.
For beans to take home, buy at farm shops on the mountains, at Royal Project outlets in town and on Doi Inthanon, or at roasters in Nimman, who will grind them for you if you ask.
Other northern dishes to try
Coffee goes well with a northern breakfast. Try these:
- Khao soi: the city's curry noodle soup, for lunch after your morning cup.
- Khanom jeen nam ngiao: tomato and pork noodle soup, the north's breakfast bowl.
- Sai ua: grilled herb sausage from the morning market.
FAQ
Where does northern Thai coffee come from?
From arabica farms above 1,000 m on the Chiang Mai mountains, including Doi Inthanon, Doi Pui and Mae Kampong.
What does northern Thai coffee taste like?
Usually clean and gentle, with chocolate, nut and brown sugar notes, and fruitier in light roasts.
How much does coffee cost in Chiang Mai?
Usually 50 to 120 THB a cup, more for specialty pour-overs and cafes with a view.
Where can I buy Chiang Mai coffee beans to take home?
At farm shops in the mountains, Royal Project outlets and roasters in Nimman.
Are there good cafes near Chiang Mai airport?
Yes. The rice-field and garden cafes in Mae Hia, near Royal Park Rajapruek, are a few minutes away.
