Naturally Grown Thai — Doi Mon Lan - 2022 – Medium Roast

It’s hard not to love a coffee this unbelievably smooth and complex. It has one of the most well rounded flavor profiles of any coffee we’ve come across, with rich fruit (strong but not overwhelming) matched beautifully with caramel, chocolate and light macadamia nut flavors. It sounds like it would be over-the-top, but it ends up just being delicious. 

After decades of conflict and oppression in Myanmar (Burma) and Laos, many people of Akha ethnic descent migrated into northern Thailand where they made a living farming opium. About 20 years ago, the Thai government outlawed opium farming and provided farmers with coffee starts instead. This change ushered in today’s generation of growers who’ve vastly improved their farming, harvesting and processing to develop coffees with truly delicious levels of cup quality. Seed of Hope, the organization that imports the beans we sell, contributes $2 per the sale of each 70kg bag of green coffee beans to support public education access for children of the coffee farmers. Gato feels genuinely privileged to be one of only three importers of this particular bean to US.

While this coffee is not organic (certification is prohibitively costly for these growers), it is grown without pesticides or herbicides, using natural fertilizer, air drying and low-water washing. We describe it as “Naturally Grown,” which does not constitute any formal designation, but describes the sustainable practices it's cultivated with.

FLAVORS: Cherry, Dark Berries and Honey/Floral (bright and clear, not cloying), Caramel and Cinnamon.

BODY: Supersmooth with a medium-full body

REGION: Doi Mon Lan Mountain, Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand

ALTITUDE: 1,000-1,700 m (~3,280-5,577 ft) above sea level