At this sun-drenched spot, the gang behind Baker Gonna Bake (in the same building) teams up with barista Worawut Joowattanapong to incorporate Thai ingredients and flavors into tea- and coffee-based drinks like the Chor Ginnaree (black coffee with roselle and ginger ale, B180), Toob-Tub (milk coffee with peanut chocolate and milk toffee, B180) and Mongkhud Sumala (white tea, jasmine, aloe vera and pink orange, B180). There’s slow-brew coffee (from B150) for the purists, too.

 

This Chiang Mai-hailing cafe sits in a glasshouse to the side of Kiew Kai Ga cafe in Ladphrao. They spotlight medium-roast coffee beans from Nan province’s Tha Wang Pha district in espresso options like coffee with milk (B90) and Morocchino (B90), a hybrid mocha and cappuccino with chocolate cream on top. 

 

With its name standing for “Brew It Yourself,” this is an offshoot of online coffee equipment shop Beans Here. Roaster and owner Sirichai “So” Sakornvisava is already a well-known figure among coffee geeks for his upcoming workshops, which you can take here starting at an affordable B800/person for a cupping tasting event. Otherwise, drop by for a cup of joe at B100 for Thai beans from places like Suan Sodchuen in Ranong or Mae Kampong in Chiang Mai, or B120 for imported beans and blends. Also, don’t miss the house-made treats like som ma nus (meringue with coconut flakes, B50) or yokmanee (pandan sticky ball with coconut shreds, B50). 

 

This far-flung, rusty building comes fully equipped as a coffee roaster, cafe and school. Also known as Intercof, their coffee academy offers courses from Specialty Coffee Association of America and Specialty Coffee Association of Europe certified instructors. Red Diamond doesn’t just have a roasting machine on-site, it also has its own farm in Pha Tang Chiang Rai, which is certified by CQI as a specialty coffee producer. Along with their own beans, they also roast coffee from around the world, including varieties with 90+ scores (an extra B150-200), and Cup of Excellence competition winners (an extra B100). Try a cup from the syphon-like coffee machine called Steampunk (B150 for hot/B165 for iced coffee) or espresso from B120. 

 

The five-year-old coffee roaster has opened its first showroom that doubles as a compact cafe on Sala Daeng. Here, they not only showcase house-roasted and blended beans through espresso-based cups (from B100) and slow-bar (from B80 for Thai beans; from B150 for imported beans) but also create impressive concoctions for non-coffee drinkers, like the super dark chocolate drink (B100-120), a blend of South American and African cocoa, and the purple sweet potato latte (B130), which we recommend topping with an espresso shot at no extra cost. 

 

Ari’s drip coffee specialist Sutida “Nan” Srirungthum, the winner of National Thailand Brewers Cup 2016, serves her rotating drip coffee (B150) alongside espresso-based cups (from B50) and fruit blends (B100). Do try her coffee shake (B150), a drip coffee shaken cold with ice. Food can still be ordered from former neighbor Khao Bahn restaurant. The space itself shuns current coffee shop cliches in favor of more classic, Victorian furnishings. 

 

Singaporean coffee roaster Sarnies, whose owner Eric Chan is one of the partners at Freebird, has just popped up with its own cafe in the garden at Thai restaurant Kram. Taking over two glass-fronted shipping containers, Sarnies is split into a roasting zone with gigantic bags of coffee beans to one side, and a small, stylishly minimalist cafe with just 7-8 seats. The place is only open Thu-Fri to serve the likes of espresso (from B80 for a single shot) and drip coffee (B150).  

KRAM, 113 Sukhumvit Soi 39, 02-258-8170. Open Thu-Fri 9am-5pm  

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Baristas’ Favorite Hangouts