How did you get into doing this?
We’ve been learning about coffee for years. We met a small community of coffee lovers—from farmers to roastmasters—who are happy to work independently and on a smaller scale, and we learned a lot from them. Coffee connects us to others.
How is Thai coffee doing?
There is both good and bad quality Thai coffee. Even though farmers have been growing beans for more than ten years, there are very few who really want to improve their quality. They’re uninformed. But some roasting companies are starting to form direct relationships with the farmers or even buying farmland, as customers are beginning to care more about the quality of the beans. In some places like Chiang Rai, we’re seeing locals who really understand that this crop can be grown very naturally, unlike others.
What do you think of the baristas in Thailand?
Some baristas are starting to take their jobs more seriously. They’re not just staff, but more akin to a chef, who creates a dish from different ingredients.
Any advice for those who want to open a café?
Be crazy for coffee. Go all out. After a while, all those cafés that don’t put in the extra effort will simply fade away. It’s not easy, but do it with passion and you don’t need to worry too much about location. You’ll find the right one someday.
How should people select their beans?
See the color of the roasted ones. The most important part is the roast date. If you open the bag, it’s going to stay OK for about a month.
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What’s your favorite region for coffee?
Different soils give you different coffee beans. I like the African region. Places like Kenya offer exciting beans; it’s almost like traveling.
What is third wave coffee culture?
It’s a movement wherein every step in the process of coffee making is taken very seriously. It’s about placing greater importance on the source, selection and quality of beans. It started in the US years ago and we’re seeing more of that here. We might see a fourth wave—maybe more coffee pairing with food, but in the end, it all comes down to the pleasure you get out of a cup.
What makes for a good cup of coffee?
You need to experience the lot, and in the end, everyone likes a different cup of coffee. In the practice of coffee tasting, the big five categories for consideration are aroma, flavor, body, acidity and after-taste.
What does coffee mean to you?
It's a design piece. It’s like we’re taking different materials and creating a single piece. Different hands craft different things.
What’s the future for the Thai coffee industry?
At last, we’re starting to see some quality. There’re lots of cafés opening, but most are just not right. It all depends on the owners.
What are the popular beans?
Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombo and Brazil.
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Is it hard to import coffee beans?
Yes. Coffee is not easy an product to import. The tax is probably 100% of the cost, and the number of importers is also limited.
What makes a good cup of coffee?
Before the coffee reaches you, it goes through about 40 hands to grow, tend, harvest, process and roast. The final step is the barista, who probably plays the most important role. A good barista needs to really know their coffee, so that they can get the most potential out of all the different beans. They need to respect what they do.
How do your customers have their coffee?
The coffee drinking culture is growing slowly. Not so many people want to invest a lot in good coffee. But fortunately, we have a small group of customers who understand what we’re doing, and we hope it’s getting better. Hopefully, it’s only 3-4 years until Thailand becomes a lively café hub like Singapore.
What’s the current state of the Thai coffee industry?
It’s better compared to the past. But with only a few years until the AEC comes in, I’m quite concerned for our farmers, as the prices for Thai coffee might drop.
What are your plans for the near future?
We’re going to open a place called The Roots, between Ekkamai Sois 15 and 17 in April. It’ll be more like a roast factory-lab, plus a coffee bar. It will be all about coffee and we’ll be using the cold brew method. There’ll also be lessons in basic and advanced latte art and more.
Any advice for those who want to open a café?
Firstly, you need to ask yourself why you want to have a café and who is it for. If you’re in the coffee industry, you need to learn about coffee, be service-minded and love drinking it. Make sure that you really love what you do.
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Fans of the beers on offer from this craft brew importer can save themselves the trouble of heading down to the nearest gastro-bar/restaurant, like Smith or Shuffle. It’s now free to be a member and you get a 25% discount on brews and free delivery on orders of 12 bottles or more within the CBD. Members also get invites to regular tastings and special events.
www.seekbeervana.com
Set up recently by Frenchman Jerome Le Louer, they currently have around 50 beers and ciders from England, Germany, Belgium, Australia, Japan and America available, but are always willing to try and bring in your favourite tipple. Simply go to the website, register and then choose your poison. There’s a minimum order of six beers and it’s B150 for delivery (free if you spend over B2,000).
www.wishbeer.com
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G/F, Seen Space, Thonglor Soi 13, 02-185-2366. www.brewbkk.com. Open daily 4pm-11am.
One of the main hubs for all things beer-related, it was set up by part-time beer importer and aficionado Chris Foo. The result is a laidback, slightly spit-and-sawdust place that offers intriguing brews from America, Britain, Belgium and beyond, with the added bonus of people-watching in the Seenspace courtyard.
482 Praditmanutham Rd., 02-515-1232-3. Open 4pm-midnight
For some reason the residents of the burbs seem to love their beer, the latest evidence being this spot. While we might not be big fans of the fake retro touches and cheesy photo opps on offer, we have to admire the big outdoor terrace, good pub grub and, most importantly, the choice of over 140 well-curated beers. Oh, and they offer a beer buffet (B777 for 3 hours) from Sun to Thu, and 2.5-l towers of Weihenstephan, Stella or Bavaria at B999.
1/F, Mega Bangna (Event Zone), Bang Na-Trat Km. 8. Open daily 5pm-midnight.
The sister joint of CDC’s Beerology, this venue out at giant Mega Bangna has a distinctly cellar vibe (despite the mall setting) thanks to the checkered floor and preponderance of beer barrels. They have over 100 different lagers, ales, ciders, white and fruit beers to choose from plus staff who know what they’re talking about.
Four Points by Sheraton, Sukhumvit Soi 15, 02-309-3000. Open daily 11-1am
An early embracer of the beer philosophy, it has managed to retain a pretty impressive pedigree over the last couple of years that allows it to transcend its location next to a hotel lobby. A well-curated and often changing specials list shows enthusiasm while a great 2 for 1 daily happy hour deal on selected beers (5-7pm) makes it well worth dropping by.
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Have you always been interested in beer?
No. I was actually a wine person. But I am interested in taste, and when I found out what beer could actually be developed into, then I got interested.
How did you become a brew master?
My husband started out brewing with the very first Danish microbrewery and then he founded our brewery. Since he is into the actual process of brewing (he is an engineer), he gave me the responsibility of developing the taste of Bøgedal.
Why make a premier craft beer?
Because we have a very small production capacity and a very complex story behind our production methods, I decided we should make a beer targeting the high-end wine market. They tend to be more interested in taste notes, history and production methods.
What is all gravity brewing?
All gravity brewing is brewing without the use of pumps; using natural gravity to move the beer from cask-to-cask. This method of brewing is now also becoming popular for some of the world’s best wine makers as it retains more of the important flavors, often lost in other methods.
What makes Bogedal beers so special?
The beers are very full bodied and complex, but at the same time they are elegant and well balanced. Due to the production process, many fine taste notes are still present, which give an experience you don’t find in beer produced in modern breweries.
Bøgedal will be imported by Hopsessions at select venues soon. Visit www.facebook.com/hopsession
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