Doi Chaang Peaberry Coffee

The Story of Doi Chaang

Doi Chaang is a remote mountain village located over 1,500 metres above sea level in the highlands of Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand. Misty mornings, rich volcanic soil (yes you read it right), and cool mountain air that seems almost purpose-built for growing incredible coffee. This is Doi Chaang, and it has one of the most fascinating origin stories in the entire coffee world.

Not so long ago, the hill tribe communities of this region, including the Akha and Lisu people, had few options for sustainable livelihoods. That all began to change in the late 1980s when the Thai Royal Project, swapped the opium fields for coffee plants. It sounds simple, but it was genuinely life-changing. Entire communities rebuilt their futures around these little coffee cherries, and the results have been nothing short of extraordinary.

Word travelled fast in the specialty coffee world, as it tends to do when something special is brewing (pun intended). Farmers, tasters, and coffee lovers from around the globe started traveling to these parts, and Doi Chaang quietly became one of the most talked-about growing regions in Asia. Today the farming families who have tended these soils for generations continue to thrive. Every cup you drink carries that story with it and we think that makes it taste even better.

So… What Exactly is a Peaberry?

Great question, and the answer is way more interesting than you might expect. Inside a typical coffee cherry, two seeds grow side by side, developing flat edges where they press against each other. But every once in a while, in roughly 5% of cherries, something a little different happens. Only one seed develops instead of two, and with all that extra room to itself, it grows into a small, round, wonderfully dense little bean. That’s a peaberry, and it’s considered quite the lucky find.

Because all of the nutrients from the cherry go into just one bean rather than being shared between two, peaberries tend to pack a more concentrated, sweeter, and more complex flavour into every cup. Their round shape also means they tumble more evenly in the roaster, which coffee lovers will tell you makes a real difference. They’re hand-sorted from the harvest, which makes them rarer and all the more worth seeking out. Once you’ve tried a peaberry, you’ll understand what the fuss is about.

Roasted Fresh, Just for You

We roast this coffee to order, by the kilogram, because this very unique and special Thai coffee just tastes so much better this way. From the moment we roast your beans, the clock is ticking on all those beautiful aromas and flavours so we’d rather not start that clock until you’re ready. What arrives at your door is as fresh, delicous, and full of character as it possibly can be. Just the way it should be.