Thailand: Aoy & Nui Jaisooksern

As the specialty coffee movement grows stronger in Thailand, the children of farmers are beginning to return to the industry, approaching it from a new perspective by applying their knowledge and experience from other trades to coffee. It’s rare in most producing countries to find younger people taking up the job (coffee producers are generally an aging demographic due to high difficulty and small returns) so it’s fantastic that we’ve been able to work with Nui and Aoy for several years now.

Nui Intakad & Aoy Jaisooksern are a young couple who quit their day jobs in the city to return to their parents' coffee farm 9 years ago. Nui is an engineer by trade, while Aoy was an accountant, and together they’re making waves in the Thai coffee scene. This is the real face of what sustainable coffee farming looks like, in a country where the cost of living is higher than in many other producing countries.

Our sourcing partners Beanspire handle the processing, and we’re so excited to present coffees from Nui and Aoy for what they are: a great coffee collaboration, recognising the credit both the producers and processor deserve for their fantastic work. Our Green Buyer Roland had the chance to finally meet Fuadi Pitsuan of Beanspire at World of Coffee Copenhagen last year after working together for many years - a very happy meeting after only ever chatting via email and video calls before then! He also joined Fuadi on their stand to brew our roasts of their beans and chat with other roasters and cafes about why we love Thai coffees!

This spirit of collaboration extends to our Importer, This Side Up, who recently arranged a fascinating day-long congress for producers, roasters, and all other roles along our supply chain to get together and discuss the challenges we each faced, the opportunities ahead, and how we can all help each other to thrive together. This Side Up are in the process of transferring to a Steward Ownership business model and are unlike any other importer we know. You can read their reflections on the Copenhagen Producer Crossover here.

Doi Saket is the oldest coffee-growing area in Thailand and was, in fact, one of the first opium replacement areas run by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Nui and Aoy’s farm sits over 1,300 to 1,500m above sea level, and at 19 degrees north of the equator, this elevation is really high for coffee. For comparison, Colombia Narino is 1 degree north, Nicaragua Matagalpa is about 13 degrees north. Coffee cannot grow in Thailand above 1,550m.

Unlike many other regions, these trees were never replaced with higher-yield cultivars, leaving heirloom varieties like Typica still prevalent. The coffee trees, aged 30–40 years, are often older than the farmers themselves. Typica is now rare, as many farmers have replaced it with higher-yield, rust-resistant varieties. This Side Up believe it's important to join forces with such committed farmers and, together with Beanspire, take up the challenge and demonstrate that there are people willing to pay for these efforts. Nui and Aoy currently grow Typica, Catimor, and Yellow Bourbon Mayaguez 139 on their land.

Typically Honey-processed coffee carries a risk of over-fermentation and often sacrifices brightness for body and sweetness. In this White Honey process, they aimed to preserve the clean quality of a fully Washed coffee while adding complexity. In terms of green preparation, the coffee went through a destoner, huller, size grader, density table, and ended with hand sorting. After the cherries were picked and delivered to the Beanspire mill, they were floated and pulped at night. The coffee underwent partial anaerobic fermentation for 12 hours to remove some mucilage while leaving a thin layer of pectin intact. The beans were then dried on raised beds before being delivered to the dry mill for hulling and sorting.

Sweet with the caramelised flavour of speculoos biscuits, this coffee has a delicate marmalade on the finish and green apple on the aftertaste for a quaffable yet refined cup.

• Country: Thailand
• Province: Chiang Mai
• Region: Doi Saket
• Elevation: 1,350 m.a.s.l.
• Latitude: 19 degrees north of the equator
• Varietal: Typica
• Processing method: Anaerobic White Honey
• Producers: The Intakad Family x Beanspire

Tasting notes: Speculoos biscuit, marmalade, green apple.

Cup of Excellence Cupping Scores

• Clean Cup: (1-8): 6.5
  
• Sweetness: (1-8): 6.5
  
• Acidity: (1-8): 6
  
• Mouthfeel: (1-8): 6
  
• Flavour: (1-8): 6.5
  
• Aftertaste: (1-8): 6
  
• Balance: (1-8): 6.5
  
• Overall: (1-8): 6.5
  
• Correction: (+36): +36
• Total (max 100): 86.5

Roasting Information
Medium to Medium Dark: you want this right at the end of the gap, just edging towards second crack - it may need a little hotter than other coffees to get to that point.