Thailand Sirinya - Filter

Thailand Sirinya - Filter

 

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• Producers + Mill:

Sirinya Coffee is a family-run specialty coffee farm, roastery, and coffee shop based in the mountains of Chiang Rai province, led by Oil and Goh Chaosuwanwilai. Sirinya is born out of a commitment to the communities of Doi Chang, stewardship of the land and the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of coffee. Opium was grown in the region for over 100 years, before government / NGO initiatives encouraged them to grow coffee instead. Poppy cultivation here dropped so significantly from the mid 1980s to the extent that Thailand is seen as a successful model for alternative development.

Whilst these farmers have been successfully growing coffee for over 40 years, Goh and Oil share their knowledge and expertise in all aspects of specialty coffee production, starting right from the beginning with the quality of the soil and organic farming methods through to the final
processing. For the coffee farmers they work with, introducing these additional steps can elevate their very good coffee to specialty grade, and with it, commanding much higher prices and access to new markets.

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• Varieties

Bourbon - The Bourbon coffee variety dates back to the 1700s when French missionaries first introduced it on Bourbon Island in the Indian Ocean. The island is called Réunion today and the missionaries moved on to Latin America in the middle of the 1800s. It was first grown in Brazil around 1860 and cultivation spread from there throughout Latin America. Because the standard Bourbon variety is susceptible to coffee leaf rust, it does best at higher altitudes at or above 1,800 meters where leaf rust is less likely to occur. Bourbon produces a tall coffee plant, excellent coffee, and medium to low production. It much of Latin America, basic Bourbon has been replaced by offshoots such as Caturra, Catuai, and Mundo Novo.

Caturra - This variety originated in Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is a natural mutation of Red Bourbon. Caturra produces more coffee and is more resistant to plant diseases than Bourbon.

Catimor - was developed in Portugal in 1959 by scientists searching for the magical formula of high yields, high disease resistance and small plant size (i.e. higher density planting). The variety is a hybrid of the Timor Hybrid (resistant to coffee leaf rust due to its Robusta genetic roots) and Caturra.

Catimor trees are small in size, allowing for more dense plantings, and fruit is quick to ripen, guaranteeing high productivity if well maintained. Its branch is ramified similarly to C. canephora plants and its leaves have a tell-tale reddish brown hue when they are just emerging. One of the main challenges in cultivating Catimor can be the inputs (fertilisation and shade) required to maintain productivity, which need to be monitored very closely and can be costly.

Today Catimor is common throughout Indonesia and Vietnam. In the wake of Central America’s coffee leaf rust crisis, it is also becoming increasingly common at higher altitudes in countries such as Mexico and Peru.

One of the major issues often cited with Catimor is the issue of cup quality. At low altitudes, there tends to be little or no sensory difference between the variety and other C. arabica varieties. Distinction in taste can arise, however, when the plants are planted higher than 1,200 metres above sea level. In such cases, many would express a preference for Caturra, Bourbon and Catuaí. However, we’ve met Catimors that we like very much, indeed – for instance, those from Vietnam and Indonesia. We maintain that well-cared-for and well-processed Catimor can display great characteristics. (Info from Mercanta Coffee)

 

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• Process

Ripe cherries are floated before hand sorting to remove defects, cherries undergo anaerobic fermentation inside plastic barrels mixed with local yeast until the PH is about 3.5-4.0, before pulping. Parchment is moved to outdoor drying racks to be sun-dried until the moisture content reaches around 15 - 20%. Parchment are moved inside to a temperature-controlled drying station for a slow dry until moisture reaches 10-12%.

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• Region: Chiang Rai
• Producer: Oil and Goh Chaosuwanwilai
• Farm: Sirinya
  
• Importer: Coffee Bird
• Price (green ex Shipping): £21.00 p kg
• Variety: Bourbon, Caturra, Catimor
• Process: Honey
• Altitude: 1450 MASL
  
• Amount Bought 50kg

 

• Tasting: Fruity, Round, High sweetness, complex
• Flavours like: Pear, Guava, Hazelnut