Thailand: Mae Chedi

Thailand: Mae Chedi, Chiang Mai, Washed

Syrupy body and brown sugar sweetness combine with a sprinkle of sultanas, raisins and candied citrus peel to remind you of a mince pie. There's a hint of hazelnut and chocolate on the finish too, but it's the dark caramel and dried fruit which lingers on the aftertaste.

Watchara Yawirach, 36, leads a cooperative with 19 members in the Mae Chedi area of Chiang Rai. The Mae Chedi region, in the mountainous north-west of Thailand, is traditionally known for tea plantations, with tea being the area’s primary cash crop. The Chiang Mai coffee varietal is a local hybrid - a cross between SL28, Caturra, and Híbrido de Timor. It is a Catimor variant (similar to Colombia and Castillo varietals) that has been backcrossed with SL28 to improve cup quality.

This rust-resistant cultivar was developed under the late King Rama IX’s initiative to help hill tribes transition away from opium cultivation in Northern Thailand. Coffee has typically always been a lesser part of farmers’ livelihoods than tea. With the recent rise in demand for specialty coffee, the younger generation of farmers in Mae Chedi have recognised the potential for profitability and begun taking coffee production more seriously. 

The cooperative comprises a group of exceptional coffee farmers, led through experimentation and innovation by Watchara to yield a really phenomenal harvest this season. With the recent rise in demand for specialty coffee, the younger generation of farmers in Mae Chedi has begun to take coffee production more seriously. This marks the cooperative’s fourth year producing specialty coffee and its second year exporting. The cooperative consists of skilled farmers who have begun using local tea fermentation techniques, adapted for coffee production, in an innovative combination of tradition and modernity. Beanspire also collaborates with the cooperative to experiment with innovative methods, making this coffee one of the finest washed processed coffees from Thailand this season.

Traceability

• Country: Thailand

• Province: Chiang Rai

• Region: Hua Chang

• Tambon (Subdistrict): Mae Chedi

• Varietal: Chiang Mai

• Process: Washed

• Producers: Watchara Yawirach x Beanspire

• Cooperative size: 19 members

• Elevation: 1,250 m.a.s.l

Roasting Information

Medium dark

Don't go too fast or too slow, it needs to be developed enough without loosing the fruit notes, and pushed through the gap but not into second.

Cupping Scores

Tasting notes: Mince pie, caramel, candied citrus peel.

Cup of Excellence Cupping Scores

• Clean Cup: 6/8

• Sweetness: 6.5/8

• Acidity: 6.5/8

• Mouthfeel: 7/8

• Flavour: 6.5/8

• Aftertaste: 6/8

• Balance: 6/8

• Overall: 6.5/8

• Correction: +36

• Total: 87/100

If you would like to find out more about how we score coffees, make sure to read our blog post "What Do Coffee Cuppings Scores Actually Mean?" by clicking here.

Recommended Resting Time

Our coffee is roasted fresh and ships quickly – which means it might arrive a little lively. Here's the thing: freshly roasted beans are still busy releasing carbon dioxide (a natural byproduct of roasting), and all that activity can make your brew taste a bit sharp or unsettled.

Give it a few days to calm down and something lovely happens. Those brighter, edgier notes mellow out, sweetness develops, and the flavours you're actually after can really come into focus.

We recommend resting your coffee for at least 5-7 days from the roast date on the bag before brewing. A little patience goes a long way.

That said, this is just what we've found works best – not a rule. If you can't wait, we completely understand. Tuck in whenever you like.

Mae Chedi represents a notable entry in Thailand's specialty coffee landscape, sourced from Chiang Rai's highlands at 1,250 meters elevation. This washed process coffee, produced through collaboration between Watchara Yawirach and Beanspire, showcases the Chiang Mai varietal—a cultivar rooted in Thailand's coffee-growing heritage. Has Bean emphasizes the lot's pronounced sweetness and textural complexity, with tasting notes ranging from spiced warmth (mince pie spice, brown sugar, dark caramel) to dried fruit and nut characteristics (sultanas, raisins, hazelnut, chocolate). The profile suggests both confectionery depth and subtle citrus brightness through candied peel notes, offering the kind of layered sweetness that defines many well-executed washed coffees from emerging origins. This lot illustrates Thailand's potential within Asia's specialty coffee scene, bridging traditional cultivation with contemporary processing standards.