Experiences › Northern Thailand

Gastronomy

Highland Coffee Cupping

Mae Rim Hills, Chiang Mai

Best Time to Do This

Any season, though a visit during the November–January harvest and processing window lets you see cherries being picked or dried alongside the tasting.

What to Expect

Thailand's northern highlands, particularly around Doi Chang and Doi Saket, produce genuinely well-regarded Arabica coffee grown in old opium-poppy country now converted to sustainable cash-crop farming. A cupping session walks through smelling, slurping, and scoring several roasts side by side, the same structured process used in the specialty-coffee trade worldwide.

How to Prepare

No preparation needed beyond an open palate — avoid strong-flavored food or a cigarette right before the session, since both dull taste perception. If coming from a farm tour beforehand, comfortable walking shoes for sloping, sometimes muddy hillside rows help.

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