This city’s coffee scene is unexpectedly Australian

Built around a “farm to cup” philosophy, Roots’ menu features a range of blends grown in the northern Chiang Rai region. When I visit the Sathon outlet, the day’s cold brew is made with a blend called Sanchai, grown in Pangkhon village. Its sweet notes – “papaya and mangosteen”, the tasting notes suggest helpfully – are balanced with a nice acidity.

I get further insights into Thai coffee during a drip coffee class at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Praya River. My instructor, Raheel Phetpradub, is from Chiang Rai himself and tells me that coffee is grown throughout the region. “Everybody there knows how to plant coffee,” he says.

Coffee class at the Four Seasons.

Being a coffee drinker rather than a coffee maker, I have to start with the basics, learning how to use a hand grinder (not as easy as it looks). From there, we move on to concepts such as brew ratio and extraction time, before practising the technique for a perfect cuppa. My first try is a little bitter, but by the second cup there is definite improvement.

The class also includes the chance to sample a range of different local coffees, with Phetpradub filling me in on the people who produce each one. A rich, fruity brew is produced by a sweet-faced older woman known as P Sri who, Phetpradub tells me, is known for her forest-grown coffee and her championing of maintaining healthy terroir.

Another coffee, grown in nearby Mae Chan Tai by Khun Sinthop, has some unexpected flavours. I pick out the cinnamon and plum notes, but there is one other I can’t quite identify. “Perhaps oolong tea?” Phetpradub prompts gently – and of course he’s right.

I drain that cup and pour myself another. Thailand’s coffee scene may draw inspiration from overseas, but its flavours are all its own.