Feeling the Monday blues? Head for some good roasts to get a leg up on the week. Here are 10 cafes which take their coffee beans seriously enough to ensure all have a good cuppa.
Brave Roasters
Starting out in 2013 as a simple roasting-only operation, Brave Roasters has exploded into one of the city’s most recognizable names in beans with locations in Siam Discovery, Seen Space, Samyan U-Center, and The Parq. Its roasts are found in shops across the city, though, and include a rotating selection of limited-edition releases on top of northern Thai blends and a hefty international line-up. It’s most downtown-accessible location is on the third floor of the Siam Discovery shopping mall.
Ceresia
This boutique roaster is in a humble shop just past the pubs and drinking holes on Soi Sukhumvit 33/1. Single origin beans from Chiang Mai’s Mae Toey village (starting at THB444/150g) come with detailed tasting notes and the option to have the beans ground eight different ways depending on your gear at home. This is more than a place to buy beans, though, as the shop regularly hosts workshops for aspiring coffee heads.
Located near BTS Phrom Phong in Soi Sukhumvit 33/1.
Gallery Drip Coffee
Known for years as the most charming cafe at the Bangkok Art & Culture Center, don’t let the artsy vibe fool you: This place is serious about doing damn fine roasts. The group largely focuses on lighter, fruity roasts and often recommends them for drip applications for the best taste. A recent lot of beans from the roaster saw single origin imports from Costa Rica and Kenya from THB550/250g and specialty Thai beans from THB500/250g. Gallery Drip is also in the process of finishing a line of artisan coffee cups in collaboration with Aoon Pottery. Located near BTS National Stadium inside the Bangkok Art & Culture Center.
Mother Roaster
This place made headlines in 2018 after coffee nerds found out about the charming and uber-talented 70-year-old barista behind the counter. Since moving to Talad Noi in 2020, Mother Roaster has only become more popular—now with four locations across the city. You’ll find an extreme passion for coffee beans here, including regular workshops for aspiring coffee nerds and a huge range of domestic and imported beans starting at a very reasonable THB250/100g. The Talad Noi location is on the street art-lined San Chao Rong Kueak Road just off Soi Charoen Krung 22.
Nana Coffee Roasters
What started as a humble cafe nestled down a small soi from Chinatown has since boomed into one of the city’s most popular chic cafe franchises, with locations in Bang Na, Ari, and Wang Thonglang. It’s not about speakeasy cool anymore as the modern locations are big and bright, with the Bang Na branch boasting the sleek, all-white, high-ceiling facade that is all the rage among cafes these days. Award-winning barista Warong Chalanuchpong still leads the show here alongside a stable of other no-nonsense roasters—many of whom have made their own forays into the international competitive scene. Check out the Ari location at 42/2 Soi Ari 4.
Paga Microroastery
The sleek, all-white Paga Microroastery found its home in 2021 in a quiet patch of Soi Sukhumvit 31 in a spacious, two-floor space that is part cafe, workshop space, and roastery. There is an award-winning pedigree here, too. Owner Gabriel Carol won first place in the Romanian Brewers Cup in 2018 and a respectable ninth place at the World Brewers Cup that same year. At the center of the roasting action is a S7 Nighthawk Loring Smart Roaster, which is lauded for its roasting efficiency and low-emission output. Single origin beans start at THB690/200g. Find it a ways up Soi Sawatdi.
Phil Coffee Company
Born in America, educated in Melbourne and coffee-schooled in Taiwan, Han sisters Jaszmine and I Wuen Wang broke onto the Bangkok scene in 2011 with their delicious and beautifully packaged roasts. Single origin beans from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Ethiopia start at THB500/200g, while “Phil’s blends” like the Black Urso (a medium-dark roast blend from Myanmar, Brazil and Ethiopia) start at THB240/200g. You can also snag drip sachets here for THB40, and three-month coffee subscription memberships start at THB880.
Roots
Varatt Vichitvadakan is bonafide Bangkok coffee royalty. After founding Thonglor brunch temple Roast—branches of which can now be found all over the city—he opened Roots as a dedicated roasting business and quickly began supplying to cafes and businesses all over town. Best of all is the super-functional website that lets you buy beans and top-notch equipment for all your home brewing needs. There’s even tutorials to get you started on the basics like doing pour overs and getting started with espresso, cold brew, and aeropress techniques. Find it at the Twenty Three Residence in Soi Sukhumvit 23 and eight other locations.
Smokey Cat Coffee Roaster
Occupying a pristine corner unit on Suan Phlu’s ever-glitzier patch of pavement, this roaster-slash-cafe has firmly established itself as the neighborhood’s go-to spot for high-quality beans and coffee. Past its glass door facade is a space awash in natural light, which filters in through floor-to-ceiling windows. The cafe is filled out with minimal furnishings and pops of steel blue—a setting primed for getting work done or soaking up slow mornings. The shop specializes in a rotating selection of special small-batch roasts, like the recent Costa Rica Santa Teresa Typica Mejorado, which is processed with yellow honey to create a mellow, citrusy flavor profile (THB480/100g). Look for it in the Suanplu Corner Building.
Tobo Coffee & Roaster
Winner of the Thailand National Coffee Roasting Championship 2020, Tobo’s artisanal roasts can be found in 43 cafes across Thailand. In addition to the staples, like the floral and fruity Aricha Yirgacheffe Ethiopia (THB650/200g), you’ll find limited run roasts and seasonal blends on the regular. This isn’t a shop to find gear per se, but you can easily stock up on filters and drippers when needed. Their website also includes a hefty brew guides section that breaks down different brewing techniques for the individual roasts they sell. It’s just over the river in Soi Rat Burana 36.
This story originally appeared in BK Magazine
