LAOS - KONGTA

Espresso Roast

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A BIT ABOUT THIS COFFEE

Introducing Mr. Kongta, a producer we’ve partnered with for several years. We are thrilled to finally shine a light on his sweet and comforting coffee. In the peaceful village of Nong Kali, Kongta tends to small plots of Red and Yellow Catuai, as well as Catimor, under a natural forest canopy. Here, red dirt roads wind between traditional homes, connecting a remote community producing some of the most distinctive Arabica in Laos.

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WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT

If you love a sweet, crowd-pleasing cup, this one is for you. Built on a rich, sugary foundation, it combines a fudgy chocolate mouthfeel with warm hints of vanilla and spice.

A touch of sweet fruit rounds out the profile, making it the ultimate everyday all-rounder—perfect for chocolatey espressos, smooth cold brews, or whatever method tickles your fancy.

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HOW TO BREW

21g dose

42g yield

27-29 seconds 

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THE STORY

The Coffee & The Process

Kongta cultivates Red and Yellow Catuai alongside Catimor across three hectares of land, entirely surrounded by the beautiful native forests of Nong Kali. This particular lot is crafted with meticulous care. After harvesting, the fully ripe cherries are floated, sorted, and pulped before undergoing an 18 to 24-hour fermentation. Once fully washed, the coffee is sun-dried on raised beds surrounding Kongta’s family home.

Sourcing Direct in Nong Kali

Coffee has been cultivated in this region for over 60 years. The majority of local plots are small, family-managed coffee gardens that are predominantly shade-grown and organic. Life moves at a slower, beautifully scenic pace here.

We have been sourcing coffee from Nong Kali since 2020. As with all our coffees from Laos, we purchase dried parchment directly from individual families. This approach enables them to focus entirely on what they do best: farming and processing the finest coffee possible.

By purchasing directly, we handle the complexities of dry-milling, sorting, bagging, transport, and export so the families don't have to. Crucially, the farmers set their own prices, allowing them to better account for their total costs. While this model demands substantially more involvement and effort from our team, it is a relationship we are proud of—and one we believe is the most mutually beneficial way to work.

A Century of History on the Bolaven Plateau

Coffee was first brought to the Bolaven Plateau a little over a century ago by French settlers, who introduced Bourbon and Typica varieties ( heirloom remnants of which can still be found in a handful of villages). However, the departure of the French and the subsequent impacts of the Vietnam War completely decimated the local industry. It has only slowly recovered over the past few decades.

Today, the Bolaven Plateau is home to a thriving coffee industry, including small, specialty-focused operations like ours. The conditions here are perfect for producing exceptional Arabica: a cool, stable climate, excellent rainfall, fertile volcanic soil, and abundant natural forest cover.

The varieties grown across the region today mainly include Catimor, Catuai, Caturra, Java, and Typica, global demand for Lao coffee is now at an all-time high. We are incredibly excited to bring you a taste of this remarkable region through Mr. Kongta’s hard work.

We purchase coffee from each farmer as parchment—meaning it has gone through wet processing and drying, but not dry processing—so once collected, we personally handle the milling, sorting, grading, bagging and export to Australia. This means farmers do not have to worry about dry milling and the complexities associated with export. By setting their own parchment price, farmers can better account for their total costs.

It is considerably more work and involvement for us, but it is a model we are proud to say is the most mutually beneficial approach we have found here.