LAOS - BOU PHA

Filter Roast

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A BIT ABOUT THIS COFFEE

In the serene village of Phudam Khuan on the Bolaven Plateau, Bou Pha cultivates her coffee in fertile gardens nestled near an extinct volcano.

Nourished by mineral-rich volcanic soil and guided by a deep commitment to organic farming, Bou Pha prioritises clean, careful processing. 

Beneath the forest canopy, she grows Typica—a low-yielding, yet high-quality heirloom variety first introduced to Laos by the French nearly a century ago.

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WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT

Delicate yet expressive, this coffee captures the essence of Phudam Khuan’s heirloom Typica.

A pleasant honey-like sweetness is balanced by notes of orange citrus fruits, and crisp pear, with a soft tea-like floral note that lingers in the finish.

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HOW TO BREW

V60

20g Dose

300g Yield 

2.45 Brew time 

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THE STORY

Bou Pha is a smallholder farmer living in the village of Phudam Khuan in southern Laos. Phudam Khuan is quiet, lush, and exceptionally fertile—nestled close to an extinct volcano on the Bolaven Plateau. A handful of villages in this region still grow original heirloom Typica, a variety introduced by the French over a century ago.

We first tasted Bou Pha’s Typica in 2023, and it immediately stood out for its distinctive and elegant flavour profile—bearing a gentle resemblance to its Ethiopian relatives.

Bou Pha primarily uses a traditional washed process, drying her coffee on raised beds around her home.

Typica is now considered rare worldwide. It's a low-yielding variety that is highly susceptible to pests and disease, often producing less than half the volume of more common cultivars. As a result, it has fallen out of favour with many farmers. However, when cultivated and processed with care, Typica can command a significantly higher price for its refined, sweet, and delicate cup profile.

Coffee was first introduced to the Bolaven Plateau by the French, who brought both Bourbon and Typica varieties to the region. Some of these heirloom trees still survive in remote villages. The departure of the French, followed by the Vietnam War, devastated the local coffee industry—an industry that has only slowly begun to recover over the last few decades.

Today, the Bolaven Plateau is home to a growing specialty coffee movement. Its unique terroir—a cool, stable climate, abundant rainfall, volcanic soils, and forest shade—offers ideal conditions for high-quality Arabica production. While modern cultivars like Catimor, Catuai, Caturra, and Java are now common, Typica remains a rare and cherished presence. Demand for Lao coffee is currently at an all-time high.

As with all of our coffees from Laos, we purchase dried parchment directly from individual families. This approach allows farmers like Bou Pha to focus on what they do best—farming and processing exceptional coffee—without the added burden of dry milling, sorting, bagging, transporting, or navigating export logistics. Farmers set their prices and gain greater control over their costs and earnings. While it requires more involvement on our part, we’re proud to say it’s a model built on mutual respect and shared value.