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mountain passes to Doi Chaang coffee farm. We sailed down the highway until we spotted a sign that read "coffee," and decided to turn off the main road and begin our ascent up the mountainside. It quickly became clear that this landscape had been shaped for agriculture. Dark brown slopes broke up orderly green plots of vegetation that covered the inclines. As we climbed up the mountain, we began to spot nurseries with long black nets creat- ing a canopy for coffee seedlings, and, at 4,000 feet in elevation, the village of Doi Chaang came into view. In the 1970s, farmers here were taken advantage of by exporters who underpaid them. It wasn't until the Canadian entrepreneur John Darch left the mining industry and entered the Thai coffee scene that things changed. John saw an opportunity to export the coffee that was being grown in Thailand. He partnered with Doi Chaang with the mission of giving the coffee farmers a fair price for their crop, and importing the coffee to roasters in Canada. They formed a direct partnership where the farmers held a 50-percent stake in the company. Over the next 20 years, Doi Chaang would become the face of Thailand coffee to the outside world. Brandon pulled the truck into a gravel parking lot, and the diesel engine stuttered to a halt in front of a coffee shop set up right by processing facilities. With wooden panels for a floor and no walls, the café felt more like a patio overlooking a rural hillside. At first glance, it appeared deserted, but then a tattooed barista with a cut-off British flag shirt emerged. He pulled two shots of espresso as we soaked in the views and made conversation with a girl named Minso, whose father exports some of the farm's coffee to South Korea. She offered to take us around the farm and show us the processing facilities. Chiang Mai is overflowing with ancient Buddhist Temples (Wats) dating back to when the city was originally founded in 1296. The intricate carving and stunning hand-painted murals inside them are absolute treasures. This is one of over 300 in the city. 48 barista magazine