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prototype was on display and we met with distributors from around the world. During our first in-person engineering review it quickly became clear that this trip around the world was worth it. Our entire team spent the day tearing apart the design piece by piece, pulling out calipers to debate over a millimeter, and wage battle between design and engineering, all with an underlying focus on improving function and longevity. With the next milestone set, we left for Thailand, where we heard coffee was alive and thriving. As the plane descended toward Chiang Mai, the flight attendant pointed to me to shut off my iPhone. I began to flip through the airline magazine when the headline "Magic Beans" caught my eye. I read the words, "Chiang Mai, arguably the kingdom's coffee capital," and as I gaped at pictures of red coffee cherry and brightly colored cafés, that excited feeling of being in the right place at the right time started to build. The sound of wheels screeching on the landing strip prompted me to read faster, as a story of coffee being used as a tool for war and survival unfolded. In the 1970s, the king of Thailand set forth a royal decree to end the opium trade and gave the hill tribes coffee seedlings. This introduced a new way of life for people in the remote mountain villages north of Chiang Mai, known as the golden triangle. This is where we were heading. Ancient walls form a perfect square that defines the heart of Chi- ang Mai. The area inside is known as Old Town, and is filled with the nonstop traffic of life. The Night Bazaar is one of the most expansive outdoor markets in the world, with stall after stall selling tshirts and Thai dresses embroidered in repetition with the classic symbol of Thailand, the elephant. If you look past the stalls, you'll notice there's one more thing that fills this city from corner to corner: coffee shops. Since we were working from the road, Wi-Fi speed interested us al- most as much as cup quality. The better part of the next few days was spent writing backer updates and answering emails while sampling coffee all over the city. Here's a recap of our favorite three shops in Chiang Mai. t8PP$BG¹SFDFOUMZPQFOFEBTBDBG¹BSUHBMMFSZBOEMJGFTUZMFTIPQ located east of Old Town. A relaxing atmosphere is achieved with bright green plants decorating every surface, and sweets showcased under glass domes on the espresso bar. There is no drip coffee, but the espresso is well-crafted and served on wooden trays with a butter- scotch cookie. t"LIB"NBIBTCFFOGBNPVTGPSXPSLJOHXJUIMPDBMGBSNTUPFOIBODF the quality of coffee over the last eight years. Hidden from the street by a wall of vegetation, the café features a pourover bar and coffee memorabilia from Stumptown, Ritual, and other international spe- cialty-coffee brands. I ordered the Ponlamai blend brewed drip, and smiled proudly as I saw the barista reach for a hand grinder. The cup produced a taste of sweet stone fruit with a black tea–like finish. t3JTUSUPDBOCFTVNNFEVQJOUXPXPSETMBUUFBSU5IFQBTTJPOPG their championship-winning baristas show through every aspect of the café. The menu goes into detail about the differences in tasting profiles based on origin and roasting. The wooden serving platters are laser etched with a description of the blend's tasting notes and compo- sition. However, none of this surpasses the stunning latte art, which is poured on every drink served. CHIANG MAI—DOI CHAANG, THAILAND One morning, we rose early and climbed into a rented silver pickup truck with a huge bed topper. "Imagine how many bags of coffee we could fit in there!" Brandon said. This was the day we had been so eagerly awaiting: We were going to visit our first coffee farm. We headed north on a four-hour journey through windy dirt roads and 47 www.baristamagazine.com