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Ake, a barista who helped develop the concept behind Roots, prepared coffee for Brandon and I while we sat at the dark hardwood coffee bar that spans the right side of the café. Varratt, the founder of Roots, joined us, and over the next hour, we heard the story of how the specialty-coffee scene had developed in Bangkok. Founded eight years ago, Roots works directly with three farms selected for having the most potential to create quality coffee by providing the producers with fertilizer and education on soil nu- trition. Varratt is a member of the Specialty Coffee Association of Thailand (SCATH), which was created in November 2014. SCATH has already attracted more than 200 members, and is holding competitions for the farmers following the same tasting standards outlined by the SCAA. On the way out of Roots, I spotted a glass jar by the sliding door that was stuffed with multicolored curren- cy. The sign on the jar read "Please pay at the Honesty Box. Feel free to pay more or less depending on satisfaction. Coffee: 100; baked goods: 50 baht." This was truly a rep- resentation of the relationship between the cafés and coffee community in Bangkok. A couple days later, Gary was off work and ready to go café-hopping. I met him and his wife, Michelle, at Philz Coffee, where they recommended the Wild Honey blend. While our coffee was being brewed, Gary introduced me to the head roaster. He took us back to see his roaster, and we started talking about importing. He explained that Thailand charges a 90-percent import tax for coffee in an effort to encourage Thai roasters to use locally grown coffee. The prices reflected the import tax: Wild Honey, which is grown in northern Thailand near Doi Chaang, was one-third the price of coffees from Ethiopia and Panama. I took a sip and was overwhelmed by flavors of honey, apricot, and vanilla. For our last stop, we jumped onto the BTS and headed for Gallery Café, home of "Mr. Hand Grinder." Gallery just reopened after a renovation to install a wavy hon- eycomb structure on the ceiling that was inspired by the ripples in a cup of coffee. Floor-to-ceiling shelves are filled with dozens of hand grinders that the owner, A, commonly referred to as Mr. Hand Grinder, had renovated in his spare time. Gary translated while I showed A the Hand- ground prototype I had brought along, and although some words may have been lost in translation, "excited, happy, and amazed" came through just fine. Our time in Thailand had gone by fast and it was already time to head back to China for the next production milestone of Hand- ground. The specialty-coffee scene is young but growing quickly. Farmers are working to improve their crops, new cafés are opening weekly, and there is a thriving community of people who are passionate about coffee. Although most coffee pro- duced in Thailand is also consumed there, I won't be surprised to see it at cafés around the world soon. As to whether the coffee scene is bigger in Bangkok or in Chiang Mai, I'll let future travelers decide. What I can say is that the coffee culture in each city is rich and the communities are intimate. Whether you're entering the scene by opening a new coffee shop or you're just a traveler looking to talk about coffee, a feeling of inclu- sion and openness to newcomers is prevalent. I think that's why I love coffee so much: It touches the lives of so many people around the world, no matter where we are from or how different we are, coffee provides a common ground to which we can all relate. European espresso DWLWVÀQHVW [ Blended and Roasted in America ] Malabar Gold ® (650) 366-5453 info @josuma.com www.josuma.com Blended to be perfect by itself. Remains equally perfect with milk. 51 www.baristamagazine.com