17 P. Nhà Thờ, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội 11006, Vietnam
​https://www.refined.vn/

Heavily influenced by French colonialism and, then later, East German demand, Vietnamese coffee culture has evolved in its own special way. It has its own filter for Ca The drinks, its own unique drinks like coconut coffee, salt coffee, and egg coffee, and its own way of populating the country.

This is great for those intrigued in how this has developed, and it is certainly an interesting story, especially when you consider that Vietnam is now one of the world’s largest exporters of coffee. However, most of this is Arabica and the espresso based drinks can be hard to come by when the majority of people are drinking things originating from their own part of the world.

Sneak away from the street cafes and stalls, and you can find the elegant fashion store of ‘No Concept’ just off the square where the impressive imitation of French religious architecture that comes in the package of St Joseph’s cathedral sits. 

If you can brave the downstairs and walk past the high-end fabrics towards the stairwell at the rear, you can climb into the dimly lit, yet exquisitely modern ‘Refined’ which is a coffee shop that really knows how to handle an espresso machine.

A range of specially selected coffees from across the globe make up the menu, and you can select everything about your chosen drink, right down to the choice of beans. We pick up a chocolatey oat latte and a rare Geisha single origin that comes as an iced black coffee before being fortunate enough to situate ourselves on the narrow balcony that allows you to peer over the chaos below in a serene manner.

The Geisha is sublime, with floral notes of hibiscus petals that gently lay on the tongue as you can only sip at it so as to fully appreciate its delicate flavours unravelling on the tongue. The latte lack any bitterness whatsoever and is almost like a hot cocoa in its richness, making it a divine drink to take your time over.

In a Communist country, this spot is unashamedly exclusive and is coffee for the elite. It knows it, and so do its price points, but given the currency exchange, you’re unlikely to get a Geisha this good, this cheap anywhere else.

15/3 Nimmanahaeminda Road, Suthep, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand

Ristr8to is the home of world barista championship winning coffee makers and has made a name for itself with unique coffee drinks rarely found elsewhere. 

With three cafes located all in the hipster district of Nimman, it’s not necessarily authentic to Thai coffee culture but it does bring something to the wider espresso culture on the global stage. 

With a dark, metal head theme that appeals to an alternative crowd, it has a distinct vibe that shows that it doesn’t care what you think about them, they’re just doing their thing - and it’s good. 

I settle in for a short, strong iced coffee with a butterscotch taste that is an honest twist on coffee drinking that surprises and reassures in the same measure. It’s a real blast of coffee fun, and sometimes that’s just what you need.

53 Prapokklao Road, Tambon Phra Sing, เมือง Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand

Street food and coffee shops. You’ll be hard pressed to not find either of these anywhere you go in Chiang Mai so it was only a matter of time before some bright mind combined the two. Craft does exactly that with a set up using plastic pallets, outside a disused shop front, that prop up a full-on professional grinder and brewing equipment - it’s quite the sight.

Propping yourself on one of the plastic chairs facing the road, you can rest in the heat of the day (granted, not from it) and have a cooling iced coffee that soothes any frayed nerves.

It’s a sweet coffee that tingles on the tongue, a far cry from so much of the bitter blends floating about. It’s a pleasant experience that sets itself apart from the array of cafes in this city. For something else that’s still great, this is a great place to be.

moonmueang soi 9 Tambon Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand

Chiang Mai is, without a doubt, Thailand’s coffee capital. With more cafes than temples, anyone who has been to a Thai city will know just how impressive a feat this is. Supposedly a reaction to the King’s decree where he tried to move the area away from growing opium, it was soon found the region was perfect for coffee growing and so a love affair bloomed and now Chiang Mai has all manner of coffee spots dotted around the city for enthusiasts and casual caffeinators to enjoy.

However, with so many about, it’s hard to know which ones stand out as truly great purveyors of the world’s favourite drug, and so, when one makes it into the Lonely Planet Global Coffee Tour book as an outstanding place to visit, you sit up and pay attention.

A tiny slice of a building perched on the corner of a street that’s away from most of the usual tourist hustle, it’s minimalist wooden vibes make it feel more like a Japanese tea house than a Thai coffee shop, with a all pervading sense of calm permeating through everything once you enter.

Akha Ama uses only 100% organic arabica beans grown by the Akha people, a hill tribe from Northern Thailand. The cafe acts as a conduit for them to grow and sell directly to coffee enthusiasts and serves up this strong social angle alongside high-quality coffee that tastes like no other.

Gorgeously smooth, the gently balanced coffee is immensely satisfying in how it slips around the mouth. Great with or without milk, the cold brew blends and iced coffee options excel in their complexities and really make it a must visit for any fan of speciality beverages.

1 Ratchamanka Rd, Phra Sing, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand

Elephant Nature Park is not a natural choice for a coffee connoisseur, Chiang Mai is awash with great coffee shops so why would you head to an elephant rescue project for your pick me up?

There are two ENP cafes in the wider area of Chiang Mai provincial area, one in the City and one on the actual elephant reserve, only accessible to those paying a visit to or working with the pachyderms. It’s a wonderful way of generating money for such a worthy cause but the concern here is that the coffee isn’t going to be high grade stuff. However, with their own beans grown in the shade of the foothills of Northern Thailand, on the Burmese border, it’s another project of theirs and it supports the women of local hill tribes that harvest the fruit that thrives in these tropical climes granting the organisation something unique to offer on the coffee front

Taking a pew at a table, you can see videos and pictures of how the coffee impacts their projects all over the place. There’s also vegan snacks to sink your teeth into if in need of a quick bite or a light lunch, still serving the animal rescue ethos by not using any products that aren’t plant based.

If you are lucky enough to get to the reserve too, you can pull up a stool to watch the majestic beasts move about unhindered and free whilst you slurp down a drink that tastes good and does good. I assure, they’re aren’t many better views you’ll get from a cafe.

The coffee itself is smoky and rich, great to have as an iced latte when the heat of the city gets to you and goes brilliant well with a morning croissant (butter-free, of course). You wouldn’t think that the elephants have a hand in the coffee game, let alone one so strong but they hold their own on that front.

​109 Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand

An alley just off the pier may not seem like the most inviting of places at first glance but, if you’re brave enough to wander down, you’ll find a side street filled with restaurants, bars, and hostels all serving up a sophisticated air that belies their setting.

iN is the bottom floor of building that hosts one of these houses for holiday makers but the cafe itself offers up speciality coffee for those looking to dip out of the intense heat.

Thai coffee is usually a bitter affair so finding a speciality brew that doesn’t use robusta beans and condensed milk is quite the victory. A smooth, caramely coffee over iced oat milk does just the trick I. This chic and quiet reprieve from the chaos that is Bangkok. 

It’s a sleek, narrow, minimalist affair that is maximalised by cutesy figurines on every table and some plant life to match. It’s a great place to catch your breath and have a decent brew out of the sun before caffeinating and getting back into the fray beyond the air conditioned borders.

Rasimpaşa, İskele Sk. No:58A, 34716 Kadıköy/İstanbul, TürkiyeThere’s no definitive plan for us today, just to be here is enough. The bay area has some activity, with the ferry port and adjoining transport links, but we trickle further inland, Ascending the hills of nearby residential areas that are quiet and leafy, we crawl through roads that seem to have coffee shops on every corner and eventually take up space amongst the greenery of a park-side place that is perfectly positioned as an afternoon sun-trap.
We order iced oat lattes from Robin's and sip gently as the quiet twittering of birds breaks the silence. It’s odd but I don’t think I’ve heard that over the past few days. Sure, there’s been the harsh cawing of gulls but the chaos of the European side of the city has just drowned out most of the natural noise you’d hear elsewhere.

It’s such a relaxed, urbane spot that I could happily spend the day with the rich, dense coffee and watch the dog walkers and dawdlers that occasionally pass by. This is the first part of the city where I’ve seen pet dogs rather than those just on the street, the more well-kept pooches that enjoy a pampered life.

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Town Square, Paro Paro Town, 12001, Bhutan
https://mountaincafe.bt
Bhutan is not exactly known for its coffee, and on this trip so far I’ve only come across instant or jars of drip filter like in some American diner. However, the South of the country has the right conditions to grow a little of their own beans but not in great quantities so it rarely makes its way to European markets. As such, driven by a lack of espresso and a desire to take some beans home to try, I make it my mission to find a speciality coffee shop. There are plenty of cafes about, and there were a few potential options in Thimphu, but Paro being more set up for tourists (what with all international flights having to come in and go out from here) means that my best chance of success is here.
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I ask around a few of the local vendors, when shopping for gifts, and am directed to Mountain Cafe. A plush two-storey building with a wood-panelled interior, it is a stark contrast to most of the humble structures across the country (temples and fortresses aside). I am instantly excited to see a roasting room opposite the front door, a shiny black and gold roaster encased in a glass room so all can see how the local beans are prepared. 

Mountain Cafe actually has its own growing business called Bhutan Mountain Coffee, where 600 farmers, in a community growing group, are given free seedlings and technical guidance and they then buy the raw, green beans back to roast. I can buy a bag here from the counter and do so whilst also ordering an Americano. It’s a shame that, in a largely vegetarian country, veganism hasn’t quite taken hold, and so alternative milks aren’t really a thing as I’d kill (figuratively, of course, given that the very reason I’m vegan is my dislike of hurting animals) for an oat latte right about now.

Taking my drink to the upstairs bar area, some sip cocktails whilst I stick with my caffeine, I sit and savour a proper espresso-based drink for the first time since leaving the UK. The distinct body and oily richness that comes from this brewing process is a godsend after over a week of watery packet nonsense. It’s a strong, Earthy coffee that’s definitely a dark roast but the arabica beans shine through. It doesn’t coat the tongue with any sweetness but every now and then a surge of chocolatey tones ride the wave of a sip and splash down unexpectedly. There aren’t many places to grab a decent coffee in Bhutan but I reckon Mountain Cafe is definitely one.

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