Quality Control
- Pacamara Roasters
Pacamara roasters sets itself apart from other roasters in the region by its attention to quality. It's hard to not talk mounds about quality but the bottom line is quality in the beans and roast equal to better brew at the shop and at home. Other roasters do deliver quality or else they'd likely be out of business, but most are not as pedantic about it as this boutique roaster. You really can't expect less from a Q-grader (a professionally certified cupper of The Coffee Quality Institute - CQI, http://www.coffeeinstitute.org ) that enjoys roasting. Khun Chartree, means "real man" in Thai which reflects how he is as a person and coffee professional. He some times goes by Zan or Mr Z and is meticulous through and through with his coffees and is never satisfied with the quality he delivers. Few roasters in the region boast Agtron color ratings on their coffee labels but his do, along with the varietal, origin, roast date, roaster it was roasted on and all of them are nitrogen packed (to help keep them fresher longer) setting apart this humble roast operation. This is all good news for end users with this transparency and dedication you are sure of cup quality and taste will be consistent.
Bangkok has a nascent coffee scene in terms of independent coffee roasters and cafes. Chiang Mai is the real coffee capital of Thailand with more than 20 notable independents but the likes of Mr Z are helping change that. Tucked away off Rama 3 Pacamara Roasters head office at Peaberry Ltd can be found across Central Praram 3. Known by coffee geeks and cafe owners while less so to the public, this shop sells a wide selection of specialty coffees at reasonable prices at 150 THB for Asian coffees and blends to 500 THB for a Panama Berlina Estate 250 gram bag. Considering the heavy import tax on coffees in Thailand and the questionable quality of larger scale roasters these coffees are a bargain for high quality coffees.
So how do you squeeze great quality coffee into such an affordable price - scale and business acumen. Mr Z was not always the proud roaster and established coffee entrepreneur. He was once a lost soul on the streets of london looking for a warm place to seek refuge who could barely speak english. Since then he's been around the world many times over on a caffeinated journey in search for the soul of coffee. If you're lucky to be able to read Thai, his book - Pocket Book, A journal of coffee travels, tells Mr Z's personal journey through coffee. In between this first bitter coffee in London he went back to school to learn english to pursue coffee. When you study under a person who is awarded CQI Leadership Medal of Merit, you understand why Mr Z is all about quality. Mrs Sunalini Menon was his first teacher and he apprenticed with her. Despite his pedigree coffee is a tough business and in the nascent coffee industry of Thailand Mr Z tried, failed and rose again to try once more. The Thai coffee must have consoled Mr Z enough and inspire him to push on. A coffee cart and run of the mil cafe later he began stringing a series of accreditation and certifications from the SCAA, CQI, SCAE (google em if you're not familiar with the terms - it's a whole other discussion on what they are and mean) with the most recently GMP, HACCP certifications. He was also a lead instructor at the SCAA Event 2012 as a Q-grader guru. 
You'd think all this would go to his head but he's one of the nicest guys in the coffee industry in the region you'll meet. He's a humble guy with a kaizen philosophy always saying that he believes in better not bet. When you meet him in his shop he's usually helping out somewhere or bettering something but always takes time out to talk to his customers and clients. While at the shop you maybe overwhelmed by the assortment of coffee equipment but it's just a testament to his love for the craft. His shop caters more to a cafe owner but all are welcome. His online store says it all - espressofriend.com , he is an avid espresso guy proven as he is the distributor for Aerobie Aeropress, Astoria and Synesso in Thailand. Synesso is a top tier espresso machine only making commercial use machines with an acclaimed temperature stability, precision brew parameters and often the benchmark for specialty coffee shop espresso machines. Unlike other specialty coffee guys, MR Z serves all types of espresso lovers even the taboo capsule machine drinkers. He retails his own Brewpresso but doesn't sell pre made capsules (yet?) just capsules you can make yourself which maybe that knack for quality peeping through on a easy machine with a small footprint. So from the uber sophisticated Synesso with a 4 stage programmable pressure profile to the everymans capsule machine Mr Z has you covered.
Behind the 18 current coffee offerings are some beautiful roasters. A Probat L12, Probat sample roaster and a Giesen W1 support Mr Z in his roasts. The W1 would probably be his crown jewel at the moment as it's been said to produce a sweeter cup profile and the most versatile roaster available today. Giesen is a relatively new player in the roaster manufaturer market but has the heritage of producing Probats prior to opening shop on their own. Mr Z uses this quiver of roasters to cup the coffees with the sample roaster then deliver constant roasts across the other two roasters employing science, roast knowledge, craftsmanship and taste. He's not always had the luxury of the best roasters, he's tried Turkish roasters, US made roasters and slowly made his way to what suits his roast style - the Giesen. His favorite bean now is Bolivia contrary to the name of his roaster it's not an El Salvador Pacamara bean. You'll always find interesting coffees from the region like the Yellow Laos Paksong Typica and great favorites like a Ethiopia Yirgacheffe at his shop. The roasts are often for an espresso profile so if you're a hand brewer better call and check if they have a lighter roast for you as you may find the espresso roast not suitable.
His background in business administration lent itself well to the managing of several coffee shops and the equipment wholesale and retail. His love for espresso and Thai people manifest in both his Zana's Beans Coffee (http://www.zanasbean.com) brand and the Pacamara Coffee in Chiag Mai. Zana's Bean's coffee has steadily been growing with now 6 outlets. Pacamara in Chiang Mai is a consistent favorite by bloggers, travel writers and coffee geeks when visiting Chiang Mai. This success is a testament for his passion and commitment to the trade. If you don't love what you do, you will never be good at it. He recommends that those interested in opening a coffee shop in Thailand must train there palates so that they can use it along with information to make informed decisions about coffee rather than just following what others do.
In the office Mr Z enjoys espresso from his Synesso most of the time but can appreciate a good Chemex brewed with a cova cone. His wife is a true supporter of the business and travels often with him and is also the master gelato maker at the Pacamara Coffee shop. Mr Z's in it to better the coffee industry for his country and we hope he does so. Read his blog in Thai - http://www.espressofriend.com/espressofriendblog (buzz us for a translation). And if you are wondering why the name Pacamara? He says that this bean embodies his philosophy: Pacas, meaning good tasting and Magaragibe, meaning elephant size representing big quality and good taste. We agree that there's good quality and good taste in his coffees. Please enjoy!
roasters in Thailand.
Head to Zana's Beans: http://bit.ly/1R1tdl - to find the nearest outlet
When in Chiang Mai - http://on.fb.me/KoaQ9D
Enjoy a jam by J-5 - Quality Control
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