Laos Naga - Catigua Variety

This balanced and approachable offering was carefully selected from farmers in the Champasak region of the Boloven Plateau. Specifically, the coffee is grown from Paksong, the coffee capital of the Boloven Plateau, to the southern edge of the Plateau where the Nonglouang River cascades down the Tad Kameud Waterfall to the lowlands. It is 100% Catigua variety.

The story of Laos coffee starts in the southwest corner of Laos, where the Mekong river approaches the border with Cambodia as if approaching an ocean, fanning out into so many delta-like fingers that the region is called Si Phan Don, Four Thousand Islands. A hundred miles north, after hugging the border with Thailand for 500 miles, the Mekong—whose name derives from Mae Nam Khong, Mother of All Rivers—breaks with the boundary between the two countries to meet up with the smaller Xe Don river at the city of Paske, capital of the Champasak province. This stretch of the Mekong marks the western edge and southwestern corner of Champasak, the Bolaven Plateau, and the coffee lands of Laos. 

Although the mythical dragon-like creature the "Naga", for which this coffee is named, appears in many cultures and traditions, it is particularly prevalent in Laos and Thailand, where it is known as the “Phaya Naga,” Lord of the Naga, and is believed to live in the Mekong river. Unlike the Naga that appear in some other traditions, the Phaya Naga is not partially human, and is characterized by a giant horn on its head. Like “Nessy” in Scotland’s Loch Ness, the Naga is regularly sighted in the Mekong. In fact, in addition to a giant catfish, there is a species of eel in the Mekong that grows to 5 feet in length, sans the horn. Tradition holds that fireballs seen shooting over the world’s 12th longest river at the end of Buddhist Lent, known as Mekong Lights or Naga Fireballs, come from the mouths of Naga. 

History of Coffee in Laos

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Yahern people (also: Nyaheun) came down from the Annamite mountains, which define the eastern edge of Bolaven Plateau and the border with Vietnam, to discover they were citizens of something called the Kingdom of Champasak. They were granted land by the royal family and for 120 years they farmed this land, including coffee, which was introduced to northern Laos by the French in 1915. Coffee production moved to the Plateau, where the altitude and climate are ideal, in the 1920’s. Today, villages like Nongluang, Lassasin, and Xenamnoi are part of a network of seven villages that make up the Xekatham Estate. Over the last two decades, the government has promoted the transition of Laos coffee from Robusta, which was planted in the 1950’s in response to diseases like rust, to Arabica.

Growing Coffee in Laos

On the Bolaven Plateau at the southern tip of Laos, where 95% of Laotian coffee is grown, altitudes reach 1,350 masl, with significant potential for expanding specialty coffee production. The Bolaven Plateau is made of rich volcanic soils that contribute to a wealth of vegetation. Numerous rivers and creeks of every size cross the plateau heading west and eventually to the Mekong river, which marks the western edge of the plateau. The French discovered the value of the Bolaven Plateau 100 years ago when they first planted coffee, rubber, bananas, and other cash crops in the region. Agriculture, like the native vegetation, thrives on the plateau and it is classic coffee land, cool weather tropics with abundant rainfall and volcanic soil. Coffee has begun to attract new young farmers, who are being actively educated in all aspects of quality processing. Hand-cranked pulpers are becoming more common so smallholders can make more money by selling coffee in parchment rather than cherry.