Opium production has long been a problem for Thailand, which was well known for it's poppy growing, mainly by Northern Hill Tribe communities. Whole villages were sustaining themselves through poppy cultivation using environmentally harmful slash and burn farming techniques. The result was the destruction of large areas of precious rainforests and adverse affects to the country's water resources.

His Majesty the King of Thailand responded to this crisis by encouraging Hill Tribe communities to grow alternative crops, and eventually succeeded in substituting coffee for opium production. The premier Arabica-C bean was chosen and the United Nations Crop Replacement Program extended its support, educating Hill Tribe communities in the hand cultivation of coffee.

The combination of a mountainous climate, fertile soil, traditional farming methods and an attention to quality allows this region to produce beans of the highest international caliber. However, for many years these fine coffee beans went unnoticed.

Fortunately, an international gourmet coffee roasting expert and connoisseur discovered this coffee jewel, and without hesitation established the "Golden Triangle Coffee & Tea Co., Ltd." Roasted under expert supervision, we now have the privilege to offer a world-class gourmet coffee. HillTribe Gourmet Coffee is not blended but is kept one hundred percent pure Arabica-C.

For HillTribe Gourmet and Premium Gourmet coffees we recommend the following ratios of coffee to near boiling water:

It is our experience that very few sophisticated coffee drinkers care for mild (or weak) coffee. The majority of Westerners, especially Europeans, prefer the strongest combination of 80grams of coffee to a liter of water.