Lao Mountain Coffee
In two decades, the Lao Mountain House has given coffee new horizons by showing initiative and choosing the path of roasting at origin. Its coffees are characterized by the primary desire of establishing a true Laotian coffee culture.
Lao Mountain, created in 2001, includes a Farmer Group of 80 producers and a roasting unit in Vientiane.
The coffee plots, spread over two villages, are located on the upper part of the Bolaven Plateau, at 1200-1300 meters above sea level, benefiting from a humid tropical climate ideal for growing coffee.
Growing arabica trees was key
Historically, Laos has focused on robusta coffee cultivation, still accounting for the majority of domestic production. The estates of Lao Mountain have also made the choice of growing Arabicas. After the Catimor, a variety first introduced for its resistance to diseases, the Typica was added in 2012 after years of experimentation, and more recently the Caturra, a natural variety of Bourbon. All crops are grown in certified organic farming.
Steve Feldschneider, master roaster, is behind this whole project.
He moved to Laos in 1998, and faced with the impossibility of finding good quality green coffee to roast, he became interested in its culture. He formed the “Farmer Group” in order to master all the steps of the cup… to the seed. With the help of an organic farming specialist, he worked with the group’s producers to develop arabica varieties, establish good harvesting and processing practices, arming them with modern facilities (washing station, dry mill…). This collaboration provides producers with added value and stability through a sustainable and effective partnership.
Thus, Steve was able to set up his “recipes” in a spirit of taste creation and innovation, and directly inspired by the Laotian culture.
He hates standardized, characterless coffees, which appeal to everyone. On the contrary, he seeks to satisfy the taste of each and everyone by constituting different coffees so that everyone finds his or her own favorite. He takes special care in roasting by favoring the imagination like a great chef who cultivates his own garden and offers his own products.
