Mr Curious wrote:

wackyjacky wrote:

Mr Curious wrote:I actually like the stuff, I've tried several. One claimed 25% ACTUAL coffee I mix it with some real coffee. I mean hell, the stuff costs half the price of real coffee, kind of a tip off no? It's everywhere, them cops are gonna be busy.

Where's the margin then ? I pay about $3 /kilo for really good Cambodian coffee. It's Robusto not Arabica, but it rocks.

could'nt find any robusto last time I was there, bought some in Bangkok but ran out. I need to holler at JM cuz he knows some place with some good Lao robusto as I recall. But I think it was $7 a pound. $3 a kilo. Sure gotta try some of that. Where?

Sorry, I can't remember the name & the label is all in Khmer. It's around the corner from Samadura on the L, on the road that leads to the old bus station parallel to Ekareach & Omui. Shit I forgot, you can get the Red & Gold labels at Samadura. It's good shit. Every time I go back to Thailand, my friends there make me load up my bag with it & wine.

robusto has about twice or more caffiene as Arabica and is grown all across the SE Asia area. Even in Bankok it was a bit hard to find with one choice as I recall, and that was the Siam Paragon gourmet supermarket. Typically stuff that brings in big money gets sent out of the country. Italy imports a lot of it to add to espresso to make for more KICK. Next time I'm in Loei I'm gonna FIND that guy or SOMEONE growing the stuff and get BEANS dammit. Lots of em.

guess what that lil thing in the lower right is. Raw robusta.

Robusta beans are nearly round compared to elongate arabica.

Smells like wet dog during the first of the roast.


Some like walkabou, some like naga i guess.

Never drank pure Robusta in my life until I got here and I was kinda shocked that I liked it. It's got almost double the caffeine and works just fine if you like a really dark roast. A friend of mine in SF owned a few Italian restaurants and I asked him why the espressos in his joints always had such great crema. He said that it was due to the Robusta in the blend.

and THIS is why I think it's so hard to find in the normal market. Your best market as a grower is to sell to someone from Italy, or out of country. I like the flavor more but arabica is probably tops because it's produced in huge amounts by Brazil allowing it to go on the market at a lower price which those of us that like a normal everyday coffee LIKE. I have and NEVER WILL pay $3 for a cup of coffee. Making it trendy for idiots with more money than brains has kinda ruined the good old cup of Joe. The fake stuff fills this niche. Affordable everyday cup (or few) for even those in Cambodia. And SOME ppl don't care much about the caffeine part of it.

Next time I hit Asia I'll throw a couple bricks of Bustello and a couple 2 lb cans of Maxwell House Morning Roast into the suitcase along with a half pound (or allowable amount) of pipe tobacco. I have found no place in Cambodia that sells cigars or pipe tobacco, and if there IS one, they can get away with pricing it at three times the usual cost as it's super rare.

Fresh roast robusta is better than stale arabica.

Arabica is actually the minority of production.

Side by side though a decent arabica trumps robusta always for taste.

If y ou use milk, the difference is not obvious.

If black, very obvious to non nescafe drinkers.

Mr Curious wrote: Next time I hit Asia I'll throw a couple bricks of Bustello and a couple 2 lb cans of Maxwell House Morning Roast into the suitcase along with a half pound (or allowable amount) of pipe tobacco. I have found no place in Cambodia that sells cigars or pipe tobacco, and if there IS one, they can get away with pricing it at three times the usual cost as it's super rare.

There are cigar clubs in Bangkok. However, like you, I've not seen pipe or chewing tobacco in either Thailand or Cambodia. You do occasionally see Maxwell House in stores by the can in both countries. Don't recall if it was "Morning Roast". Never seen Folgers which I actually used to prefer over Maxwell House.

the Gourmet supermarket wine room at Siam Paragon center has pipe tobacco. And that erm Friendship? supermarket near some big market in Pattaya has a great selection of pipe tobacco. In Issan read ONE wine shop in Udon Thani had some, but I went to Bkk anyway. I'd place Folgers behind Chase and Sanborn and tops...MH Morning Roast, which is a mild very good tasting rather new entry by them in recent years. I can put up with some change, but coffee? No. It's the first moments of every day, Sometimes I travel with a stovetop espresso pot AND a Bodum french press. Lately I use those cheap drip tins that go over the cup. One is cheap like Cambo resto's use ($1.50) and a good quality stainless steel one from VN ($3.50). The french press is good as a tea maker too, and in a pinch you can make noodles in it

Mr Curious wrote:the Gourmet supermarket wine room at Siam Paragon center has pipe tobacco. And that erm Friendship? supermarket near some big market in Pattaya has a great selection of pipe tobacco. )

Yes, seen it at Friendship now that you mention it.

I also carry a French Press and if needed(depending on destination) a hot pot. Using a French Press much easier and better than a "drip" as I've bought a couple single cup drip machines and find them to be shit quality wise and not hot enough. A single or two cup hot pot is difficult to find. The chain IBIS has them in their rooms but other than stealing it had no option. They would not sell it to me. My hotel in PNH and in Bangkok provide me with a hot pot.

Life must be rough without a squirter attached to the toilet. I can't imagine living without one now that Asia has spoiled me. Maybe it's a Euro thing, but never found in hotels or homes in the USA.