Lao Coffee

Any recommendation for some good places to enjoy good Lao coffee? And where is the best place to buy quality Lao coffee bean in Vientiane?

Many thanks for help.

Lao Coffee

I have been to Laos two times in the past year and have always found coffee at Joma cafe to be at least the best place to have coffee, or chow down on light snacks from their many variety of western food offerings. The place is owned and run by westerners so you can pretty much expect their food to taste like what you would expect or maybe even better. The cafe is set-up in a starbucks or Gloria Jeans type arrangement with great table service from the friendly staff. I%26#39;ve also tried coffee at the Lao Plaza Hotel, Scandinavian bakehouse and Swedish Pizza house, all within walking distance from each other, but none of them beats Joma cafe for variety, atmosphere and service. You can find Joma cafe in the city centre just across the road from the popular Kob-Jai-Der restaurant and bar, also very popular with tourists.

Lao Coffee

My God! A Gloria Jean or Starbucks comparison is no recommendation to anyone who likes coffee. The rubbish served up by both of the aforementioned places is more akin to dishwater than coffee. If I owned Joma I would sue!

The coffee shop opposite the old picture theatre serves some very good coffee.

I would agree, as for-mentioned, the Gloria Jeans and Starbucks comparison does not go beyond the cafe furniture setting and ambience, for food and coffee Joma is no comparison to other western coffee chains, but coffee at Joma is quite up to international standards compared to the crap you can sometimes get from small road side cafes...mind you the stuff they serve at roadside cafes are the real deal, the lao coffee. What is this coffee shop near the theatre called? I%26#39;d like to try their coffee next time i%26#39;m in Laos.

You can buy Lao coffee beans at grocery stores, or at some liquor stores. It is wonderful coffee. In LP we ended up buying it in kilo bags (35,000 kip per kilo - about US$3.50) to take home. There is also ground coffee for sale at the markets, either in fancy little souvenir-type bags or in completely unadorned cellophane bags tied with a rubber band. We bought the latter from the big food markets and it even just made in a plunger it was the best coffee I have had ever.

If you%26#39;re ordering coffee in a non-Western cafe make sure they don%26#39;t bring you instant. We had a few experiences of that in places out of the city centre.

Thankyou all, we will have enough time in Vientiane to try out all the recommendations, from Joma to road side cafes, but will definitely get a variety of Lao coffee beans. I was introduced to Sinouk ($3/250g, 6 different blends) when in LP the last time, really enjoyed it.

I know this is a really old post but ...

The best coffee by far in Laos is Lao Mountain Coffee (check out their website for more info www.. It is the only Fair Trade coffee in Laos, is professionally small batch roasted and is organic (www.laomountan.com). Many cafe%26#39;s serve it (including Joma (re-labled), Croissant d%26#39;or and some of the other %26#39;French%26#39; places in Vientiane). You can buy it in whole bean or ground form in Pimpone supermarket next door to Joma. Lots of different blends and roasts.

The most fun place to buy it is in Luang Prabang in the night market/H%26#39;mong market up the post office end on the Phu Si market side. There are two little stalls set up selling cupped coffee and beans prepared in the traditional Lao way (strained through a %26#39;sock%26#39;). Go to Lenou%26#39;s stall (the one closest to the post office) where they sell Lao Mountain and serve it in bamboo cups. Good fun.

If you run out of beans when you get home, there are several importers in the US and Europe, and I know that www.obscura.net.au sells it in Australia

Hi Penny,

Thankyou for taking time to respond to my old post. I am sure your info will be useful to other coffee lovers too. We came to know about Lao Mountain coffee when in Vientianne and actually thought of visiting the Phosavan (?) Plateau sometime but haven%26#39;t got a clear idea how to get there yet. We did enjoy coffee at Joma and got some beans from a French/Western supermarket in Vientianne, the coffee they served in there was good too.

I wasn%26#39;t quite sure about the coffee they sold at the night market when in LP so didn%26#39;t get any. Instead I was introduced to Sinouk, wonder if it is another brand of Lao mountain coffee? I like it, got some in LP but price slightly higher in Vientianne.

Thanks for the website info.

I think that the little coffee stalls in the night market are only new this year.

I think that Sinouk coffee has just got organic certification, but I personally don%26#39;t like the taste. Many do, though.

Try everything,I say!! It%26#39;s the whole point of discovering something in a new country.