Myanmar Moe Htet Estate

What to Expect

This Myanmar coffee from Moe Htet Estate walks an interesting line between chocolate richness and jammy fruit sweetness. The SL34 variety, more commonly found in Kenya, brings berry character that the honey process amplifies into raspberry and redcurrant jam notes, while the medium roast coaxes out chocolate and a surprising hint of pineapple.

The Cup

You'll get a medium-full body with a smooth, rounded mouthfeel. The acidity is moderate rather than sharp, sitting comfortably in the background while the jammy fruit sweetness does most of the talking. This is a clean cup with no funk, the honey process adding body and sweetness without tipping into fermented territory. The chocolate and fruit notes share space rather than compete, making for an approachable but interesting drink.

Who This Is For

This suits drinkers who want some fruit character without the high acidity or delicate body of a light roast. It's versatile enough for daily drinking but interesting enough to pay attention to.

If you're after bright, tea-like clarity or intense fruity funk, this won't deliver. The medium roast and moderate altitude keep things balanced rather than extreme.

Best for: Filter drinkers who like their fruit notes jammy and their body substantial.

How to Brew This Coffee

A pour-over or drip method will give you the clearest read on the chocolate and fruit balance. The Aeropress works well if you want to emphasise the body and jammy sweetness with a shorter brew time. A French press will lean into the full body and round out the fruit notes into something more syrupy and comforting.

Myanmar

Myanmar Moe Htet Estate

Description from Roaster

Roast: Full City (4/7) (Medium)Tasting Notes: Chocolate, Pineapple, Raspberry and Redcurrant JamAltitude: 1080 MASLSCA Score: 82.5Varietal: SL34Processing Method: Honey Story:Coffee was introduced in Myanmar in 1885 by British missionaries, who planted coffee along the western...

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Description from Roaster

Roast: Full City (4/7) (Medium)
Tasting Notes: Chocolate, Pineapple, Raspberry and Redcurrant Jam
Altitude: 1080 MASL
SCA Score: 82.5
Varietal: SL34
Processing Method: Honey

Story:
Coffee was introduced in Myanmar in 1885 by British missionaries, who planted coffee along the western coast of the southern tip of the country. In the 1930’s, Catholic missionaries brought Arabica to the north-eastern Shan State, one of the two major regions for Arabica production today. Coffee remained a relatively minor commodity, in what was then Burma, as British colonisers focused primarily on the production of rice. It wasn’t until the 1980’s when the government partnered with the UN to replace illegal poppy production (for opium) with coffee trees.[70]

The focus on coffee from Myanmar grew in 2015 when a partnership between the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) and Winrock International, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), sought to improve the poor volumes and processing at the time to help farmers achieve higher coffee scores to sell on the speciality market. Amazingly, within just a few years, coffee scores jumped from the low-70s to the mid-80’s marking Myanmar on the map as a new producer of speciality coffee.[70][71]

With high average altitudes of 1350 MASL, hot days and cool nights Myanmar is a perfect location for growing excellent coffee. This coffee is from the Moe Htet Estate, a large estate in Naungcho, a town within the north-west of Shan State. With around 200 acres of coffee production and long-term experience gained from working in government research as well as with multinational companies training on grafting techniques, the farm has established well. They employ 100 pickers over the harvest season from January to March, a historical harvest gap between the tea, soy and rice seasons, helping provide incomes to families that would previously have stayed at home during this time. [70][72]

Cherries from the Moe Htet Estate are harvested and delivered to the country’s largest dry mill, Mandalay Coffee Group (MCG). They go through a dry fermentation for almost 24 hours before being demucilaged and sun dried for 7-10 days. It is then hulled, sized and optically sorted before a final hand sorting to ensure the highest quality possible.[72][73]

We roast this coffee to a medium-dark level to express the chocolate, fruit and nutty notes, it has a smooth, full body with a hint of sweetness to finish.

This description comes from Mill Bank Coffee Co., who roasts this coffee. For the fullest product detail, you can also see their own listing at Mill Bank Coffee Co.