Biome Coffee

Myanmar's Arabica Awakening: From Missionaries to Specialty Star

Myanmar's coffee scene is young but buzzing with potential, especially its Arabica from misty highlands. It's a tale of resilient farms, political twists, and a specialty revival.

Humble Roots
Coffee hit Myanmar in the late 1800s via British colonials and missionaries. Robusta started in the south, but Arabica shone from the 1930s in Southern Shan State, Northern Shan State, and Pyin Oo Lwin. Key spot: Chaungwe plantation (1930s), still brewing today.

Perfect Highland Fit
Arabica thrives in cooler elevations like Shan State and Mandalay. The 1980s brought boosts with disease-resistant Catimor and Catuai, blending old-school charm with modern yields.

Top Varieties on the Scene

Bourbon & Typica: Classic, flavor-packed profiles.

Catuai & Caturra: Reliable producers.

Catimor: Yield king with rust resistance.

S795 & SL34: Hybrids for quality and grit.

These shape everything from cup notes to farm survival.

From Slump to Surge
Post-independence isolation sidelined coffee, but recent government pushes, farmer programs, and the 2014 Myanmar Coffee Association sparked a comeback. Now, highland Arabica from Shan and Mandalay is earning specialty buzz with better processing.

Why It Brews Bright
Myanmar's Arabica blends history, adaptation, and rural hope. For buyers and cuppers, it's an emerging origin with nuanced flavors and huge upside—heritage meets innovation.

Next stop? Refined quality and global shelves.

References:
(1) Asian Tour Myanmar. (2021, January 29). Myanmar coffee history.
https://www.asiantour-myanmar.com/blog/post/myanmar-coffee-history/
(2) Coffee Association of Myanmar. (n.d.). Myanmar coffee history.
https://www.coffee.org.mm/index.php/en/myanmar-coffee-history
(3) Atlas Coffee Importers. (2023, March 20). Myanmar.
https://www.atlascoffee.com/coffee/myanmar/
(4) Indochina Coffee. (2021, March 22). Myanmar specialty coffee.
https://indochinacoffee.com/coffees/myanmar_new/
(5) Global New Light of Myanmar. (2022, October 2). Myanmar to expand coffee cultivation acres in 5 years from 2023-2024FY.
https://www.gnlm.com.mm/myanmar-to-expand-coffee-cultivation-acres-in-5-years-from-2023-2024fy/
(6)Viking Coffee Co. (2024, May 31). Brief history of coffee in Myanmar.
https://vikingcoffeeco.com/blogs/default-blog/brief-history-of-coffee-in-myanmar

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Ever wondered the numbers about Myanmar's coffee production?
✨🇲🇲 Myanmar is the coffee world's best-kept secret, but not for long. With ideal high-altitude terroir and a focus on premium to specialty production, these beans are heading to a cafe near you. Check why Myanmar is the next big thing in your cup! ☕️

(these are the average overview, might slightly different from actual data due to limited accessible data)

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From Myanmar, With Love 🇲🇲☕️
It’s been an incredible journey putting Myanmar coffee on the global map, and we couldn’t have done it without this amazing community. To our customers, partners, and our hardworking team and farmers: thank you for making this dream a reality.

Times haven’t been easy lately, but your patience and support while we navigate our country's challenges mean everything. You’re helping us show the world what Myanmar coffee is all capable of!

A special thank you to Typica team and the customers for believing in us and helping us reach roasters across the globe. 🌍

A new chapter for 2026! 🤝
To keep the coffee flowing and the quality rising, we’re officially teaming up with Three Dots Coffee Co., Ltd. in Bangkok! By joining forces, we’re securing a more sustainable supply and sharing new techniques to make every cup even better.

Our goal remains the same: making the best coffee possible while ensuring our team and farmers stay safe, happy, and supported.

We’ll see you around the world, through a cup of Myanmar coffee! ✨

People ~ Microbe ~ Terroir 🤝
These are the key elements of coffee quality.
These are the frontiers of Biome Coffee 💪🏻

Looking forward to upcoming harvests ❤️
See you around the cupping tables 🤗

The most beautiful thing about coffee is...

when a group of professionals and consumers are gathering together around the coffee on the table, and simply enjoying the beautiful coffee of hardworking farmers and processors. 🥰

What's your most beautiful thing about coffee?
Please leave your opinion below 🤗

Choosing cherry ripeness level and controlling cherry quality is one of the most crucial steps in making a good cup of coffee 🤗

We will always strive to elevate the quality and consistency of every batch we process ❤️

People~Terroirs~Plant~Cherries~Microbes 🤝🙌🏻

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When it comes to drying in coffee processing, drying temperature and relative humidity are both critical for quality of green beans.
For a coffee processor, the hard work didn’t end after fermentation. Every step is crucial for us. 💪🏻

People~Terroirs~Plant~Cherries-Microbes 🤝🙌🏻

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Throwback to Biome cupping events in Philippines and Indonesia 🥰
We are thrilled to see that our 2025 lots are loved by amazing coffee people from these countries ❤️🙌🏻
A healthfelt thank you to all of our great friends from these countries Philippines and Indonesia 🙏
As always we will keep trying new methods, keeping the same quality for every year and sharing with you all every time 🙌🏻🫡

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A good cup from Biome Coffee is all about hardworking of our people, terroir, plant, cherry and micro-organisms.
You will feel the delicacy and cleanliness in our coffee.
Please try whenever you have a chance.
For those who will be at WOC Jakarta 2025, please come and find us. We will be at a couple of booths.
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Thank you for your support and sympathy 🙏🥰
Together we will overcome these hardships and will make a name for ASEAN coffee together in the global market 💪🏻🙌🏻🙏