Coffee in Cambodia • Information and Preparation • Bunaa

Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world after the civil war lasting for years.
The Vietnam War and the dictatorship of the Khmer Rouge from 1975 to 1979 also brought the country economic decay.
Coffee was introduced in the Kingdom of Cambodia by French colonial owners at the same time as in Vietnam and Laos.
Since there are seldom heights of more than 800 m in Cambodia, Robusta is mainly cultivated.
In the northeastern highlands of Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri provinces, Arabica also grows excellent and is traditionally cultivated by indigenous tribes.
Other cultivation areas are in the provinces Stung Treng and Memot Kompong Cham
The majority of coffee production is for the local market, but a small portion is also sold as fair trade coffee, so demand has risen sharply in recent years. The price is designed accordingly.

Cambodian coffee was originally roasted with butter, animal fat and alcohol. Even today, coffee is roasted along with vegetable fat, soybeans, corn and chicory. After roasting, the beans are immediately finely ground.
The coffee is brewed either with a cloth sock or with a Phin coffee filter.

black strong coffee

coffee with milk

Add 1 teaspoonful of coffee powder to the phin, place on a glass with 1-3 tsp of condensed milk and add hot water to the filter.
The coffee is drunk hot or on ice.