Ann has been away a few weeks in Thailand, helping her daughter prepare for her journey to Australia. I have missed her greatly and look forward muchly to her return in week or two. Yesterday she sent a couple of pics on Line from Phetchabun, her home town. They reminded me almost immediately of the Great Thai Coffee Saga of 2017, in which I tried mightily to get a well-made cappuccino outside of Bangkok.

People may roll their eyes, yes, and they may even poke fun at me. Ann though was very patient as I weighed up the chances of a good cup of coffee at each and every cafe. It wasn't the equipment, as grinders and machines gleamed, beans were freshly dispensed, barista technique seemed competent enough. I think that the problem was the order. Most foreigners seemed to be having flat white, Thais were ordering iced coffee and very few people in the sticks had made a cappuccino before. The latter frequently turned out far too strong or bitter and Thai milk has a slightly different consistency too, so in the end I resigned myself to being disappointed.

One day near the end of our trip Ann took me to a small cafe in Phetchabun called Piccolo. It had a very Western vibe and it was also abundantly clear that the owner was as obsessed with coffee as I was. Jars of exotic beans lined the counter. Maps and diagrams showed coffee growing regions and the different tastes that might be derived from different beans and roasting techniques. The coffee he made me was very good. His attempt at a kind of cool java minimalism was a success.

Ann and beverages at Piccolo.