Thai Europa Tour with cumpa

Thai Dang on Tour – A Journey Through Europe’s Coffee Worlds

When we talk about partnerships at cumpa, we mean real relationships. Encounters that grow when you take the time to learn from each other and understand coffee not just as a product, but as a connection between people. That’s exactly what happened during our joint European trip with our partner Thai Dang – producer, researcher, and project manager of the 96B Liberica & Dewevrei (Excelsa) Project in Vietnam.

Together with Thai, we traveled through five cities, hosted cuppings, met coffee experts, and shared new perspectives on coffee varieties beyond Arabica. Here is our recap.

– An energetic start

The starting signal was given in Munich. Together with Paul, Thai visited our customers Gangundgaebe and the company opening of our friends at Spektrum Coffee before our first official event took place at The Stray Coffee.

The atmosphere was open and curious. Paul opened the evening with an introduction to cumpa’s vision of diverse specialty coffees. Thai presented 96B’s Liberica and Dewevrei (Excelsa) project, explained the background, and took us on a journey through the history of the spread of these rare Coffea species.

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. At the same time, it was an evening full of encounters, exchanges, and curious questions. It was a wonderful start that showed how open the participants are to alternative Coffea species.

– Technical discussions, bold roasts, and a full house

They continued on to Berlin, where Nadine and Dede gave her a warm welcome. After a tour of the city together, they set off for the big cupping event at Communal Coffee. An event with over 30 participants who brought with them a fascination for complex Canephora and rare Liberica/Excelsa coffees.

The discussions were deep: cultivation, complexity of flavors, processing methods, the role of genetic diversity in coffee cultivation… Berlin once again proved itself to be a city that combines openness and critical thinking.

– Festival atmosphere and an extraordinary cupping

Prague was special in two ways:

The cupping at our customers’ The Miners was a complete success! As before, Thai presented the commitment of 96B and their special coffees. Paul discussed the potential of blends between different Coffea species. This time, three customers were present who already had cumpa coffees, including 96B’s Liberica/Excelsa, in their range. It was a pleasure for Thai to be able to taste the roasts of European customers as well. The Miners roast shone with clear notes of green apple and magnolia, while Nesu emphasized notes of sesame, red apple, lime, and stevia. It was a moving moment for Thai to see her coffees interpreted and roasted in a European metropolis for the first time.

At the festival, we met other cumpa customers and 96B fans, including Nordbeans, Coffee Plant, QB Coffee, and HAYB. The atmosphere at the Prague Coffee Festival was energetic, open, and warm. Prague showed us how much warmth there is in the Central and Eastern European coffee community. Thank you for the great time!

– Small group, big conversations

We met the team from Hoppenworth & Ploch – partners for many years and hosts of the first Caneporum. Our partners from the Maldaner region and Drei&Fünf Roastery also traveled specially for Thai’s presentation. “Really great people,” as Thai later said. Here, too, we cupped the coffees from 96B and some Canephora and Arabica lots from the cumpa line-up.

Frankfurt showed that quality creates connections. The group was professional, direct, detail-oriented, and at the same time cordial. The positive response to the coffees was a great incentive for Thai.

– A finale full of highlights

Paris was the crowning glory of the trip. Thai received a warm welcome — for cupping no. 1 from the community around Polygone Formations, barista champion Brice Robin, and many roasters and baristas.

For cupping no. 2, Thai visited our friends at the Paris co-roasting space The Beans on Fire. Other local cumpa partners such as Hanoi Corner, Les Cafés Signatures, and Tanat Paris were also present. “These coffees show high skills in processing,” praised one participant.

The cuppings in Paris were intense: almost everyone found two or more favorite coffees on the table. It was particularly impressive how many people highlighted the clarity and diversity of aromas in Liberica and Excelsa. “Great feedback and a feeling of great appreciation,” Thai summed up.

This tour was more than just a series of events. It impressively demonstrated how curious and open the European coffee community is to new ideas and how strongly shared values such as quality, fairness, diversity, transparency, and genuine relationships connect people.

Liberica, Dewevrei (Excelsa), and Canephora are still unusual for many roasters. But behind these Coffea species lies a complex, long-standing history of botany, migration, colonialism, and decades of research and development that is worth exploring.

For us, one thing is certain: the future of coffee is diverse. And our goal is to make it more accessible. When producers, importers, and roasters gather around a cupping table to explore the potential of these previously little-known coffees, it can trigger changes that shape the entire industry. Together, we are shaping the specialty coffees of tomorrow.

We are grateful to everyone who has shared their time with us — whether cupping, chatting, or meeting up again at festivals. And we thank all our partners and friends who have made this journey possible.