Ceresia Coffee Roasters

Two Venezuelan sisters who spent years at Monmouth in London have roasted their own beans on Sukhumvit Soi 33/1 since 2013, rotating up to six single origins a week when most Bangkok cafes managed two.

Why go

This is the shop that helped start Bangkok's specialty wave, and the craft claims are specific. Daniel Ang records it "run by two Venezuelan coffee-professional sisters who both have a background working several years at Monmouth coffee in London," sourcing from Thailand, India, Guatemala, and Colombia and roasting "carefully... in small batches to maintain the original flavours." BK Magazine reviewed it back in September 2013, which in Bangkok specialty-coffee years makes it a founder. Thai beans get equal billing with the imports, so you can taste a Black Honey Thailand lot against a Brazilian in one sitting.

Order this / avoid

• Order: the seasonal espresso blend or whatever single-origin filter is on the weekly rotation; take a bag of the house roast home.
• Avoid: a work session. Time Out puts it plainly: "Put your phone down. Put away your laptop. There's no Wi-Fi at Ceresia." And go before 6pm, when it shuts.

What locals & experts say

• Time Out Bangkok (May 2016, Passita Setthawornwat): rotates "up to six single-origin offerings weekly" against the usual two or three, in one of the city's calmer specialty rooms. ref
• BK Magazine (Sep 2013): "single origin and original blended coffees sourced from farms worldwide, roasted in small batches and rotated seasonally." ref

Good to know

• Timing: mornings through 6pm; sources disagree on a Monday closure, so check before a special trip.
• Booking: walk-in; small room, faster at off-peak.
• Getting there: Soi 33/1 opposite Fuji Supermarket, a short walk from BTS Phrom Phong; a second branch operates weekdays at Tisco Tower, Sala Daeng, useful from the Silom side.

Jeff's take (his words)

• The note: none on file; the save is from his list without comment. Ask him for his order.

Verdict (Chef Jeff ladder)

should-visit — Bangkok's specialty-coffee proof case: two Monmouth-trained Venezuelan sisters roasting in-house since 2013, rotating six single origins a week when the city norm was two, Thai beans sitting beside Guatemalan on the same bar. For a coffee drinker it is the benchmark cup on the Sukhumvit side, priced like a neighborhood shop. The detour is short from Phrom Phong and worth it specifically for the coffee, since coffee is all it does.