Where can you get the best coffee in Phnom Penh?
Where can you get the best coffee in Phnom Penh? If you’re a coffee lover then finding a good cup of Joe is not always an easy affair. Yes, there are lots of coffee shops in Cambodia, but coffee beans, machines and baristas are not created equally.
I’ll go straight to it on this and state we are not talking about the best cafe, or coffee shop in Phnom Penh, or indeed Cambodia, but where you can get the best and widest selection of coffee for home in the Kingdom.
Boncafe – The secret sauce behind all the best coffee shops
The team was to arrive at Boncafe through a bit of serendipity. It was actually via eating pizza at Pappa John’s and inquiring about where they got their coffee that led us to Boncafe.
The company itself were founded in 1962 in Singapore, before coming to Cambodia in 1996 and ultimately being taken over by the Italian behemoth Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group in 2014. Being owned by an Italian company tends to come in handy if you’re specializing in great coffees and how to make them.
What’s the Boncafe Cambodia story today?
Initially and to a large extent still they are a business-to-business enterprise. They import and provide coffee to all the best supermarkets, such as Lucky, Chip Mong and Bayon, as well as the Siem Riep favorite Angkor Supermarket.
They also supply coffee-making equipment and provide barista training to a whole heap of great dining establishments, such as the aforementioned Papa John’s, and Pong Cambodia, a particular favourite haunt of the Khmer Nights team.
Alas, these are changing times and the company is now reaching out to sell coffees, teas, and even Italian soda syrup directly to customers. Obviously though the main kicker is the list of coffees they sell both whole bean and ground.
Speaking to Khmer Nights, country manager Harry Wong told us:
“So, in short Boncafe is not a cafe, but more a retailer wholesaler and showroom with locales in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville.”
When asked about what Boncafe Cambodia were trying to achieve he further added “To be the leading Coffee Roaster and purveyor of gourmet coffees and food service products from around the world by operating with the guiding principles of integrity, quality, service and relationship.”. Can’t say fairer than that!
Best coffee in Phnom Penh – The Experts opinion
Phnom Penh’s coffee offerings range wildly in quality and price. While you can get some home-brewed dark-as-night cup for a dollar or less, you’re going to need to load it with milk and sugar to make it palatable.
Some of my go-to’s for coffee are DNJ in Boeng Tompun, Chit Chat Cafe in TTP. As far as the main chains go, Mobile Coffee isn’t bad and Brown is good but is way overpriced.
There’s a bag of Boncafe ground coffee sitting in my apartment now and I can’t help but take a whiff every time I walk by it. I’m currently on the hunt for a decently priced quality French Press and once that’s purchased, I’ll be brewing Boncafe every morning.
While I have yet to give the packaged coffee a whirl, the espresso, cappuccino and tea on offer at the showroom were on point — strong and rich with the right amount of sweetness. There’s no wonder they are the main suppliers of coffee to many vendors in the capital and beyond.
As soon as I find a French Press, I’ll update this section with a review.
The best coffee machines in Phnom Penh?
OK, so if you are budget-conscious then this is the part where you will either switch off, or have a heart attack. Yes you can get coffee machines and grinders online for cheap, but if you have the cash you can also get the best.
Boncafe has a range of coffee machines that start from around the $400 mark, but also come with free home installation as well as barista training! That’s right, should you splash the coffee machine cash they will train you for as long as it takes to make the perfect cappuccino, latte, espresso, or whatever the cool kids are drinking now.
Obviously these are not in the price range for all of us, but if you are planning on setting up a bar or coffee shop then Boncafe is the place to be.
Where can I find Boncafe and is it worth a visit?
As stated there are three showrooms, in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and Siem Reap – which we shall hyperlink to locations for. As for should you visit Boncafe? That depends on how much you love coffee! If you are a coffee aficionado then there is simply no better place currently out there when it comes to range of coffees, expertise, and even getting trained to make the perfect cup.
You can find Boncafe Phnom Penh here
You can find Boncafe Sihanoukville here
You can find Boncafe Siem Reap here .
And if nothing else you will get a friendly welcome and perhaps even get to sit down and enjoy a coffee with the manager. We are personally planing to come for a little barista training – so watch this space. The best in Coffee in Phnom Penh? Khmer Nights got ya covered….
You can check them out and contact them on Facebook here
 | Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
 | https://www.cambodialifestyle.com/phnom-penh/ |
 | +855 9 678 01791 |
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Author: Reece Ferguson
Reece is a South-East Asia based writer and journalist that originally hails from Northern Ireland. He has previously written for Philippines Lifestyle News, as well as for our previous publication Khmer Nights.
