Most Instagrammable Cafes in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is brimming with cafes. Each week, new spots emerge, but not all stand the test of time. Many shut down quietly, unable to keep pace.

The coffee game here is strong. Even whole-in-the-wall outfits can boast high-end espresso machines worth thousands of dollars. There is a strange dissonance when paying 40 or 50 baht for an espresso drink pulled from a $7000 LA MARZOCCO. And the Baristas know how to use them. The many Barista schools throughout the city churn out a constant supply of highly trained coffee specialists. 

Interestingly, a good chunk of these cafes are vanity projects backed by wealthy families. They use their wealth to subsidize the cafe operation and are not worried about turning a profit. This is amazing for the coffee lovers who visit Chiang Mai. For the families, they get the prestige of being the hot place.

Why 

A typical new cafe trajectory? It opens to much buzz, draws in the student crowd and weekenders from Bangkok, sees a month or so of Instagram frenzy, and then the initial excitement fades. The hunt for the next popular cafe begins, leaving the previous hotspot grappling with sustaining its business. This accounts for the startling turnover of cafes in Chiang Mai. Once the buzz dies down and the cafe is not

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