Why is Vietnamese coffee so damn good? Here's why.

Oct 25

My first Vietnamese coffee. Straight black. I was wired for three months.

Pho. Pointy hats. Scooters. Lots of them. All visions that came to mind when planning my trip to Vietnam. Coffee?!? No way.

You see, coffee isn’t a thing in Asia. They’ve mastered the noodle, all sorts of teas and rice in every form. But coffee? We’ll leave that to the Italians, right?

Wrong. So very wrong.

This is, perhaps, why the coffee in Vietnam shook me so hard. Because I was not expecting coffee. Never mind good coffee. Never ever mind the best coffee of my life.

I remember that first sip of cà phê. My tastebuds will never be the same. To say it changed me is not doing it justice.

The coffee in Vietnam isn’t just damn good. It’s life shaking and changing. It’s bitter and hard and addicting. It’s a drug, a delicious drug.

But why is the coffee so damn good? I have my theories, which I will share in this post. But first, you need a little background.

How did coffee get here in the first place?

The French

Although I in no way glamorize the effects of colonization, I do need to mention the French and credit them for introducing coffee to Vietnam. But, while we’re at it, let’s also acknowledge the fact that they used children as human wheels to carry them to the top of the hills so they can cool down on hot summer days and destroyed ancient Buddhist temples to replace them with cathedrals.

Ok, now that that’s done…

The French brought coffee over to Vietnam in the 1850’s with the intention of economic gain (not personal consumption). It quickly became Vietnam’s major economic contributor. Today Vietnam is the world’s second largest coffee exporter, after Brazil. Although tea may still be King in Vietnam, coffee is Queen and she’s after the throne.

Preparing phin style coffee, traditional Vietnamese black coffee.

The American War

Or, as we know it, The Vietnam War, played a major role in Vietnam’s booming coffee scene. You see what had happen was…

The Vietnam war ended in 1975 and the country was basically poor, and economic policies copied from the Soviet union did nothing to help.
Collectivizing agriculture was quite unsuccessful (to say the least), so in 1986 the Communist Party instituted a massive coffee production program.
Coffee production then grew by 20%-30% every year in the 1990s. The industry now employs about 2.6 million people.
This has helped transform the Vietnamese economy. In 1994 some 60% of Vietnamese lived under the poverty line, now less than 10% do.
(source bbc.com)

This coffee boom trickled down to entreprenual savvy millennials that are turning their passion for cà phê into thriving (adorable) coffee shops.

The French may have introduced the sacred plant to Vietnam, but generation X made it their own and millennials elevated the entire coffee scene.

I’ve never experienced a coffee scene like that of Vietnam’s. It’s uniquely traditional yet unusually creative. I recently spent three months sipping my way through this captivating country, determined to figure out why the coffee is so damn good. I wouldn’t say I came up with the answer. But I have my theories.

The classic phin, the Vietnamese take on the French press

It’s the beans

It’s gotta be the beans!

The coffee you’re used to drinking is most likely made with arabica beans. It’s the much more popular choice of bean, as it is sweeter and softer in taste. But the coffee in Vietnam is almost always made with robusta beans, quite the opposite of arabica. Robusta is almost twice as strong. Arabica beans contain between 1% to 1.5% caffeine while Robusta has between 1.6% to 2.7% caffeine, making it taste more bitter.

Robusta has a much stronger, lingering taste and higher acidity. The strong taste, a thicker brew and a few over-roasted beans makes for a different, distinctive tasting experience.

This harsher, bitter version is not everyone’s cuppa coffee. I know. But if you like your flavors and aromas exaggerated, I think you too will fall hard for Vietnamese coffee.

It’s the variety

Or maybe it’s the variety?

More like the unique variety. Because dairy was hard to come by in Vietnam in the 19th century, the Vietnamese would lighten and sweeten their coffee with refrigeration free options like condensed milk, egg and coconut milk. These options have transformed to some of the most unique coffee concoctions you’ll ever come across.

Cà phê sữa is the most popular choice amongst locals. Black drip iced coffee sweetened with condensed milk. I mean, what’s there not to like? The strongest of the strong and the sweetest of the sweet in one little icy glass cup. Always with an ice because have you been to Vietnam!? It’s hot.

Cà phê trứng, aka egg coffe, is feels like a pisco sour on your lips and goes down like a freshly baked French croissant. Whipped egg and condensdened milk make this airy, frothy take the most decadent coffee you will have. Trust.

Cà phê dừa, aka coconut coffee, is the Lord’s greatest creation. Let’s take a little moment here to imagine pina colada and espresso fell in love and made a little coconuty coffee baby. THAT’S Vietnamese Coconut Coffee. It is made by blending condensed milk, coconut milk and ice served with a shot of espresso on the side. You can at times ask for it without condensed milk for a vegan-friendly version.

If your coffee isn’t served in three separate cups, is it even coffee!?!

It’s the presentation

The presentation definitely has something to do with it!

Shall I let the pictures do the talking? I shall.

It’s the glass

Yes. Definitely. The glass.

Mugs are cozy and cute. But proper glassware is ornate and quite luxurious. I had never even considered drinking coffee out of a glass cup until Vietnam. Now, really, it’s the only way. The glassware elevates coffee to the likes of wine, spirits . And frankly, it deserves that kind of attention.

The sweet girls of Dream Beans Coffee in Hanoi.

It’s the people.

That. That’s not a theory. That’s the truth.

These young millennials aren’t playing around. They mean business. Coffee business. Their coffee shops are more like coffee labs where they are determined to educate you on a proper cup of Vietnamese coffee. They will walk you through the entire process and there’s usually a scale and a stopwatch involved. The precision and passion are real. And all with a big ass smile on their faces :)!

My favorite coffee shops in Vietnam:

Now that I’ve shared my theories, I would like to share my favorite coffee shops in Vietnam.

Dream Beans Coffee, Hanoi

This is where I realized these people were serious about their coffee. There are baristas. And then there’s Tuan (and his sidekick Khanh). Their coffee shop in the heart of Hanoi introduced me to this way of life. It’s a way of life. Step into their coffee lab and they’ll meticulously demo and walk you through their process. The love and passion they pour into every cup goes straight to the veins and into the heart. This is a MUST for any coffee drinker passing through Hanoi.

Rosie’s Cafe, Hoi An

Rosie’s Cafe is not just a coffee shop, it’s a proper cafe with an all day breakfast menu. It’s ran by two female 20-year olds that ditched their corporate jobs to pursue their dreams. I support all of this! I came here everyday during my time in Hoi An. I even booked a guesthouse right across the street for easy access to their vegan-friendly coconut milk coffee, avocado toast and gluten-free brownies. Click here for a sweet and funny story of how they kept their cafe a secret from their family for over a year!

Manki Coffee, Da Lat

Manki is no ordinary barista. This kid hasn't taken a day off in three years. He lives for coffee. He is self-taught. He learned everything he knows by watching youtube and visiting coffee shops around the country and asking the right questions. His coffee shop in Da Lat feels more like cushy lab. Come with questions. Let him decide what you’re going to drink. And don’t dare ask for sugar.

Have you been to Vietnam? Did you fall in love with the coffee culture? Or do you prefer an Italian countertop espresso experience? Or are you a Costa Rican coffee plantation kinda coffee drinker? Let me know in the comments below. Would love to hear from you!

Janelle Cepero