Hello, coffee lovers! This month, we have something very special for you: coffee from Vietnam!
Vietnam is a fascinating country with a rich history and culture, and coffee is a big part of it. Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the world, but most of their coffee is low-quality Robusta, which is used for instant coffee or blended with other beans. Robusta has a higher caffeine content and a more bitter taste than Arabica, which is the type of coffee we usually send you.
But Vietnam also has some amazing Arabica coffee, especially from the Dalat region, where this month’s coffee comes from. Dalat is a charming city in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, known for its natural beauty, colonial architecture, gardens, agriculture, and cuisine. It’s also a great place for growing coffee, thanks to its high altitude, volcanic soil, and abundant rainfall.
This month’s coffee is a washed catimor variety, which is a hybrid of Carurra (Arabica) and Timor (Arabica crossed with Robusta). It shares some flavor characteristics with traditional Vietnamese coffee, but at a much higher quality. It has a smooth and balanced flavor profile, with notes of chocolate, honey, and hazelnut.
We wanted to bring you coffee that could be enjoyed in different ways, so we roasted it using a unique technique. We blended it with itself using two profiles, one darker and one lighter. This allows you to taste the full spectrum of the coffee while still delivering a rich cup that’s suitable for the traditional Vietnamese way of serving it: with condensed milk.
If you’ve never tried Vietnamese coffee before, you’re in for a treat. It’s brewed in a phin brewer, which is a metal filter that sits on top of a cup or carafe. The coffee is brewed slowly and then mixed with condensed milk, creating a sweet and creamy drink that’s perfect for any time of the day.
Here’s how to make it:
- Place desired amount of condensed milk in a cup or carafe.
- Place phin brewer on top of cup or carafe.
- Add 14 grams of medium ground coffee to your phin brewer.
- Make sure the coffee is even and then place the lid inside the brewer.
- Add 30ml of hot water and let the coffee bloom for 45 seconds.
- Add 85 more ml of water.
- Don’t worry if nothing is coming through the brewer initially. It should take a while.
- When the coffee is finished brewing, swirl it into the condensed milk and then drink.
- You can also enjoy this coffee as a drip or pourover, without adding any milk or sugar. It will still have a delicious flavor and aroma that will transport you to Vietnam.
We hope you love this month’s coffee as much as we do. We’ve been wanting to bring you coffee from Vietnam for a while, but it’s not an easy country to source from. In most of the countries we work with, we have more of a connection to the farmers and the supply chain, whereas in Vietnam, we have to rely on our partners who tell us that this coffee is from small farms in the Dalat region. We’ve learned a lot about sourcing coffee from Vietnam and we will strive in the future to work even more directly with our producing partners to ensure better transparency and quality.
Thank you for being part of our journey and supporting our mission to bring you the best coffee from around the world. We can’t wait to hear what you think of this month’s coffee. Please share your feedback and photos with us on social media using #cityboycoffee. And stay tuned for next month’s surprise!
