Vietnamese Coffee

These are robusta coffee cherries, on the tree, outside of Dalat. Vietnam is the second-largest exporter of coffee in the world, behind Brazil. Around Dalat they grow robusta; to the north around Buon Me Thuot they grow arabica. The government owns the land and leases it to farmers. The coffee trees live to about 20 years and take 3-4 years to bear fruit. The French brought coffee to Vietnam, but the Vietnamese have taken to the bean in a huge way.

Once the cherries are picked they are dried in the sun for 4-5 days. The cheap coffee is roasted with the husk on, the good stuff is run through a machine first to remove the husk. The husks are used for fertilizer, fuel or free range chicken feed.

Most Vietnamese roasters are tiny. In order to differentiate their product, they will sprinkle the beans with a small amount of flavouring - could be chocolate, vanilla, chicory or other. This gives each Vietnamese coffee its own distinct character. The most prized variety is Ca Phe Chon, which is the near-famous weasel coffee. In Dalat it goes for 10,000 dong for 100gm; it is about three times that price in Saigon.

The Vietnamese coffee experience begins with tea. Of course, condensed milk is used. The Vietnamese do not like black coffee. They like black coffee shops, however. They have a thing for sitting in near pitch black coffee shops at night, quietly sipping cups and having conversation. Daytime coffee shops are more convivial. As for me, I love the rich, chocolatey, earthy character of a great Vietnamese coffee.