Introduction of Coffee Cat, condensed Milk and Didi Pot in Vietnamese Coffee Culture

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Coffee is not only an important cash crop in Vietnam, but also an indispensable drink for people's life.

When it comes to Vietnamese coffee, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Is it Robusta, the Didi pot, or the sweet condensed milk? Vietnam's coffee industry is developing rapidly, and coffee bean exports are second only to Brazil, making it the second largest exporter in the world. Coffee seeps into the daily life of Vietnamese locals and becomes Vietnam's "national drink".

The main country of production of Robusta

Vietnam is located in the east of Indo-China Peninsula, the land is narrow and S-shaped, so there is a great difference in climate. A few Arabica beans (ARABICA) are grown in the north, while the tropical climate in the south is suitable for the growth of ROBUSTA coffee beans.

Robusta is short in shape and accounts for 20% of the world's productivity, but it has become a major producer of coffee beans in Vietnam. The main reason is that Robusta is easier to grow, stronger resistance and able to resist diseases and insects than Arabica. Arabica needs to pay more attention to take care of, which is a big cost for Vietnam today.

Its bitter taste, high caffeine content, easy to cause palpitations and other problems. However, in the news reports, the Vietnamese interviewed generally thought that Arabica was insipid, while they preferred stronger coffee, which shows that Vietnamese people are very accustomed to robusta coffee.

Arabica beans and Robbosa beans (Photo: lavazza)

(photo source: cafetogo)

French missionaries bring coffee into Vietnam

During the period when Vietnam was colonized by France, the mark left behind still deeply affected the Vietnamese people. And coffee was brought in by French missionaries at that time.

Vietnam drip pot (or drip filter pot), a kind of French drip filter pot, is made of stainless steel with a metal sheet in the middle to filter coffee grounds, which is the best companion for making Vietnamese coffee.

Vietnam dripping kettle

Traditional Vietnamese coffee: condensed milk and ice cubes are indispensable

The first step in drinking Vietnamese coffee is to add a large amount of condensed milk to the cup to balance the thick bitterness of Robusta, and condensed milk is said to be used because of economic hardship at that time, unable to add milk like the French, and replace it with low-cost condensed milk.

Next, use a Vietnamese dripping cup to drip a thick liquid of coffee. This way of making coffee has become a major feature of Vietnamese coffee, which has been spread all the way to this day.

Cheap coffee to top civets.

Vietnamese coffee beans are abundant and exported in large quantities, but unfortunately, the quality of Vietnamese coffee is different. Vietnamese coffee has become synonymous with cheap in the international market, and the selling price is low.

So the government began to look for another way out, and civet coffee is one of them.

However, civets are expensive because the production process is not easy.

The civet eats only sweet, full coffee fruit. After excretion, the digestive juice is injected into the coffee beans to help reduce the protein and bitterness of the coffee beans. In addition, the civet has a sachet on its anus, which produces musk when coffee beans pass through it.

Belongs to the local "Vietnam Starbucks"

G7 three-in-one coffee (photo source: gelre)

The Vietnamese 'hobby of drinking coffee may have gone beyond our imagination. Equipped with simple equipment, vendors provide Vietnamese coffee with lots of ice by the side of the road to combat the hot weather in Vietnam.

In addition to such street scenery, Vietnam's local brand TRUNG NGUYEN Coffee is also a big representative, the launch of the G7 three-in-one coffee has a very high market share. The coffee shop opened by Central Plains Coffee is known as "Starbucks of Vietnam." Western-style decoration and atmosphere can still see the shadow of traditional Vietnamese coffee. Although the price is several times higher than that of small vendors, it is the best coffee in the hearts of the local people.

Central Plains Coffee Shop (Photo: asiaforvisitors)

Black gold has become the key to getting rid of poverty in Vietnam, not only in the coffee growing industry, but also in the density of coffee shops in Ho Chi Minh City, the capital, which has become an important place for people's daily life. The strong flavor of coffee, like the warm impression of Vietnam, coupled with a lot of condensed milk and ice, creates a unique coffee flavor belonging to Vietnam.