Which brand of Vietnamese coffee beans is good? is Saigon coffee expensive? which Vietnamese coffee tastes best?

Professional coffee knowledge exchange More coffee bean information Please pay attention to coffee workshop (Weixin Official Accounts cafe_style)

A while back I was in Hanoi, Vietnam, and it was perfect for a relaxing sightseeing trip with good coffee.

Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is located in North Vietnam. Compared with Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, which is very busy and highly developed in South Vietnam, Hanoi is an ancient city with a traditional atmosphere. Because many important state organs are located here, public security is maintained well. This hotel is located near Hoan Kiem Lake (Hoàn Ki ó m) and the famous 36 Old Street (Hanoi old quarter / Khu ph c Hà N ó i) in Hanoi. You can shuttle among locals and foreign backpackers. After sightseeing, you can observe the local coffee culture of Vietnam and how much they occupy the hearts of Vietnamese people.

Hanoi, Vietnam (Hà N <$i)- 36 Old Street (Khu ph c Hà N <$i)

At first glance, the streets of Hanoi in Vietnam are somewhat similar to those of Taiwan. Pedestrians have an Asian appearance, narrow street design, a little messy street design, noisy sounds and vitality in day and night... There are still several obvious differences from Taiwan--some characteristics that will never be forgotten after a few days, which belong exclusively to Vietnam.

First, the most visible and often mentioned (lingering) feature of vietnam's streets is the extreme traffic frenzy in certain areas and during rush hours. Vietnam has a lot of roads, but obviously they can't handle the growing population and transportation, and the tourist areas and areas near the city center are always crowded, whether it's rush hour or not. The roads in Vietnam are long, but traffic lights are rarely set. Cars and motorcycles are generally used to slow traffic jams and slow progress. They are used to traffic jams that take at least twice as long as Google maps.

Moreover, bikers never let go of any of their rights to relax and show their presence. Even while riding, they can still swipe their cell phones (or drink coke, whatever you can do with one hand) and honk their horn to inform all passers-by or cars nearby. Horn sounds are a form of communication in local traffic, which can be used to inform pedestrians of upcoming traffic, to alert cars to directions, or to complain about serious traffic violations, unlike in many places and Taiwan, which is usually used as a final warning.

Various subtle different timbre, different frequency, different meaning of the horn always ring from all sides of the road, Vietnam's streets are never really lonely.

Square at the entrance of 36 Ancient Street

There are not many intersections and traffic lights in Hanoi. If a person wants to cross the road, the most important weapon is his firm eyes and determination. When you keep your eyes firmly on the road, keep a steady pace and are not afraid of passing cars and motorcycles, the locals will judge your speed, your immediate position and driving safety zone, and make way for you to cross the road safely at the most appropriate time.

Life lost control, want to experience a Moses parted the Red Sea feeling? Buy a Vietnam Airlines ticket to Vietnam, you can continue to experience this kind of go where the traffic is divided into where the pleasure. But in unfamiliar areas, and some roads are muddy at all times (such as tourist areas), it is better to look around and pay more attention! If injured or treated in Vietnam, foreigners may have to pay several times the medical expenses of locals.

Apart from traffic, the laid-back atmosphere and thick coffee aroma that Vietnamese people exude everywhere are second.

The Vietnamese lifestyle has long been influenced by France, and the coffee culture is a clear example. From the tourist-infested Old 36 Street to the relatively quiet Old French Quarter, all the places pedestrians pass will always have a few cafes or tea shops, or young and old people sitting in twos and threes drinking coffee and chatting.

Along the streets where pedestrians stroll, there are open-air-conditioned Wenqing cafes, open-air cafes and vendors with small benches. In addition to the two most famous coffee chains in Hanoi, Trung Nguyen Coffee and Highland Coffee, there are also quite a few Taiwanese shops such as Ding Tea and Chen San Ding that have opened tea shops in Hanoi and have made some adjustments to the taste according to local tastes.

Local tastes are heavy, and the sugar content of hand-cranked cups and canned tea sold by convenience stores is quite amazing, and often contains artificial flavors. People who are used to drinking light sugar or sugar free must remember to bring a small bottle of water with them, otherwise the thirst of the throat may kill the willpower to go shopping faster than the heat (although Hanoi is sometimes hotter than Taipei because the air is drier).

* Note: Official websites of two major local coffee chains

Trung Nguyen Coffee: www.trungnguyen.com.vn/

Highlands Coffee: www.highlandscoffee.com.vn/vi/home

This time in Hanoi, I visited a locally originated coffee chain "Coffee" many times. The store design full of army green and communist atmosphere is quite recognizable, and there are always people waiting in line at the door to take out.

There are several branches near Hanoi 36 Old Street (already opened to Ho Chi Minh City), open until midnight and with many comfortable seats, perfect for sitting down for a cup of coffee and chatting after shopping.

Above is a large Vietnamese drip pot for business, which can brew several cups of coffee at a time. Later, before returning to the inner row airport to wait for boarding, I also saw it in the restaurant of the airport. I think it should be quite common catering equipment. This coffee pot, about the width of a juicer, is huge compared to the single-cup drip pot we bought ourselves.

The local classic is topped with condensed milk to neutralize Robusta's strong bitter black coffee (i.e. Coffee with condensed milk in the menu below). The taste is very unique and quite refreshing, but unfortunately it is not suitable for people who cannot drink too much caffeine. For people who can only drink lattes and crisp black coffee, be careful not to drink too much Vietnamese coffee and cause palpitations.

The picture above shows the classic iced coffee to go. Because it is espresso with condensed milk, the cup is only half full when you get it. Please prepare boiled water for quenching thirst.

The coffee section of the total coffee menu is only one page, which is quite confusing, but the total coffee does offer a lot of other drinks and small choices. Local peanuts in their skins with thick coffee are novel, but surprisingly appropriate. If you have the opportunity to go to Vietnam, it is recommended to bring back a few boxes of local nuts with skin to go with coffee in addition to bringing back Vietnam drip pot.

A large amount of crushed ice in the iced coffee in the shop slowly penetrates into the coffee, gradually reconciling the bitter espresso and sweet condensed milk that are too thick, and finally becomes a fragrant alcohol that is just right for the mouth without choking.

Compared to Gong Coffee, Zhongyuan Coffee Store is mainly white and wooden, decorated and designed more like all the common coffee shops in the world, and this branch unfortunately does not have too many seats in the store.

Zhongyuan Coffee and its G7 series of coffee powder are available in the store, as well as freshly ground coffee powder and brand Vietnamese coffee pot. You can order a cup of coffee in the store before deciding which coffee powder to buy.

※ Remarks: Vietnamese coffee beans

Vietnam is currently the largest coffee exporter, exporting coffee beans mostly Robusta coffee beans used to make instant coffee, such as the world-famous G7 series instant coffee produced by Central Plains Coffee (all can be bought), rather than Arabica coffee beans (Brazil is the world's first exporter).

Robusta coffee tree is suitable for growing in the tropical climate of Asia and is not limited to the planting environment. Its coffee taste is sour and rich in smell, with caffeine of about 2%~4%;Arabica coffee tree is suitable for growing in Africa and Central and South America. It is also planted in the north of Vietnam. The taste layer is richer and rich in aroma, with caffeine of about 1%~2%.

Further coffee bean comparisons can be found at www.foodnext.net/news/newssafe/paper/4357981492

In Vietnam, since the most popular Vietnamese drip pot brewing method is to use coffee powder, most coffee brands value coffee powder more than coffee beans.

The picture below shows coffee-related products sold in one of the supermarkets in Hanoi. It can be found that Vietnamese mainly consume instant coffee and coffee powder. Compared with coffee beans that have not been ground and need a grinder, coffee powder that can be quickly brewed using a drip pot is obviously better and more in line with people's livelihood needs. Common flavors include Culi (bitter blend of Robusta and Arabica beans) and Moka (mild Arabica beans), as well as unique blends of coffee beans from each brand.

Influenced by French colonization, Vietnamese coffee pots extract coffee by dripping, similar to the thick taste brought by French press pots, so Vietnamese coffee is usually quite strong, coffee pots are mostly small pots for 1 person, for example, the second and third floors above are Vietnamese drip pots sold in Hanoi market (about VND 30,000~50,000=NTD 40~70). In response to the popularity of Vietnamese coffee pots, coffee powder is also the bulk of the market, such as the most famous highland coffee and Central Plains coffee, in supermarkets or Lotte shopping malls and other places only sell coffee powder and no coffee beans.

There are many choices of Vietnamese coffee pots. This time I bought a Vietnamese coffee pot from Central Plains Coffee (about VND 50,000=NTD 70). The aluminum pot body is quite light and exquisite.

Vietnamese coffee pot consists of four parts, including coffee pot lid, pot body, pressure plate and bottom plate.

Before making coffee, you should wash or rinse the coffee pot with boiling water, because the brewing method of Vietnam drip pot usually extracts coffee liquid is relatively thick, the coffee stain inside the pot body below is a painful lesson that is not cleaned immediately after use.

Vietnamese drip pot brewing method is quite simple and convenient, so locals often drink several cups of coffee a day, briefly described as follows: (You can also see the following other people's teaching video oh!)

* If you want to drink Vietnamese coffee, remember to add some condensed milk to the coffee cup before extracting the coffee, and prepare ice cubes for coffee extraction.

1. Place the entire set of Vietnamese coffee pots above your favorite cup

2. Open the lid and remove the pressure plate

3. Pour in any coffee powder you like (usually about 10 grams per cup)

4. Press and flatten the coffee powder with a press plate, and inject an appropriate amount of hot water to fully soak the coffee powder.

5. Pour in hot water again until you have the desired coffee strength.

6. Cover the cup and set it aside to allow the coffee to drip slowly

After a while, you can drink a cup of strong Vietnamese coffee, but be careful not to choke on the concentrated taste and a little coffee powder. When the coffee is filtered, the lid can also be reversed under the base plate to avoid coffee powder staining the desktop.

For those who are afraid of too much caffeine or sour taste, of course, you can also brew coffee powder made from Arabica. Try to enjoy it with different coffee utensils and see another unique way to taste it!

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