Vietnamese Coffee History
The origins of Vietnamese Coffee can be traced back to the 1850s as a result of French Colonialism. As it turns out, Vietnam is a great region to grow [Arabica & Robusta] coffee. Vietnam started with Arabica trees in the 1850s. Their crop yield remained low until the 1980s when the VCP [Vietnamese Communists Party] made an effort to introduce Robusta (a high yield coffee) to subsidize. Thus, resulting in Vietnam becoming the world’s 2nd largest coffee producer.
Is Vietnamese Robusta bad?
Robusta has twice the caffeine content of Arabica. And is the contributing factor to Vietnamese Coffee’s infamous (subjective) reputation of being strong. Additionally, it’s naturally bitter and less aromatic. As a result, it is predominantly used for dark roasting, which is (traditionally) a preferred style for Vietnamese Coffee.
Robusta Fact
Robusta has more of the antioxidants responsible for many of coffee's health benefits
What About Vietnamese Arabica?
Arabica is often found in craft coffee shops and is favored for its fruity and light-bodied qualities. However, it is not traditionally used with Vietnamese Coffee.
Coffee Recommendation
Like wine, coffee has many different characteristics. For this recipe, I chose Dark French Roast from my local coffee roaster Mr. Espresso. It is pungent, smokey, and dark- a style that is sought after by many Vietnamese coffee aficionados.
About Mr. Espresso
[https://mrespresso.com/]
Mr. Espresso is an Oakland-based, family-owned, and operated Specialty Coffee Roaster that started in 1978. Mr. They specialize in coffee that is gently roasted as it was in Italy, over slow-burning, oak wood logs that are hand-selected, perfectly seasoned, and sustainably sourced. Skillfully adapting this Old World tradition to modern tastes, the Mr. Espresso family continues to roast classically inspired blends to bring you an espresso-like no other.
