(HSV VIETNAM GROUP) – Coffee in Vietnam is not just a drink to start a new day, people can drink it morning, noon, afternoon, evening, in general all day. There are many people who drink coffee.
There are also many people who do not drink coffee.
But everyone knows that Vietnamese coffee is very famous.
Our country is currently the second largest coffee exporter in the world, only after Brazil. Famous in the international arena, besides the export scale and coffee culture story, Vietnamese coffee stands out for its high quality. Bringing the flavor of the soil, sun and wind of the tropical monsoon region, the bitter and aromatic taste is especially rich in pure caffeine. Vietnamese coffee is increasingly asserting its position in the top of the world's most wonderful drinks even though the first coffee tree did not appear in Vietnam.
Perhaps no one knows exactly when coffee originated, but there are many legends surrounding the origin story of coffee, the most known of which is from goats.
The "excitement" of Ethiopian goats
It is believed that the land of origin of coffee is the Kaffa province of Ethiopia. At that time, the goatherds discovered that their goats, after eating green-red berries, ran and jumped tirelessly until late at night. They told this story to the nearby monks. The monks also used the juice from that fruit and they became alert, prayed and talked until late at night without getting tired. The goats' discovery of the energizing berry began to spread. That news traveled east and visited Arabia. From there, it began its journey around the world.
Documents say that it was not until the mid-15th century that people learned to roast coffee beans and use them as drinks. Ethiopians also have the most ancient way of preparing coffee. After being placed in a large iron pan and roasted, the coffee beans are crushed and then put into a mortar. Finally, mix them with sugar and a certain amount of water in a jebena jar (slender neck jar with handle), boil and pour into a bowl.
With the strong spread of coffee, in Arabia it was called "the wine of Arabia", then when it came to Europe it was called "Satan's bitter invention" because of the unusual dark black color of this drink.
Despite the controversy, coffee gradually won the hearts of people at that time. They started using coffee instead of alcohol to start the day alert and full of energy. In the 17th century, coffee plants "migrated" to the Americas, their popularity here is amazing. Coffee trees are grown all over the world, constantly growing in new lands. Coffee plantations were established in magnificent tropical forests and on rugged plateaus.
Coffee appeared in our country when the French brought it to the North in 1888. At that time, Arabica coffee (tea coffee) was grown a lot along the river. Later, coffee cultivation gradually spread to the south. Currently, our country has 3 main types of coffee: Arabica (tea coffee), Robusta (robust coffee) and Liberia (jackfruit coffee).
Popular types of coffee today
Arabica Coffee
Arabica coffee originates from coffee trees originating in Ethiopia. That coffee variety creates aromatic, delicious coffee and accounts for 70% of the world's coffee production. In terms of appearance, Arabica coffee beans are flatter and longer than Robusta beans, they also contain lower caffeine content.
Arabica coffee grown at altitudes from 610-1830m above sea level will have better quality, combined with mild temperatures and no dense frost. They are also more susceptible to disease than Robusta, so they need more careful care. This is also one of the reasons why our country's coffee growing plateaus always grow premium coffee.
Robusta Coffee
Most of this coffee is grown in Central and West Africa, parts of Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Brazil. Although it only accounts for 30% of the world market share, the demand for Robusta production is increasing partly because it is cheap. Robusta is used in the production of mixed and instant coffee.
In appearance, Robusta coffee beans are round and smaller than Arabica beans, with straight lines in the middle. This type of Robusta coffee in Vietnam was brought to our country by the French in 1908. Compared to Arabica, Robusta coffee is more resistant to pests and has higher yields. Jackfruit coffee (Liberia) in our country is grown a lot in the Central Highlands, but the yield is poor and has a very sour taste, so it is not very popular. This type of coffee is often suitable for European people. Jackfruit coffee is also mixed with robusta coffee and tea coffee when roasted and ground to create the flavor of instant coffee according to European tastes. In addition, in our country we also grow a number of other types of coffee such as loris coffee (fruit with only one seed, bitter taste, black color and high caffeine content), moka coffee (a line of Arabica, they are more valuable than other types because of large and beautiful beans, strong aroma). unique, luxurious, elegant and delicate sour taste).
To understand more about types of coffee, people also divide them by processing method, roasting method and grinding method. Processing includes natural drying (drying whole fruits), wet processing, and honey processing. For coffee roasting, roasting with charcoal or electric oven, partial roasting or full roasting. Not only that, coffee is also distinguished by grinding method: finely ground or coarsely ground according to brewing method.
How to enjoy coffee in a "chill" way?
Enjoying coffee is very diverse, meaning it depends on each person's culture and taste. That said, the way to enjoy it all depends on how water is put into the coffee. For example, decoction (boil) – famous for Turkish and Balkan countries' coffee. The way to enjoy this is to grind fine coffee with sugar and water, then put it in a thin, pyramid-shaped pot and boil it.
Many places are also popular with cold brew. In countries like Germany, America, and Switzerland, people make coffee by running boiling water through a filter containing coffee powder. In Italy, people prefer to make coffee using manual tools such as a moka pot or machine-brewed espresso (flowing hot water under high pressure through extremely finely ground coffee). The simplest is instant coffee, just add hot water and stir well to enjoy.
Many shapes and sizes
In Italy, people drink cappuccino (three parts espresso, hot milk, whipped milk in a ratio of 1:1:1, adding cocoa powder or cinnamon powder), espresso (condensed coffee without milk without sugar, water under high pressure passed through finely ground coffee powder) or Lungo (espresso with double the amount of water).
In Germany, coffee lovers can use eiskaffe (cold coffee with vanilla cream), milchkaffee (coffee brewed through a paper filter, half milk, half coffee), etc. Vietnamese coffee is not only known for its unique flavor but is also very versatile, used to prepare many different types of coffee. In addition to combining with milk and sugar, tourists in the country and around the world also know salt coffee, egg coffee, coconut coffee, yogurt coffee,...
According to CNN, coffee for Vietnamese people is not only a close and familiar drink, but it is also culture and life. Vietnamese coffee appears everywhere, from sidewalk vendors, motorbikes carrying barrels around the streets to luxurious, beautiful coffee shops. The "shaking" coffee flavor is full of magic, satisfying the desire of those who are craving a delicious drink.
Enjoy coffee in Vietnam
Hot black coffee: Most people who enjoy coffee in Vietnam use a filter, put ground coffee powder into the filter, compress lightly, then add hot water below 95 degrees to not make the coffee smell harsh. Wait for the coffee to leak through the filter. Many people add sugar or not.
Milk coffee: Similar to making hot black coffee, but at the bottom of the cup there is condensed milk, more or less depending on the drinker's taste. Many people like to drink black coffee and milk coffee in the morning of the day or before meals. They even drink coffee instead of breakfast.
Iced milk coffee: Just like making hot milk coffee, but with more coffee powder and ice. Whether or not to add sugar or milk depends on each person's preference.
Bac Xiu: Bac Xiu is essentially milk coffee, but the milk part is more and the coffee part is less, suitable for people who like a light feeling, not too much caffeine. Milk can also be flexibly replaced with fresh milk or condensed milk.
Egg coffee: Egg coffee is a typical way of enjoying Vietnamese people. There are two ways to enjoy as follows. The first way is to crack raw eggs into hot coffee, add a little sugar, with or without milk. The second way is egg yolks are whipped into cream, with black coffee underneath.
Salt coffee: In Hue, famous for enjoying salt coffee. Adding a certain amount of salt helps to enhance the coffee flavor, giving it a rather strange flavor.
Not just drinks?
Coffee is the "national" drink of Vietnamese people. However, in cuisine, coffee promotes its mission more. For example, they participate in the process of marinating food, making cakes, etc. For beauticians, the natural color of coffee can also dye hair, participate in the process of exfoliating the skin, etc.
As for you, having read this far, you must also be someone who cares and loves this popular yet extremely "luxurious" drink. Hopefully this article has brought you a little more understanding, to love and be more proud of the special, unforgettable flavor of coffee in general and Vietnamese coffee in particular!
Ha Diem – Student VIETNAM GROUP