Coffee Culture: The Coffee Style Guide (Vietnamese & Japanese)
Written by: Meraleigh Queener
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
The Culture of Coffee
Remember our talk a couple of days ago about coffee beans? We discussed the beauty, history, and nature of various types of coffee beans, where they come from and how they taste. The four primary types of coffee beans are Arabica, Robusta, Excelsa, and Liberica with each individualized with their own story, upbringing, and taste! Well, guess what? We're taking that convo to the next level deep-diving into the culture of coffee. We can take the knowledge we've gain regarding the various types of coffee beans and apply them to the global world of coffee acknowledging the ways coffee is made in different countries!
There are so many ways coffee is made and it's exciting to see how other people and places cultivate the traditions and practice of coffee creation! Maybe you can pick up a new technique or style of coffee to try this week!
Our lovely world of coffee ranges from Irish Coffee, Turkish Coffee, Italian Coffee and so much more with Vietnamese Coffee & Japanese Coffee being today's topic of exploration.
Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Being the second-largest coffee market in the world, Vietnam considers coffee as a high priority in their culture in their daily lifestyles. The French shared coffee with Vietnam in the 19th century and after the war, mass-production of coffee was established in the country. strong, dark, and robust tasteful brews define the coffee culture within the country as Robusta beans are the primary produce in the region.
Slow-brewing drip and a desire for steadiness, light-hearted conversation, and community win the race here in Vietnam with popular styles of receiving a heavy, rich dark brew is paired with sweetened condensed milk to offer balance serving a thick creamy richness to the full-bodied delight.
"The coffee maker is almost always drip coffee. The ubiquitous Vietnamese street coffee stalls utilize rudimentary aluminum drip filters. Coffee is traditionally brewed in individual portions using a phin (metal) filter, which consists of a small cup, a filter chamber and a lid that also functions as a container to catch dripping cups of exquisitely aromatic black coffee"
- Weaver's Coffee
As sweetened condensed milk is the most popular style of coffee in this culture, many also style their brew with whipped egg whites or a dollop of yogurt. The Robusta beans and metal filter is a crucial part of the unique taste of Vietnamese coffee.