Home brewing coffee recommendations

If you have been drinking your coffee in a cafe, and you like their coffee, have you considered simply buying the same brand?  Look at the outdoor umbrellas or just ask the waitress.

My preferred brand is Bao Minh (same as the insurance company) No. 2 blend which is roasted and packaged in Can Tho, although the beans are surely not grown there.  I believe it has recently become available in HCMC but I can't tell you where.

If you asked Tea then I would say TWG. .... but for coffee no idea, just grab some coffee shops around the town.

Although the selection may seem extensive, a lot of the stuff in the supermarket is either instant or contains various additives such as butter or whiskey. Check the labels carefully.

These are 3 brands that you might try if you can find them in Da Nang:

MR.VIET «Ca Phe Dalat» — is authentic Vietnamese coffee, medium ground, grown on Dalat plantations. 70% Arabica and 30% French roasted Robusta reveal their vibrant aroma and mild taste with caramel and chocolate notes. 

https://mrviet.net/internet-magazin/vet … he-da-lat/

Mitaco Espresso premium roast (This company is located in Vung Tau. Not sure of its availabilty elsewhere.)

http://mitacocoffee.com/epresso-mitaco-blend-e.html

Trung Nguyen Coffees - Select Buon Me Thuot Highland Arabica. Se means "Sparrow", the name given to this indigenously developed varietal, grown only in Vietnam. A sweet, refreshing coffee with no bitterness. Floral and vanilla notes; extremely versatile. (This line of coffee has Nos. 1 to 5. This one is No. 3)

http://trung-nguyen-online.com/trung-ng … rder.php#3

There are a couple more that I will try to add later.

Thanks, I went out and got myself a bag of Trung Nguyen no.3, the description is spot on.  I actually like it better than anything I've tasted in my local coffee shops so far.  I think I might go out and buy a bag of Mr. Viet next.

johnross23 wrote:

Although the selection may seem extensive, a lot of the stuff in the supermarket is either instant or contains various additives such as butter or whiskey. Check the labels carefully.

These are 3 brands that you might try if you can find them in Da Nang:

MR.VIET «Ca Phe Dalat» — is authentic Vietnamese coffee, medium ground, grown on Dalat plantations. 70% Arabica and 30% French roasted Robusta reveal their vibrant aroma and mild taste with caramel and chocolate notes. 

https://mrviet.net/internet-magazin/vet … he-da-lat/

Mitaco Espresso premium roast (This company is located in Vung Tau. Not sure of its availabilty elsewhere.)

http://mitacocoffee.com/epresso-mitaco-blend-e.html

Trung Nguyen Coffees - Select Buon Me Thuot Highland Arabica. Se means "Sparrow", the name given to this indigenously developed varietal, grown only in Vietnam. A sweet, refreshing coffee with no bitterness. Floral and vanilla notes; extremely versatile. (This line of coffee has Nos. 1 to 5. This one is No. 3)

http://trung-nguyen-online.com/trung-ng … rder.php#3

There are a couple more that I will try to add later.

rand0mwa1k wrote:

Thanks, I went out and got myself a bag of Trung Nguyen no.3, the description is spot on.  I actually like it better than anything I've tasted in my local coffee shops so far.  I think I might go out and buy a bag of Mr. Viet next.

That's good news. There's always the risk when providing recommendations that the other person may disagree as everybody has different tastes.

Anyway, here's another one that I have only seen in Sai Gon. This brand also has French Vanilla, Mocha, and other flavors/blends but this one with peaberry is, in my opinion, the best:

"Huong Chong (Lady Fox) is the premium Vietnamese style coffee from VietCoffee. A specially selected blend of Peaberry, Arabica and Robusta beans from Buon Me Thuot and Cau Dat coffee plantations specially roasted to give a smooth mellow blend typical of the best Vietnamese weasel coffee style.

The specially selected blend of premium coffee beans successfully replicates the complex flavours seen in Weasel coffee" (i.e. it is not actually 'Weasel coffee', which is fine by me. I'm after the peaberry).

https://www.viet-coffee.com.au/xcart/pr … stseller=Y

Try procaffe, link below-good range of machines, full servicing and very good coffee bean selection with taste notes and taste testing in shop with helpful knowledgeable staff.
I have had great service on my Saeco Vienna plus m/c and purchase of beans.

The best one stop coffee sales / service / support I have been exposed to IN HCMC-my go to place all coffee.

https://procaffe.vn/dich-vu-sua-chua-va-bao-duong/

I have wondered if what is called a French Press coffeemaker would make a brew similar to that achieved with a Vietnamese phim, of course in larger quantities.  I prefer my coffee hot with no sugar or cream (nóng không đường) so I pretty much have to make it a cup at a time, but the French Press might be useful for those who want to store up iced coffee in the refrigerator.  Does anyone have firsthand experience with one?

The trick to coffee making - after the beans are selected - is to grind them to the proper degree of fine for the method.

Americans drink a lot of what's called drip coffee: coffee that's made by causing hot water to drip through the grounds that are held in a paper filter and a cone- or basket-shaped container with a hole in the bottom that flows into - usually - a glass carafe or thermos. It can be good if it is strong enough.

I prefer to use an Italian stove-top espresso maker. I have used a French press, too. 

Here's the scoop. The espresso grind is the finest of the three but not the finest that can be ground. Drip coffee makers will clog up the paper filter and overflow (!) if you use espresso grind. Drip coffee uses a coarser grind. A French press, with the screen that pushes the grounds to the bottom of the container, needs to use grind that is chunky compared to drip grind and certainly not espresso-fine! The reason is that the screen is not as fine a sieve as the paper filters. Thus, both drip grind and espresso grind in a French press will each leave an undesirable amount of sludge at the bottom of your cup.

I drank a fair amount of Vietnamese coffee while in HCMC and just told myself it was "dessert coffee" because it was so sweet and milky. Tolerable, but not my go-to favorite.

Following this with interest.

THIGV wrote:

I have wondered if what is called a French Press coffeemaker would make a brew similar to that achieved with a Vietnamese phim, of course in larger quantities.  I prefer my coffee hot with no sugar or cream (nóng không đường) so I pretty much have to make it a cup at a time, but the French Press might be useful for those who want to store up iced coffee in the refrigerator.  Does anyone have firsthand experience with one?

I had mediocre results using a French Press about 2 years ago, but I'm sure part of the problem was an incompatible coffee grind size, which basically gave me diluted mud.

The other day I bought a bag of Trung Nguyên #3 and tried using a phim drip maker.

1 rounded tablespoon worked, but the coffee was too weak (I also drink Coffee black, no sugar).

2 tablespoons clogged the phim and wouldn't drip.

So this morning I tried this:



1 heaping tablespoon in each phim gave me 1 decent cup of Joe.

Coffee snob here in the Pacific Northwest USA. 

I have three preferred methods to brew coffee.  In no uncertain order.

1) If you want standard cup of coffee, French Press is the way to go.  Size of grounds do matter, how many grounds per vessel and how long you steep matter.  Use off-boil water meaning bring water to boil, let is sit for 10 seconds or so and then pour.  After a minute the grounds and froth will rise.  Give a stir and finish the steep. 4 minute steep on total after that it starts to get bitter.

2) If you want a mellower smoother cup of coffee, try cold brewing.  Basic gist is you grind coffee, put in vessel, add cold water, let it sit over night.  Strain and heat in microwave or drink iced. Makes a much smoother coffee way less bitter.

3)  If you want to have something a little stronger a Moka Pot for stronger coffee.  Stronger than standard coffee, less strong than espresso.  Use medium to medium fine ground depending of your taste. 

For all of these, pick the right beans and roast and you're good to go..

FWIW most of the beans Vietnam grows are Robusta beans.  Great beans for the right application.  Instant coffee, coffee extracts, coffee as a food ingredient into other foods and yes some like it as a cup of coffee.  Much more bitter type of coffee.

Most coffee you drink in a coffee shop is Arabica beans which are much smoother.  And of course roast matters to what the end flavor is.  My palette likes French Roast but everybody is different.

Let us know how it all shakes out for you when you find the right combo for you.