To understand what is unique about Vietnam's coffee beans, we first need to learn a bit about the two main coffee species grown worldwide: Arabica and Robusta.

People usually associate higher quality Arabica beans. They have a smooth, sweet taste and may have notes of chocolate and fruity hints. 

Many of the world's best coffees derive from the Arabica species: Hawaii's Kona coffee, Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee, Tanzania's Pea berry coffee, and many more.

For most people, Arabica is the coffee of choice; even Starbucks uses only 100% Arabica coffee.

However, that is not to say that robusta doesn't have its place in the coffee world. These beans have higher caffeine content than the Arabica variety (great for early mornings or long study sessions).

With the higher presence of caffeine, there are more chlorogenic acids. This chlorogenic acid is a natural antioxidant.

But, at high levels, it creates a bitter taste. That firm, harsh, bitter flavor is what Robusta beans are often known for being.

There are some positives when it comes to robusta, though. The beans thrive in low-altitude and humid growing conditions and are much more resistant to pests.

Acre for acre, robusta also gives a larger harvest than Arabica. Despite being considered less refined, Robusta beans are often the preferred choice for espressos.

The espressos are best with a good cream layer, of which robusta gives in spades.

Vietnam is best known for its mass production of robusta. In fact, 97% of coffee beans grown in Vietnam are Robusta, though its Arabica production is increasing.

What is Vietnamese Coffee?

When most of us hear Vietnamese coffee, the image of a syrupy sweet cup of iced coffee comes to mind. However, it's not just the addition of condensed milk that makes this drink iconic.

For the Vietnamese, there is only one way to brew a cup of coffee. This method is incredibly popular with the locals. To brew this, they use a pin, which is similar to a single-serve coffee filter.

This Vietnamese brewing method is a close cousin of the French press and drips coffee machines. When you make coffee using this filter, the hot water stays in contact with the ground coffee for more time, which helps extract the coffee's flavors and caffeine.

If you'd like to brew coffee using this method, stick with a medium grind. While it uses less water than in a typical French press, I can assure you that this coffee is thick and creamy, tasting a bit like an espresso.

With Vietnam's hot, humid climate, condensed milk's long shelf life, is another reason for its popularity. Condensed milk is already sweetened, so you won't see the locals loading sugar into their cup of coffee.

The Vietnamese add a generous amount of condensed milk to their coffees. Often, the portions of milk and coffee are the same.

You'll sometimes find a Vietnamese coffee with ice cubes added. Because Vietnam is such a warm climate, locals welcome any excuse to have a cold beverage.

Since the ice will water it down a bit, the bold flavors of robusta even out.

A Brief History of Vietnamese Coffee

In 1857, the French introduced coffee to Vietnam. A few failed attempts at growing Arabica coffee, as some of Vietnam's growing conditions could be harsh, led to meager output.

Arabica beans did succeed in a few select regions, but were never widely produced.

Finally, in 1908, the French introduced Robusta coffee plants in the area, and they found success with this hardier variety.

Production quickly took off. Soon after, coffee became a big part of Vietnam's economy.

The Vietnam war had a considerable impact on the production of Vietnam's coffee industry.

Even though the action occurred in a different region than where most of the coffee was grown, the people living in that region were still very affected.

Historians estimate that between 1 million and 3 million Vietnamese died in the war, and this depopulation impacted the coffee industry.

The industry began picking up again in 1986 when private businesses were allowed. Now, the majority of Vietnam coffee is from private enterprises, with only a few government-owned plantations.

Today, Vietnam is the second-largest coffee producer globally and produces 40% of the world's Robusta beans.

Vietnam now produces and exports over 1.5 million green coffee tones each year.

These beans are sometimes used as fillers in a blend and are often mixed with Arabica to balance the bold flavors.

What is Unique about Vietnamese Coffee beans?

Vietnam, while known for its Robusta coffee, actually has fantastic growing conditions for Arabica coffee in certain regions. Most of Vietnam's coffee production comes from the central highlands of the country.

This region contains rich volcanic soil and high elevations, both significant factors for growing coffee.

You may not know of many Vietnamese coffees because the country lacks transparency in labeling its coffee beans.

The United States is the second-largest importer of Vietnamese coffee beans. Yet, most Americans don't know the coffee they're drinking may come from this Southeast Asian country.

What is unique about this coffee bean's taste is that the Vietnamese have perfected the art of roasting delicious Robusta beans.

Many Vietnamese roasters will add sugar and butter while processing the beans to compensate for the lack of sugar and fat compared to the Arabica variety.

Adding this while the beans are roasting gives the coffee a touch of caramel flavor and deepens its flavor.

Some roasters will use pure clarified butter, while others mix in a bit of vegetable oil. Sometimes, adding a bit of chocolate or vanilla before roasting can further deepen the roast's flavor.

Another unique aspect of Vietnamese coffee is that dark roasts are prevalent, leading to a thicker final brew. Darker roasts also mean Vietnamese coffee beans taste great when cold-brewed.

What does Vietnamese coffee taste like?

The Robusta coffee bean is known for its bitter, bold flavor working best in a dark roast. Some people describe the taste from dark robusta roasts as the "almost-burnt edges of cake" because of its sweetness and caramelization.

When brewed, this coffee is thick and creamy.

It's what you do after brewing it that makes Vietnamese coffees so iconic. The syrupy sweetness of condensed milk balances the full flavor and bitterness of the Robusta.

Just add ice cubes, and you've got a gourmet cup of iced coffee. View this drink as a whole.

You'll see how the Vietnamese have adapted one of the world's most robust coffees into an incredible gourmet product known as Vietnamese milk coffee. 

While it may be what this coffee is best known for, there are a few other Vietnamese coffee variations that also deserve some attention.

Bac Xiu is very similar to milk coffee. However, coconut milk is added along with the condensed milk to give it a slightly coconut taste. For more of a milkshake version, add some coconut frozen yogurt.

Vietnamese egg coffee. Traditionally mixed with raw egg yolks and condensed milk, this treat is an even richer and creamier coffee. Some describe it as a liquid Cadbury creme egg.

Regardless of which variation you try, you can expect a strong brew, so don't go overboard.

The Best Vietnamese Coffee Brands

Since the 1980s, more and more of the coffee plantations in Vietnam have become privately owned by businesses.

While much of Vietnam's coffees become blends, there are a few big names for Vietnamese coffee brands.

Trung Nguyen is one of Vietnam's most famous brands, a premium blend of 60% Arabica, 40% Robusta, and a hint of chocolate. It's a medium roast and a household staple for many people in Vietnam.

Another fantastic brand to look for, especially if you're a fan of Italian espresso, is Dalat Peaberry Robusta. What makes it unique is that these Pea berry cherries are grown in a high altitude region of Vietnam's central highlands.

For espresso, Pea berry is the bean of choice because it takes longer to roast. Hence, it develops more in-depth chocolatey notes with little acidity.

In fact, Dalat Pea berry Robusta makes for an award-winning espresso blend because of its rich, bold brew.

For a brand name when it comes to roasting, VN Roaster offers a delicious butter-roast.

Even though it consists of 100% Robusta from the Dak Lak region of Vietnam, the butter balances out the robusta's bitterness, making this a great choice if you want to experience pure robusta without a blend.

If you are a bit hesitant to buy a bold robusta bag, you may want to look into the brand Lang Thang. This company offers a Saigon Phin Daklak blend of coffees from Vietnam.

All of the coffees used in this blend are from the central region of Vietnam. They include Arabica, Robusta, and Pea berry.

This blend comes already ground, and Lang Thang offers recipes (including one for egg coffee) on their website so you can make the perfect cup at home.

How to Make Vietnamese Coffee at Home

Here are a few tips so that your homemade cup of coffee tastes just like the real thing. The first step is to select the right coffee. Whether you choose a blend or just pure robusta, you'll want to start with a medium-coarse grind.

If you are using a phin as your filter, the most critical part of this brew is giving it time to drip slowly. You want to get all of the caffeine, oils, and flavor from the grounds while brewing.

The lack of paper means all of the essential oils from the grounds drip into your cup.

If you don't have a phin, brewing the grounds using a French press is one option. Another option is preparing this as a regular drip coffee.

Both of these methods let the hot water extract all the yummy goodness from the grounds.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Vietnamese coffee without condensed milk. If you're feeling adventurous, you could even try making your own egg coffee at home.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Vietnam may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of coffee.

However, as the world's second-largest producer of this drink, it deserves more credit.

While Arabica beans may be the most popular, Vietnam is building a solid reputation for Robusta's robust and deep flavor.

You may have been drinking Vietnamese coffee without even knowing it. These coffees are often fillers as part of a blend because they are inexpensive to produce.

While its beans may not be as famous, Vietnam's signature style of coffee with condensed milk has taken the world by storm. The image of a deeply roasted, slow drip coffee as a creamy, sweet, milky iced coffee already has my taste buds salivating.

What coffee lover isn't curious about Geisha coffee? Geisha coffee from Panama, also known as Gesha coffee, is the most expensive coffee in the world market.

At the record auction price of $1029 per pound, it's even pricier than the infamous Kopi Luwak.

Despite the exotic allure, the name, and a high price point, Geisha coffee has no connection to Japanese geishas. Today, no other specialty coffee around the world is so coveted.

You better be prepared. If you're going to beat the competition, you're going to pay good money.

Even then, it took many years more for people to discover the worth of this unique coffee. In those years, people had known Geisha coffee only for hybridization against disease. Before the rise of specialty coffees, the low yields made it troublesome to grow.

It's in 2004 that this coffee worth revealed itself. The family that owns Hacienda La Esmeralda acquired an estate in the Jamarillo valley.

It's there, in a corner of the farm at 5,300 feet, that they found the Gesha coffee trees. Ten hectares of tall coffee plants with long, curly leaves and bronze tips.

That year, Panama Geisha coffee ended up scoring 95.6 out of 100. It was the first competition in which this coffee appeared. The unroasted coffee sold for $21 a pound at the following auction and things didn't go without a hitch.

As the second-highest lot priced at $2.53, such an expensive development was unexpected, to say the least. So much the auction got shut down to check no one hacked the online bids!

Geisha Coffee: Harvest to Coffee Mill

Like all coffee, Geisha coffee trees thrive at the highest altitudes. This is why Boquete green valleys and slopes, twined around Volcán Barú, make the region ideal for coffee. At 11,398 feet above sea level, the cherries can ripen for the fullest flavor. But that’s not all.

Elevation to this coffee variety, it's not just important. It's vital. It develops the unique aromatics and bright taste that makes Geisha so famous. According to farmers, Geisha should be grown high up, at least 4,600 feet above sea level. Or it will lose that unique nuance.

But this Panamanian growing region doesn't just have the perfect altitude for coffee trees. Panama is also so wet that it is famous for triple rainbows and la bajareque, the fog.

Plenty of water to make the coffee trees grow tall. And the volcanic ashes that enrich the soil contribute to the flavor of these beans. Terroir affects the Geisha Arabica quality more than any other Panama coffee variety.

Beyond the microclimate, the growing process of Gesha coffee gets handled very carefully. Beans never grow in direct sunlight, but 40-50 percent shade. When the harvest comes, farmworkers handpick only the genuinely ripe beans. Today, some of the farms that grow it to ensure the coffee bean stays intact even airfreight them instead of container shipping.

After harvesting, Geisha coffee cherries undergo processing. You can find them processed by either of these three different methods:

• Washed process: This is the most common process for coffee. Coffee cherries get separated through floating tanks. Whatever floats on the surface are unripe and thus discarded. The rest undergoes a mechanical separation of skins and pulp.

• Natural process: Cañas Verdes, a farm that belongs to H. Esmeralda, started offering naturally processed coffee in the last few years. Some of their finest coffee goes through processing like this. It takes about nine days for the coffee processed this way to be ready.

• Honey process: Halfway between washed and natural, it affects the coffee bean's taste very much. Cherries are pulped but not washed. It’s less expensive than the washed process and more environmentally friendly.

Other countries trying their hand at growing Gesha coffee are Costa Rica, Colombia, and Ethiopia. None succeeded in replicating what makes Gesha so special.

The unique conditions that unlock the subtle taste belong only to Panama. Not even every region makes it to the top. The best of the best comes from the highest peaks in the coffee estates.

Panama Geisha Flavor Notes

One could fill a book with how many flavor-notes judges and aficionados notice in a cup of Geisha coffee. And even slight changes in altitude and terroir affect this incredible variety's taste.

Actually, every year it looks almost like new; different tastes become part of the profile. Anyone who has tasted other Latin American Arabica coffees, like Costa Rica, will immediately notice the difference. No chocolate notes, no cinnamon, no nuttiness, and minimal cream. It's closer to Ethiopia specialty coffee, but far more nuanced.

A common trait among all of the Geisha coffees is the bright, light-body, tartness, and intense jasmine notes. Or rose. Some people say they can perceive bergamot, orange peel, citrus, flowers, and honeysuckle in the cup: others, herbal tea notes. And more: a tropical fruit taste like mangoes and papaya.

And more familiar to westerners: strawberries, blueberries, and peach. Even apricots. And some other people, a while ago, even got a taste of vanilla marshmallows. It really makes it worth the price.

Buying Panama Geisha Around the World

In Panama, you can find a cup of Geisha coffee for $9-12, while the prices skyrocket in countries like the United States. There, one cup can cost upward of $75. The price difference is so significant that there is a separate auction for Geishas.

These are  coffee shops and roasters aiming to buy the finest lots of this exceptional coffee. These lots' prices can be as low as $5 per pound and go up to $110 even more micro-lots.

This disparity highlights how the terroir and microclimate can make a massive difference in quality for this plant. Coffee shops that hope to bid on these beans need to prepare themselves for some serious competition. The market is yet another reason why Gesha prices so high. Demand dwarfs the offer by a wide margin.

It's still tough to find Gesha coffee available, especially outside of Panama. Even some elite western coffee roasters (Rocanini, Batdorf & Bronson, Stumptown, and Fourbarrel) have serious difficulties finding a way to serve a cup of Geisha to customers.

You definitely won't see this sold at Starbucks- at least, not in Europe. Japan got to try a premium Gesha exclusive at their local stores. Some other places that got their hands on some, like Monmouth Coffee Company Neal's Yard in London, couldn't get more later. However, here are some places you try around the world:

Panama

• Café Unido. One of the coffee chains in Panama City. Very well known.

• Bajareque Coffee House. Panama City. It was one of the first shops to sell specialty coffee.

• Leto Coffee Brew Bar. It’s a pretty popular place. Panama Geisha Coffee is sold here. 

• Paddle Coffee. It's found in Panama City, and the shop belongs to Bambito Estate, a coffee producer.

United States

• Klatch Coffee Roasters. Found in The Bay Area, San Francisco. They sell a couple of Geisha coffees. In 2019 the café even offered the much prized Elida Geisha Coffee.

• Zeke’s Coffee. A popular roaster, they offer Gesha coffee every now and then; owns a couple of shops in Washington DC. Keep an eye out for this place.

Europe

• Imbibe Coffee Roasters in Dublin, Ireland. Another place you that ships Geishas occasionally. To keep checked often.

• Bond St. Coffee is located in North Laine, Brighton, which sells Geisha coffee from the Kotowa Farms.

• Cafés El Magnífico. Barcelona, Spain. You can't drink Gesha there but sure can find some Geisha beans to buy.

Online

If you don't live close enough to any of those roasters, you can try buying online from the source. Know this, though: the competition is fierce, and there's little product. But purchasing the top of Geisha coffee from these producers and roasters is well worth a try:

• La Hacienda Esmeralda

• Cafe Duran

• Lavanta Coffee Roasters (not always in stock)

• Volcanica Coffee (their Geisha isn't always from Panama)
• Panama Coffee Gold Reserve (a few choices of Geisha)
• Hayman Coffee

How To Enjoy the Best Geisha Cup

First off, you need to have a good grasp of the roasting process. Roasted Gesha beans should take on some color, but overdo it, and you will find yourself with a bitter, unpalatable cup. The key is to preserve flavor and aromatic oil compounds. If you lack roasting experience, you also stand to lose the coffee great citrus notes and jasmine. So keep your roast light. Temperatures between 412°F – 433°F are enough. Be careful to stop after the first crack.

Another important thing is to filter all your water. Contaminants such as chlorine will destroy your taste experience.

Third tip: Gesha is also particular about grinding. A medium grind will get you the best results. If it's ground too coarse or too fine, you'll get bitter flavors and miss the aroma.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Do not waste this delicate coffee over espresso. It’s too harsh a method for it. The best way to enjoy a cup of Gesha is Chemex or other similar ceramic tools. What you want for this brew is a hand-drip pour-over method.

Chemex uses thicker filters than the usual pour-over, allowing water a long time in contact with the coffee grounds and a richer cup without any residue. Another advantage is that Chemex is made of borosilicate glass, one of those materials that won't affect the taste.

Yemeni coffee is a specialty that you can only find and create in the desert regions of the Arabian Peninsula.

Rather than gulping the drink alone in a coffee shop like a coffee-house, the Yemeni people enjoy drinking it in groups.

Over there, a cup of coffee has converted into a culturally fun and exciting means where people share stories over one freshly-brewed drink. 

When I like a coffee, I try to find out how making it, and in the case of Yemeni coffee, how it's grown organically and shipped worldwide.

The blend is famous Read to find more information on one of the world's best and largest coffee industries, namely the Yemen coffee compound.

PRODUCTION OF COFFEE IN YEMEN

After hundreds of years of coffee cultivation, Yemen's coffee has turned into a flourishing and well-established business industry.

Even though it is a small country, the region has been shipping coffee internationally for a long time.

Today, one will say, many-a-story told about the history of a coffee cup always mentions the importance of Yemeni coffee culture and how the farmers of the region produce it.

However, after the 2014 Yemeni Civil War, the job market didn't have much to offer to the Yemen citizens; and everyone was scrambling to establish a coffee business.

That's why the farmers responsible for such delicious coffee beans are respected significantly less in the industry since abundant people up for the job and substantially less produce.

The Woes of Yemeni farmers

The war has left Yemen a barren and conflict-ridden land. Many of the novelties you and I take for granted in our daily lives, even food, water, the region's people share, divide, and crave in their country.

Much of the cultivation relies on field-grown and fertilizer-free subsistence farming.

The monopoly of Transporting Coffee from Yemen

The term mocha is stuck within our vocabularies, as, years ago, the world's first coffee was exclusively supplied through the antiquated Port of Mokha, Yemen.

Although Yemen's landscape currently looks like a terrible Warzone, and the activity of transporting coffee to any port also becomes a headache.

Again, not even a single lot of scarcely harvested mocha beans return a perfect yield.

The worldwide shipping of coffee roaster is a huge task. A coffee dealer explains that it takes them around 15 people to get a single bag of one-kilo green, full of excellently-yielded beans, to the port.

Also, there could be up to fifty or sixty inspection blocks between the starting point and the harbor, occupied by thugs and government who demand personal information and money.

This calculation tells us that Yemen ranks its coffee beans' importance, along with gold and precious metals.

COFFEE GROWN AT HIGH ALTITUDES

I had a challenging time when I tried growing coffee beans from Yemen on my property.

A native says that several imposter sellers of Yemen coffee, usually from Latin America, always fail to replicate the best.

To create high-quality Yemeni coffee, one has to follow a complicated procedure. Most notably, it isn't easy to find.

It requires a lot of time to produce green, mocha beans in many regions.

When you taste these cooked coffee beans, you realize that the more challenging the bean is, the more pleasant the flavor it tends to create.

WORLD'S BEST AND OLDEST COFFEE

I believe the title of 'the best coffee' is worthy of this Yemeni household name, for it is available in assortments of various kinds.

The coffee bean presents exotic and commonly brewed drinks. Here are some famous Yemeni coffees which many people like, shop, and add to their menus for achieving high brain activity:

• Qishr coffee, a sweet-tasting beverage, is made with ginger and mocha coffee beans on a stove, preferred by many who prefer home-made recipes.

• The small, rounded Ismaili coffee beans can make a fancy but an easy cup of espresso.
• Hafazi coffee beans are perfect for coffee-tasters who prefer contrasting flavor punches into their noses since they have spicy and fruity kicks.

Recipes for brewing Yemeni coffee at home

My way of making Yemen mocha usually involves using an economical and cost-friendly ingredient menu.

For when you want to have a quick drink with family, Al Mokha, a prominent coffee roaster manufacturer, is an excellent choice to put in your shopping cart.

You can home-cook the beans in a glass of milk, sugar, and a few pieces of chocolate, and voila, you have a beautiful tray of qishr coffee ready to be served!

When guests are over, my secret weapon of taste adds spices like cardamom and cinnamon to get a rich-seeming taste and aroma.

I also ensure that the coffee cherries are of good quality and give a concentrated mixture.

IS THE HYPE AND EXPENSE WORTH IT?

People claim that coffee prices can go as high as '$60 per kilo green'. Additionally, people in the first-world regions, namely the European and American sub-continent, are willing to pay up to 240 dollars for a pound of Yemeni coffee.

Even if you roast the beans or sprinkle imported spices in your drink, is the raw product's expensive cost worth your salt?

As highlighted in the process before and as I've come to know: in Yemen, a cup of coffee usually symbolizes said quality time with one's family members.

Each sip is cherished, for it signifies hours upon hours of effort and energy spent towards making it.

While it is widely loved, the quantities produced are so limited that there is an enormous imbalance in demand and supply scales.

That's why this hand-grown mocha coffee bean comes at a very high cost in Yemen, Ethiopia, and other international regions.

The comeback story of Yemen, coffee and expensive beans

The new and improved Yemeni coffee industry made a triumph revival five years ago on the back of the coffee roaster company, the Port of Mokha.

News source Bloomberg says that before 2015, even though Yemeni coffee could still please the crowds, it has been often a disappointment in providing a full-quality flavor palette.

The company provides three different levels of roasted coffee: light, medium, and dark. I prefer a mixture of either two.

It successfully manages to please my tongue with a lot of flavorful taste-hits.

Companies such as Al Mokha and Port of Mokha are relatively new.

Their advent has created a new economy in Yemen; it opens up possibilities for making a billion-dollar industry; it is the link between Yemen's deliciously fabulous coffee and its international admirers.

These middlemen hire hundreds of farmers and personnel in their native countries to cultivate and transport the coffee cherries from the capital Sana'a to world superpowers like the USA.

Yemeni coffees have a historical trajectory of success that backs up the consensus, claiming their excellence and showing why they find praise worldwide.