Vietnam Coffee In Thailand

[honu]

I only drink tea these days, but a great source for tea in Vietnam is really a coffee and tea shop:

http://hatvala.com/hatvalacoffe/premium-coffee-vietnam

http://hatvala.com/hatvalacoffe/premium-coffee-vietnam/20-coffee-beans/39-coffee-in-vietnam

If they go through the same sourcing process for coffee it's not standard product, really something unique, but again I've not tried it. They mention roasting to a preferred level on the website, and it's my understanding that lighter roasts display the better bean qualities better. Odd they say this though, so what do I know:

We prefer medium to medium-dark roasts as these provide the optimum balance in our opinion between aroma, sweetness and body. However, we will also roast to any specific customer requirement.

As for tea (hard to imagine someone drinking both, but I guess it could happen) the Red Buffalo oolong (mid-roast) or the Wild Boar black tea are great, and the lighter oolong and green teas are good too, just not the types I prefer.

It really, really goes without saying but it would make no sense to order coffee from another country already pre-ground (which they do mention; better to grind just before use). Those small spice grinders you could surely buy in department stores in Thailand can grind coffee beans, even if something designed just for the purpose might get you more optimum results.

[RuamRudy]

I only drink tea these days, but a great source for tea in Vietnam is really a coffee and tea shop:

http://hatvala.com/hatvalacoffe/premium-coffee-vietnam

http://hatvala.com/hatvalacoffe/premium-coffee-vietnam/20-coffee-beans/39-coffee-in-vietnam

If they go through the same sourcing process for coffee it's not standard product, really something unique, but again I've not tried it. They mention roasting to a preferred level on the website, and it's my understanding that lighter roasts display the better bean qualities better. Odd they say this though, so what do I know:

We prefer medium to medium-dark roasts as these provide the optimum balance in our opinion between aroma, sweetness and body. However, we will also roast to any specific customer requirement.

As for tea (hard to imagine someone drinking both, but I guess it could happen) the Red Buffalo oolong (mid-roast) or the Wild Boar black tea are great, and the lighter oolong and green teas are good too, just not the types I prefer.

It really, really goes without saying but it would make no sense to order coffee from another country already pre-ground (which they do mention; better to grind just before use). Those small spice grinders you could surely buy in department stores in Thailand can grind coffee beans, even if something designed just for the purpose might get you more optimum results.

Wow - another Hatvala fan! I love their coffee and, although I am not really a tea drinker, their white tea is lovely too.

[honu]

I didn't try a white tea from Hatvala, although I vaguely remember they sold one.

It's completely off the subject of this thread but they grow coffee in Laos too. Again it's hard to find coffee that's even claimed to be a better version there.

We bought some on a farm out in the middle of nowhere once, where they were also growing tea, both robusta and arabica bean based versions.

That coffee wasn't roasted perfectly or else it probably would have been the best I'd ever tried, with an unusual sweetness to it, probably mostly from being picked when ripe and made fresh. I drank samples at the farm and that was the first time I ever felt caffeine-poisoned, with a crazy heart rate and general anxiety. It sounds good, to get an energy boost like doing a couple rails of meth, but going through it wasn't so nice.

[RuamRudy]

Quite possibly the best coffee I have tried from Vietnam was from Mach - they are really fanatical about their beans. I got some samples earlier in the year that were truly awesome - only problem was that they are a bit pricy, but if you want great coffee and are willing to pay for it, I am sure you won't be disappointed.

www.machcoffee.wordpress.com