Vietnam Robusta

Some 95% of Vietnam's coffee is robusta, and they produce over 30 million bags of coffee a year, making them the world's second highest coffee grower behind Brazil.

As long as we have a bag of Vietnam arabica, we thought it would be fun to put a bag of Vietnam robusta next to it for people who want to try both.

So here’s what you do with it. You almost always want to roast robusta medium-dark to dark. I’m taking this one 10 seconds into second cracks (the 2nd cracks are late), but you could definitely go darker. There aren’t any complex undertones to unlock, so you might as well go for as much taste as you can and roast it into the 2nd cracks. You can get some popcorn and cedar notes from it.

But you probably don't want to drink it straight. You keep it to about 10-15% in your espresso blend to give it a nice edge and potency or you create a high-caffeine drip blend. Blend it with something light and sweet, like a Tanzania or a New Guinea. Roughly 50-50 and you get a cup of coffee that 1 — makes everyone extraordinarily cheerful and 2 — tastes different than what you’re used to, but is not offensive — just different.

If you’re curious or adventurous, go ahead and try a pound.

US Arrival: January 2024