I am Vietnamese who spent 19 years in Vietnam, now I am a barista. I have to say the sad thing is, culturally Vietnamese coffee is usually mixed with soy bean and corn, or some "other ingredients" to bring out the very dark taste of robusta beans. Vietnamese iced coffee is more like a dessert drink than a coffee, since Vietnamese have a very sweet tooth.
tdn, I wouldn't say that it is sad. If we take it for what it is, a very delicious cold beverage, then I would argue that the flavors are in balance, and therefore it is a good beverage. It doesn't make sense trying to conform it to current ideas of what constitutes a good coffee drink. I work in the food/culinary industry, and it always irks me when 'Asian' restaurants get better ratings when all they do is Anglicize their cuisine. Worst case I've seen of this is of bastardization of a South East Asian soup by a French trained chef. He decided to first make a consomne, using the usual mirepoix and bouquet garni, then used that consomne to make the Asian soup. It was supposedly contemporized, and thought to be elevated due to the increased technical difficulty of the dish. IMO that chef has a bad case of culinary confusion, and needs more exposure to culinary anthropology and culture. We, as a community, should be careful to not go down that same road.
tdn, I wouldn't say that it is sad. If we take it for what it is, a very delicious cold beverage, then I would argue that the flavors are in balance, and therefore it is a good beverage. It doesn't make sense trying to conform it to current ideas of what constitutes a good coffee drink. I work in the food/culinary industry, and it always irks me when 'Asian' restaurants get better ratings when all they do is Anglicize their cuisine. Worst case I've seen of this is of bastardization of a South East Asian soup by a French trained chef. He decided to first make a consomne, using the usual mirepoix and bouquet garni, then used that consomne to make the Asian soup. It was supposedly contemporized, and thought to be elevated due to the increased technical difficulty of the dish. IMO that chef has a bad case of culinary confusion, and needs more exposure to culinary anthropology and culture. We, as a community, should be careful to not go down that same road.
I'm saying that before we judge all beverages and practices surrounding coffee, we should have a mental exercise to take into account other factors that might have come into play. Take the case of the Vietnamese coffee having 'other' substances in it. Perhaps it came out of poverty? Perhaps Robusta was all the French Colonists allowed the locals to have. There has to be some reverence for history and culture before any judgements are made, that's all. One also cannot deny the higher cost of arabica beans, and the socio economic and class associations with premium foods. I find that the more I read about all aspects of how, what, and why we eat and drink what we do, making hard statements becomes more difficult.
I really like your objective opinion. It is just culturally different. I was born having a sweet tooth and still sticks with it. But I love food in general so anything would work. To me it is sad because they are going further (and cheaper) than just soy and corn to approach that dark taste . It doesnt happen here in the U.S. but it is in Vietnam. However I had the best VNese iced coffee ever on my trip last summer in Vn.
I would say if you want to experience how a true VNese iced coffee tastes like, try the the mixed one. Otherwise, make it however you think tastes good.
What's "mixed one"? Do you have a link or description? thanks.
tdn Said:
I would say if you want to experience how a true VNese iced coffee tastes like, try the the mixed one. Otherwise, make it however you think tastes good.
The "mixed one" is the coffee roasted with corn and soy and some other substances to brings out the darkest flavor and aroma of the coffee. In addition, Vnese coffe in Vietnam is thicker than regular coffee because of these substances, which vary upon the roasters. But it is not common as well as healthy in the US coffee culture.
The Cafe du Monde mentioned in the guide is one of those that are mixed (with chicory), but it is not very good.
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