American Newspaper: Salt Coffee in Vietnam - a Choice for "Connoisseurs" of Cuisine

(Source: Getty Images/CNN)

There has been a recent trend emerging on some social media platforms like TikTok about “customizing” Starbucks orders so that the drink tastes like a Vietnamese iced coffee.

In an article published on June 28, CNN said that more and more people are posting instructions on how to order a “special version” of the “sweet caffeinated beverage” that connoisseurs often enjoy: Salted Coffee.

The American news site mentioned a small, simple coffee shop in Hue city - an address known to many as the place where salt coffee was "invented". Here, coffee is mixed with sweetened condensed milk and salted cream - and can be drunk hot or cold.

“We ‘created’ salt coffee in 2010 when we opened the first Salt Coffee shop at 10 Nguyen Luong Bang,” co-owners Ho Thi Thanh Huong and Tran Nguyen Huu Phong told CNN Travel.

“The combination of black coffee, condensed milk and salt creates a creamy mixture that softens the bitterness of the coffee and balances the sweetness of the milk.”

Sharing about the name “salt coffee,” Ms. Huong and Mr. Phong shared: “We hope this name will attract people, because people often think that black coffee only has sugar or milk…

We thought that if we wanted to open a coffee shop, we needed to do something different to attract customers: The salty coffee flavor would keep them coming back.”

This “strategy” proved effective. Locals and curious tourists started visiting and they loved this “unique” drink.

Ms. Huong and Mr. Phong added: “Hue people have the habit of drinking black coffee with sugar or milk, so salty coffee is considered a strange drink. We are really grateful to the first customers, they were willing to try and give feedback so that we could quickly perfect the flavor.”

Not long after, salt coffee became known as a specialty drink in Hue, and many coffee shops across Vietnam also began to try the same preparation method.

“Salt coffee seems to have become a trend in Vietnam after the years of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said the two shop owners. “In Hue, salt coffee has become a daily drink like black or brown coffee.”

Currently, Salt Coffee also bottles salt coffee for sale in many other cities in Vietnam.

Ms. Ho Thi Thanh Huong and Mr. Tran Nguyen Huu Phong. (Source: Salt Coffee/CNN)

Meanwhile, Starbucks branches in Vietnam also joined the salt coffee wave by launching their own “version” of salt coffee in May this year.

Vietnam isn’t the only country that adds salt to coffee. Last year, an article in Bon Appetit said the tradition dates back hundreds of years in countries like Türkiye, Hungary, and Siberia, where people add salt to their drinks to enhance the flavor.

Vietnam, which mainly grows robusta beans, is the world’s second-largest coffee exporter after Brazil. Vietnam’s coffee exports reached $2.9 billion in the first five months of this year, up 43.9 percent from the same period last year, according to the International Trade Council.

“It's no surprise that salted coffee has become popular in Hue cafes and appears regularly on menus across Vietnam,” CNN commented.

“All kinds of coffee”

Coffee shops in Vietnam come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny stalls with plastic chairs on the sidewalk, to modern, luxurious shops with on-site coffee roasters.

Traditional Vietnamese coffee is brewed using a filter, which is placed over a cup or pot. Many people like to stir a spoonful or two of condensed milk into their coffee.

According to CNN, salt coffee is just one of many typical Vietnamese coffees that can surprise those who have never tried it.

“Perhaps the most famous of these is egg coffee. ‘Invented’ in Hanoi, the dessert-like recipe adds a layer of beaten egg yolk and condensed milk to the coffee.

There is also coconut coffee, in which coffee is mixed with coconut milk and ice - a refreshing drink with a tropical flavor. There is also coffee smoothie: Coffee is combined with fruit such as banana or avocado to create a smoothie.

Finally, coffee yogurt: Black coffee mixed with creamy yogurt.”

CNN cited a report by global market research firm Mintel published in 2023 saying that consumers outside Asia are increasingly interested in these new coffee experiences and flavors.

About 71% of Gen Z consumers surveyed by Mintel in the US said they are interested in trying Asian-inspired coffee drinks, such as Vietnamese coffee.

In the US, 7 Leaves Café, a chain of Vietnamese coffee shops, has expanded to more than 40 locations across the country after its first store opened in California in 2011.

There are also many standalone Vietnamese cafes, with Phin Ca Phe in Seattle and Cà phê Roasters in Philadelphia being two of the places that serve salted coffee. Across the Atlantic, in London, cafes like Caphe House offer a variety of Vietnamese coffees, including egg coffee.

Returning to Hue, Ms. Huong and Mr. Phong said: "We are happy and a little proud to have created a drink that is loved by many people and is even considered a specialty of Hue."./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/bao-my-caphe-muoi-o-viet-nam-mot-lua-chon-cho-dan-sanh-am-thuc-post962034.vnp