In Malaysia, there is a special chain of coffee shops called Kee Nguyen. The first special thing is that the shop sells all kinds of Vietnamese coffee, the second special thing is that the name of the shop has the word "Nguyen" in it!
The attraction of a try
What's more special is that the two co-founders of this coffee chain have no connection to Vietnam, except for… accidentally liking Vietnamese coffee after traveling here together.
The two men, Radius Khor and Henry Tan, worked as graphic designers at the same company. In the name of the restaurant "Kee Nguyen", Kee is Henry's last name, and Nguyen was chosen because it is the most common last name in Vietnam.
Khor, who rarely drank coffee before, became a "believer" after trying it once, while Mr Tan told Free Malaysia Today that he can drink up to eight cups of Vietnamese coffee a day (although he admitted that this is not a recommended dosage).
After falling in love with Hanoi's sidewalk coffee, Khor and Tan decided to start a business with a version of "Vietnamese street coffee" in Malaysia in June 2019, because they searched everywhere in Malaysia but could not find a place that sold such a "heart-touching" drink.
So the first Kee Nguyen shop opened in the back of a car - partly a variation of the coffee carts in Vietnam, partly because they did not have enough capital to rent a space! The first shop with tables and chairs was located in Petaling Jaya City, Selangor State, then expanded to other states such as Penang, Johor, Melaka...
Radius Khor (left) and Henry Tan (right) when they started selling Vietnamese coffee from their cars in 2019... Photo: FMT
To date, after nearly 4 years, they have had an impressive number of branches of nearly 40 and remain loyal to the Vietnamese flavor by committing to directly importing all ingredients from Vietnam. Another unique feature of Kee Nguyen is that they sell all kinds of coffee created in Vietnam - from egg coffee, coconut coffee, yogurt coffee...
The appeal of Vietnamese coffee is even more convincing after international culinary magazine TasteAtlas ranked Vietnamese iced coffee among the world's best drinks in a rating updated in February 2023.
According to TasteAtlas, Vietnamese iced coffee has two types: coffee mixed with condensed milk and iced black coffee - rated 4.6 out of 5 stars by culinary experts, tied for first place with Italian Ristretto coffee.
Re-identification in the US
Last month, the Los Angeles Times ’ Food section published an article introducing the most impressive Vietnamese coffee shops in Los Angeles and Orange County. The list included egg coffee at Nep Café (with both fresh and salted egg varieties), yogurt coffee at Thanh Thi Bakery, coconut coffee at DaVien Café, and matcha coffee at BLK Dot Coffee…
... and at a Kee Nguyen restaurant recently. Photo: VULCAN POST
This famous newspaper commented that Vietnamese coffee has long been the "mainstream" in Little Saigon in Orange County, but it has only been elevated in recent years thanks to the ambition of the new generation of coffee connoisseurs combined with the quickness to "catch" new trends in their homeland.
This rise partly comes from the resentment that Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the world, after Brazil, but rarely does any coffee in the US label it as coming from Vietnam - according to the popular coffee blog Sprudge .
Part of the reason is that Vietnam mainly grows Robusta coffee - which accounts for 95% of Vietnam's exports - while the US prefers Arabica. As a result, Vietnamese coffee often turns to the US instant coffee market. Data from the US Department of Agriculture shows that Vietnam is expected to export nearly 31 million bags in the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
Where does Vietnamese coffee exported to the US go? This question prompted Ms. Sahra Nguyen, CEO of Nguyen Coffee Supply, to find the answer. Nguyen Coffee Supply is currently one of the leading companies specializing in Vietnamese coffee in the US.
"Vietnamese coffee does not come to the US as fresh coffee beans, but instead as ground coffee sold in supermarkets and instant coffee. They are put on shelves without anyone knowing that it is Vietnamese coffee" - Sahra Nguyen shared her research with Forbes magazine. Being processed into such products makes Vietnamese coffee lose both its value and flavor quality.
"The reason there is a distinction between Robusta and Arabica coffee is because people do not have full access to both types, so they do not have a separate assessment," explained Ms. Lan Ho, founder of the Fat Miilk brand in Chicago. Simply put, Robusta is stronger and more flavorful than Arabica.
Another misconception is that in the US, coffee mixed with sweetened condensed milk and ice is considered "Vietnamese coffee". "Vietnamese coffee culture in the US first appeared in Vietnamese restaurants, where customers ordered filter coffee to drink. But over the past 20 years, the filter method has never established a foothold in the American coffee space" - Ms. Sahra Nguyen added.
Sprudge says things are starting to change, with a slew of Vietnamese-owned coffee companies "telling the story" of Vietnamese coffee across North America as a whole, not just the United States.
"The Vietnamese coffee filter is here, the condensed milk is delicious... but it's time to talk about Vietnamese coffee beans and Vietnamese coffee culture," Sprudge quoted a common saying in interviews on the subject. And Nguyen Coffee Supply is doing just that by buying coffee beans from Da Lat and roasting them in Brooklyn, New York City. Similarly, Lan Ho buys Robusta coffee directly from farmers in the Central Highlands.
"The goal here is to diversify the market rather than change it completely. There is enough room in the US for all types of Vietnamese coffee," Will Frith, a long-time expert on Vietnamese coffee, told Sprudge.
Rich variations
- Egg coffee is gaining widespread attention on the internet. In egg coffee, milk is replaced with egg yolks. Egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk are whipped into cream, then poured over traditional Vietnamese coffee. The cup of coffee will have a layer of foam similar to cappuccino.
Egg coffee at Nep Cafe. Photo: LA TIMES
- Coconut coffee is no longer a new drink, instead it is available at most street corners and cafes, especially popular in the capital Hanoi. Some people describe coconut coffee as a cup of coffee with coconut smoothie.
Coconut coffee from DaVien Cafe. Photo: LA TIMES
- Yogurt coffee is another interesting combination that includes yogurt, sweetened condensed milk and coffee, creating a potentially addictive drink.
N. Pham
What's the hurry?
"Coffee is everywhere in Vietnam. On many street corners, it is easy to see coffee sellers, from pushcarts to cafes. For Vietnamese people, coffee is not just a drink but also a way of life. At any time of the day, there is always a coffee shop or a whole street ready to serve you a cup of iced milk coffee.
In Vietnam, drinking coffee is a way for people to relax and "chat". Many coffee shops in Vietnam are located in open spaces, with just a few small plastic chairs placed on the sidewalk for customers to watch people and vehicles passing by.
Traditional coffee is brewed with a filter. The diners have to live slowly while waiting for each drop of coffee to fall, which is also a favorite moment for many people. Whether enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning or evening, Vietnamese people like good coffee and enjoy it leisurely. For them, sipping good coffee, why rush?
The above are the shares about Vietnamese coffee on the website of the Nam coffee chain in the US. It is not difficult to understand that behind the above understanding sentiment is Mr. Vince Nguyen, a person who admits that coffee has been flowing in his family, from the time he was a child in Pleiku (Gia Lai province) until he grew up and moved to Ho Chi Minh City and now in Southern California. For Mr. Vince Nguyen, no flavor can surpass the aroma of fresh coffee!
According to Vince Nguyen, besides sharing the traditional coffee flavor, he also wants to support Vietnamese farmers. "This is an opportunity for us to promote our culture and I want to convey Vietnamese coffee culture" - he talked to Spectrum News.
Meanwhile, for CEO Sahra Nguyen of Nguyen Coffee Supply, coffee is an essential part of Vietnamese cuisine and of course coffee culture is present even though it is not yet really prominent in the international arena.
Sharing with Forbes , she said the impressive thing about Vietnamese coffee culture lies in its diversity, "sitting on a plastic chair drinking coffee on the sidewalk is just as interesting as sitting in a luxury shop drinking premium coffee roasted by machine".
Pham Nghia
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