We may be a little biased, but here’s our list of our favorite Vietnamese coffee brands to buy from in 2024.
Each cup of Vietnamese coffee has a bold flavor attributed to traditional brewing methods and robusta beans. As a result, it captivates coffee enthusiasts around the globe. Today, innumerable brands have emerged as ambassadors for Vietnamese coffee culture. However, each has unique brewing processes that influence the aroma and taste.
Cafely is one of the best Vietnamese coffee brands. It offers ready-to-drink coffee cans, caffeinated coffee gummies, and single-origin beans – all richly packed with the genuine taste of Vietnamese coffee.
Read on to learn more about the top-ranking Vietnamese coffee brands and what makes them stand out.
Best Vietnamese Coffee Brands
If you want to try Vietnamese coffee, you need to choose a brand dedicated to capturing the essence that makes it so special. The following brands understand Vietnamese coffee and strive to bring you a bit of the culture in every cup.
1. Cafely
Cafely prides itself on providing an authentic Vietnamese coffee experience. All coffee is grown and exported from Vietnam’s lush central highlands to maintain the true essence and flavor of Vietnamese coffee.
Cafely’s signature product is its SaiGon OG, which is a blend of robusta, arabica, and peaberry coffee roasted using the traditional butter and rice wine process. This style of roasting brings out a delicious roasty flavor and highlights the robusta beans hidden sweetness.
Other popular Cafely coffee includes it’s 100% robusta blend (HaNoi), a 100% Vietnamese arabica (DaLat), and the strongest coffee on the market right now — Cafely’sBan MePeaberry Robusta coffee.
Other than coffee beans, Cafely also offers:
- Ready-to-drink canned cold brew — Vietnamese milk coffee, coconut, and black coffee options available.
- Instant coffee packs — Available in 3 distinct flavors (Vietnamese milk coffee, coconut coffee, and black).
- Coffee Gummies — Available in black and Vietnamese milk coffee flavors.
2. Trung Nguyen Legend
Founded in 1996 in Vietnam by Dang Le Nguyen Vu, Trung Nguyen Legend has grown to become one of the leading brands of Vietnamese coffee and is mainly known for its drip coffee, which stresses the use of high-quality, locally sourced coffee.
Although rooted in tradition, Trung Nguyen is hailed as a local and global coffee brand that employs modern innovative approaches to skillfully combine robusta and arabica beans. This gives the coffee a rich and distinct flavor profile.
Besides brewing coffee, Trung Nguyen also enriches the Vietnamese coffee experience with its inviting coffee houses that now extend to countries like China and the U.S.
Notable coffee products from this brand include:
- The famous Sang Tao varietal coffees
- G7 black instant coffee
- Legend Ca Phe Sua Da
- Legend Cappuccino
3. Vinacafé Instant Coffee Mix
Vinacafe is among the long-standing Vietnamese coffee brands. It was established in 1969 as Coronel Coffee Factory but changed its name to Vinacafe Bien Hoa Coffee Factory in 1975.
It emphasizes traditionally roasted coffee beans that display the flavors of Vietnamese coffee. Currently, Vinacafe has a production capacity of 800 tons of instant coffee per year and focuses on exporting worldwide.
The brand has various signature products, such as the successful yellow 3-in-1 line of instant coffee packages and traditional coffee grounds suitable for filters.
4. Highland
The Highland coffee brand was established in 2002 by David Thai, who intended to recreate the Vietnamese coffee experience for friends abroad. It has since grown to be among the best Vietnamese coffee brands with a wide following.
Highland coffee shops in Vietnam and the Philippines have luxurious and sophisticated designs and high-quality coffee products that attract many customers. The brand is also present in over ten countries worldwide.
Highland coffee products such as the 3-in-1 coffee mixes, iced coffee, and traditional Vietnamese drip coffee are slightly more expensive than other brands. However, it strives to offer a selective coffee experience by insisting on the manual coffee classification method that includes hand-picking the best quality robusta and arabica beans and roasting them fresh.
5. Phuc Long Coffee & Tea House
Founded in 1968 in the tea highlands of Bao Loc, Phuc Long Coffee and Tea House has over 50 years of experience in brewing Vietnamese coffee. It is known for supplying high-quality coffee beans that provide a memorable experience.
Phuc Long Coffee and Tea House has over 40 branches in cities in Vietnam and a chain of coffee shops abroad. The brand uses traditional brewing methods and locally-grown coffee beans to produce a typical Vietnamese flavorful coffee with a unique aroma.
Some of Phuc Long’s notable coffee products include robusta coffee with butter and the pleasantly bitter taste of moka blend, which is a combination of robusta, moka, culi, and cherry.
6. Cong Caphe
Cong Caphe, or Cong Coffee, was opened in 2007 in Hanoi, Vietnam, by Linh Dung. Although it started as a single coffee shop, the brand now has branches all over Vietnam and coffee chain shops in Malaysia and Korea.
Cong Caphe shops favor a vintage display that showcases Vietnam’s cultural heritage. This coffee brand focuses on brewing coffee using traditional methods to retain the authentic Vietnamese coffee flavor.
Although the prices are a bit high, Cong Caphe’s offers a number of exciting coffee products:
- Coconut milk coffee and iced coffee
- Bac Xiu, made with pure coffee and thick coconut milk
- Vina cappu, a mixture of a cappuccino drink and Vietnamese filter coffee
7. Chestbrew Coffee
Chestbrew was founded in 2016 by husband and wife Minh Tran and Teresa Ma. The coffee lovers sought to bring a taste of the strong traditional Vietnamese coffee to the United States.
Chestbrew specializes in whole-bean coffee with a unique flavor reflecting Vietnamese coffee heritage. Although relatively new compared to other bands, Chestbrew has made a mark with products such as hot black coffee, cold brew coffee, and the Big Bad Bear Vietnamese iced coffee.
Their signature products are pour-over coffee pouches that give their coffee a strong taste and aroma.
8. La Viet Coffee
La Viet Coffee was founded in 2013 and is one of the most respected coffee producers and brewers in Vietnam’s Da Lat city. The brand’s whole-bean coffee is the backbone of most coffee shops in the larger Lam Dong province.
La Viet mostly uses Arabica beans, which it plants, processes, and roasts to brew traditional Vietnamese coffee. Some of the brand’s notable products include Datanla Arabica whole beans with honey and dark chocolate, Prenn, and D’RAN roasted whole beans.
9. Message Coffee
Message Coffee, established in 2017, is more or less a newbie among Vietnamese coffee brands. However, they are pioneers in producing 100% arabica Vietnamese coffee products, such as freeze-dried instant coffee and finely ground coffee for Phin filters and professional coffee machines.
FAQs: Vietnamese Coffee Brands
Vietnamese coffee is becoming more popular, but most people know little about it. Here’s a little more information about this cultural phenomenon.
1. What distinguishes Vietnamese coffee brands from other global coffee brands?
Vietnamese coffee brands are distinguished by their use of robusta beans, traditional brewing methods, and unique flavor profiles that often include a blend of robusta, arabica, and peaberry beans. These brands emphasize the authentic Vietnamese coffee experience.
2. Why is Cafely considered one of the best Vietnamese coffee brands?
Cafely is highly regarded for its commitment to authenticity, offering products that are rich in the genuine taste of Vietnamese coffee. It utilizes traditional roasting methods, like the butter and rice wine process, to enhance the flavor and sweetness of robusta beans, making it a favorite among coffee enthusiasts.
3. Are there any Vietnamese coffee brands that focus on sustainability & ethical sourcing?
Cafely is an example of a Vietnamese coffee brand focused on sustainability and ethical sourcing. They source all their coffee from farms that employ eco-friendly cultivation practices, ensure fair trade standards, and promote the welfare of local communities involved in coffee production.
4. How do the top Vietnamese coffee brands cater to the international market?
Top Vietnamese coffee brands cater to the international market by expanding their product lines to include easily accessible options like instant coffee and ready-to-drink cans, maintaining high-quality standards, and adapting traditional flavors to suit global palates, thereby introducing Vietnamese coffee culture to a wider audience.
5. How is traditional Vietnamese coffee made?
Vietnamese coffee is traditionally made using a phin filter, but you can use a French press or espresso machine if you don’t have one. Put a tablespoon or two of sweetened condensed milk (to taste) into a cup and pour the coffee on top. Give it a good stir, and add ice if you want.
6. How much caffeine is in Vietnamese coffee?
The brewing method impacts the caffeine content, but Vietnamese coffee is made from robusta beans, which are higher in caffeine than arabica and can have 65-130 mg per cup.
In general, the longer the beans steep and the more coffee beans you use, the stronger it will be. For example, espresso has about 65 mg of caffeine per ounce. Eight ounces of drip coffee has 60-120 mg. Cold brew coffee steeps for up to 24 hours and can have 100-200 mg per cup.
7. Is there a decent substitute for Vietnamese coffee?
While you can substitute a dark coffee, like a French roast, it will still lack some of the characteristics that make Vietnamese coffee stand out. A robusta bean will be most comparable, but a lot goes into good coffee. Finding a high-quality bean is the most important thing; otherwise, you’ll end up with bitter and burnt-tasting coffee.
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