The New York Times and the journey to find the best coffee shop in Saigon

Cheo Leo Coffee, one of the oldest coffee shops in Saigon, has been serving coffee since the 1930s - Photo: Justin Mott

In the article titled "Finding the taste of delicious coffee in Ho Chi Minh City", journalist Seth Sherwood and photojournalist Justin Mott delved into the places that preserve Saigon's coffee culture from traditional to modern.

At the same time, do not forget to share with international readers about the most prominent coffee places in this city of tens of millions of people.

Coffee from farm to shop

Apart from Brazil, no country produces more coffee than Vietnam.

Dating back to the French colonial years of the 19th century, Vietnam's coffee industry is now worth $3 billion and accounts for nearly 15% of the global market, making Vietnam the coffee giant of Southeast Asia.

Modern coffee brewing process at The Workshop, a coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: Justin Mott

The quality of Vietnamese coffee has begun to catch up with the huge output.

Thanks to the popularity of farm-to-store delivery, the coffee retail business is booming as more and more on-site roasters and specialty coffee shops pop up in the heart of Saigon.

From discreet bohemian hangouts like RedDoor to stylish chains like La Viet - which has its own coffee farm near Da Lat.

It can be said that this city has enough types of coffee to please the most sophisticated connoisseur.

Cheo Leo Coffee

With the characteristic bitterness and high caffeine content of most Robusta beans, it's no surprise that the Vietnamese have traditionally softened the coffee's heaviness with a little condensed milk, creating a drink similar to a milkshake.

Through the alleys and lanes of District 3, you will reach the best place to enjoy this "national product", which is one of the oldest coffee shops in the city.

Not only attracting tourists from near and far, Cheo Leo coffee also has regular customers who have been drinking here since the time of the current owner's parents - Photo: Justin Mott

This is where Mrs. Suong and her two sisters "perform the ritual" that their family has been doing nonstop for nearly 100 years (the author compares roasting, grinding and brewing coffee to an ancient ritual of Mrs. Suong's family - translator ).

While lyrical Vietnamese music echoes on the walls, tiled roofs and ceilings that have been marked by time, the women in the shop still work diligently under a single light bulb in the small kitchen.

They pour a mixture of Robusta, Arabica, and Culi coffee ground through a cloth sieve into aluminum pots heated with charcoal.

After a second filtration through water stored in large earthenware pots to allow impurities to sink to the bottom, the coffee is poured into cups with condensed milk for customers to enjoy.

The author also did not forget to mention that if the coffee here is not rich enough for European and American tastes, you can ask for a little French butter to go with your coffee.

Lacaph Coffee

A rather posh cafe located in District 1, right near Ben Nghe, by the small urban canal that meanders through the city.

Inside Lacaph Cafe - Photo: Justin Mott

Coffee making process at Lacaph - Photo: Justin Mott

Decorated with dark wood panels and lighting system, Lacaph serves from unique drinks such as lemonade mixed with coffee flower honey to traditional dishes such as filter coffee, homemade coconut coffee.

The coconut coffee here is a blend of cold brew coffee, coconut milk, coconut syrup and coconut cream.

There are many lower sugar options including espresso, latte and cascaras.

Cascaras is a tea-like drink made from coffee tree bark and coffee cherry skins.

The main attraction of the shop is the display space for coffee-related items.

Featuring posters, maps, machinery and even a vintage motorbike – the preferred mode of transport for Vietnamese coffee growers – the gallery provides visitors with fascinating insights into the country’s coffee history, regions, beans, cultivation methods and production techniques.

96B Coffee

96B Coffee is located in Tan Dinh area, famous for the pink 19th-century Tan Dinh Church and crowded covered market.

Interior space of 96B restaurant - Photo: Justin Mott

With its bright color scheme and post-industrial architecture, this small cafe has the ambition to educate customers about coffee and the brewing industry by regularly hosting multi-topic workshops, from roasting beans to latte art.

Coffee enthusiasts can take the “sensory training” sequence, two courses that teach the art of tasting coffee like a pro, from understanding acidity to evaluating sweetness.

Coffee samples are contained in distillation tubes - Photo: Justin Mott

But 96B’s mission isn’t just academic. It also serves five hand-brewed Vietnamese coffees with tasting notes and individual pots (the coffee here is treated like fine wine), along with experimental drinks like the Solar Cold Brew, a blend of cold coffee, ginger syrup, ginger jam, lemon cordial, and rosemary.

Additionally, customers can purchase “The Vietnam Coffee Atlas,” the store’s collection of Vietnamese coffee beans showcasing eight varieties of coffee beans from different regions and coffee styles.

The Workshop Coffee

There is perhaps no better place to test your taste buds than an industrial-style cafe with interiors resembling luxury New York apartments right next to bustling Dong Khoi Street.

Inside The Workshop - Photo: Justin Mott

Here, customers will be offered a wide variety of local and international coffee beans, as well as a myriad of preparation methods, from simple espresso to more complex pour-over and immersion methods.

For a modern, sophisticated cup of coffee, opt for a siphon, a complex device of glass bulbs, tubes, and knobs (it’s like watching an alchemy process). The slow drip technology will test your patience and reward your taste buds.

There is also salt coffee, a unique style of milk coffee originating from the ancient capital of Hue , with a layer of salted cream that is popular in Vietnam.

Little Hanoi Egg Coffee

The name of this local coffee chain says all you need to know about its specialty: A sweet, frothy cup of egg coffee, a Hanoi classic made with whipped egg yolks, condensed milk, sugar, and vanilla flavor.

Egg coffee is a unique specialty of Vietnam - Photo: Justin Mott

The space at the main location (119/5 Yersin) has a vintage feel: bamboo armchairs, floral cushions, plaid blankets, a wooden-paneled TV, a tape player and dusty bookshelves.

But crowds of all ages enjoy the time-traveling atmosphere.

Bel Coffee

Soft indie rock sounds and the tapping of fingers on computer keyboards will welcome diners into this minimalist gallery-like space.

Bel's minimalist space - Photo: Justin Mott

This is also where "trendy" young people and global nomads (foreign tourists experiencing tourism in Vietnam) sit and sip attractive drinks.

Decorated with colorful abstract paintings on the walls, the cafe serves espresso drinks (including a cup of coffee made with pandan syrup), mixed fruit juices and bags of "homemade" roasted coffee beans to go.

Filter coffee

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably really dependent on caffeine. If so, you’re not alone, and there’s a 24/7 place in Ho Chi Minh City that will provide you with delicious coffee all day long.

Ms. Tuyet's family's small shop serves more than 500 cups of coffee every day - Photo: Justin Mott

Known as Veit Coffee, this small, garage-like space is tucked away at 330/2 Phan Dinh Phung, a narrow alley in Phu Nhuan District, south of the airport.

During the day, employees hurriedly unloaded cartons of condensed milk while Ms. Tuyet and Mr. Con took turns pouring ground Robusta beans into sieves.

Finally, over a pot of hot water placed on a charcoal stove made from a recycled B-52 bomb.

According to Ms. Tuyet, the fire for roasting coffee and boiling water has never gone out since the oven was first lit in the 1960s. The shop itself has been around since the 1950s.

At night, they hand over the shop to the staff and rest in their small attic above the shop. But the line of people on foot and motorbikes waiting for takeaway coffee seems to never stop, the shop is known to sell more than 500 cups of coffee every day.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/the-new-york-times-va-hanh-trinh-tim-kiem-quan-ca-phe-ngon-nhat-sai-gon-20240316160515124.htm