Vietnamese Coffee

Another second post about drinks. Trust, me....I have plenty to say about solid food, but I am in the process of consuming massive quantities of the stuff and need a week or so to digest all the "data"...

So, one thing that we weren't prepared for in India and Indochina was the love of Nescafe. This is HUGE problem for caffeine addicts such as Alicia and I. Luckily, Vietnam has come to our rescue. Coffee, or  Ca Phe in Vietnamese, is typically a medium to dark roast coffee bean with a medium ground, filtered into a mug. If you order a hot Ca Phe, they will often serve it to you like in the photo above (our first in Vietnam). A filter sits above the mug, which rests in a shallow bowl of warm/hot water.

You will always be asked if you want milk in your Ca Phe. In Vietnam, as in many Asian countries where ubiquitous refrigeration are not the norm, this usually means sweetened condensed milk from a can.  It sits as a thick layer at the bottom of your coffee mug and awaits the coffee drippings from the filter. But, if you drink your Ca Phe at a more modern establishment, you can often find fresh milk. Below is Alicia tending to her hot Ca Phe, with fresh milk on the side.

Of course, another great way to drink your Ca Phe, is 'cold,' served over ice cubes. This makes it taste like the best Coffee Coolata that Dunkin' Donuts has ever made (sorry, folks.....living in Boston has brainwashed me into believing that America REALLY DOES run on Dunkin'.)

Ca Phe is one of the wonderful side effects of French invasion. It was actually introduced in the mid-1800's when the French were still involved in missionary work....pre-colonization. Somehow, in 150 years, they have become one of the top 3 exporters of coffee in the world.

To say that Ca Phe is rich would be to only scratch the surface. A good cup retains intense flavor while avoiding the bitter or burnt flavors that often go with a strong cup of coffee. Acidity can still be high, however. The consistency is like a watered down syrup. Typically, 2-3 ounces of Ca Phe is served and at first I was disappointed at the portion sizes. Normally, in the U.S. I like to drink 12-16 ounces of coffee in the morning.
At first I was skeptical:

After 3 ounces, I take stock:

Jitteriness?Ch-ch-ch check

Intestinal stimulation? Oh, you betcha.

Wakefullness? HOT DAMN

Teeth? Stained brown like a pack-a-day smoker.

Man! One cup of Ca Phe is enough to slay the beast, I tell you.


Another fascinating thing is the coffee culture in Vietnam. Cafe's line many streets in more metropolitan parts of Vietnam. Coffee, beer, snacks, and conversation bring people out to the cafes in the evening times. In fact, it seems like many people choose to spend their evenings in the cafes instead of in the bars. Entertainment varies from establishment to establishment: Karaoke, X-box, TV, jukeboxes, live music, or sometimes just neon lights. Wi Fi is pretty much guaranteed at any cafe. Below is the facade of a typical cafe.

Here is a small video clip of one such cafe, Maxim's, that we visited in the town of Haiphong, in northern Vietnam. The place was a motley mix of expats and Vietnamese, but what brought them all together was their common love of cheesy Asian pop.

Last little tid bit. Today, we had a cup of Ca Phe, and the lady served us with these plastic spoons that had pictures of the Chinese zodiac animal. By sheer coincidence, she served Alicia a goat and me a dragon.....both of which correspond correctly to our birth years 1979 and 1976! When we told her this, she gave them to us for free!

So feast your eyes on this beautiful cup of Ca Phe. Doesn't this make you want to eat....That's what I thought. Next up: snails!

Bia Hoi

Fresh Beer: Think you've had the freshest? Unless you've been to Vietnam, probably not. In Viet Nam, they take 'fresh' to a whole new level. Bia Hoi is draft beer resembling a Pilsner that has no preservatives and therefore MUST be consumed within a couple days of being born. This has a few positive effects on the Bia Hoi culture. First, the beer is forced to remain relatively local, as lengthy transports are not feasible. Second, a local "microbrew" culture is facilitated. Andmost importantly, the beer is fresh, tasty, light, and leaves you feeling oddly healthy in a way. Of course, this last point could drum up about fifty negative effects on the Bia Hoi culture, but we will leave those for a different website to address.

In Hanoi, the Bia Hoi culture runs deep. Every Bia Hoi establishment has their own brew. This means that Bia Hoi in tweo adjacent stores may be completely different tasting. The only way to find out which ones are good, I'm going to have to sample many different places.....And I will do this (out of the kindness of my heart) to bring you--the reader--the straight scoop.

I'm not entirely sure who makes these beers, but they are sold usually in tiny little stalls or store fronts. Little chairs and tables are out in front of the store and people sit down to swig back a few of these glasses. The brew costs about 3000 dong per 8 oz glass (about 16 cents), so needless to say, the experience is designed for the average Westerner to 'go to town'. Many of these establishments also sell an item or two of food (maybe spare ribs or spring rolls) to go along with the beer

We went to Bia Hoi junction, which is on the corner of Tha Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen. This link will show you a video of me in the middle of the junction when we were drinking.  It tends to have more foreigners here, but there are three establishments on three corners of this busy intersection. We knocked back two Bia Hoi's at one of the stores and we all enjoyed. It was light, sweet, COLD, and not too alcoholic. We left feeling energized and ready to find some street food.

Here is a cool link to get some more knowledge about Bia Hoi in Hanoi. Next time, we will discuss Vietnamese coffee!