Vietnamese Beans

[Mdub]

Hi,

Im new to the site, however I wanted to know if there has been any past interest in Vietnamese beans (of any variety)

When I was there (many years ago) I distinctly recall how great the coffee was, and wondered if you can source beans in Australia.

Mdub

[admin]

Re: Vietnamese Beans

hi
if there is enough interest and we can get them then there isnt too much of a problem putting up a poll.

But every thing Ive read about these beans on the net is they used by GoodYear to flavour thier tyres

If we can get some samples then sure we can doa poll.

It is good to hear tho that those websites are probably wrong. IMHO "Coffee Gods" usually are.

Rich

[gwdcoffee]

Re: Vietnamese Beans

Mdub, there is a first for everything and you are the first to ask about Vietnamese beans. They are on a supplier list of beans available on the global market which means they are available to us. At spot market prices ranging from A$0.76 to A$0.96 per kilo, these are fairly cheap beans. Now for the "but". It is one thing to have notional access to green beans from Vietnam but actually laying your hands on them is an entirely different proposition.

When we list coffees on our polls, we usually get buyers for at least a bag of everything that is listed. Very popular coffees might run to two bags. Although we have only been involved in this for ten months there have already been repeats for some of the most popular coffees. So far, every coffee we have listed has been purchased from locally held stocks but importing is always an option. How many container loads do you require?

Cheers,

Graeme

[warren]

Re: Vietnamese Beans

Arent most Vietnamese beans usually a very poor-quality Robusta ?? :-X Thus usually making them cheap for a reason ???

Could be wrong. Someone feel free to correct ???

Warren -

[admin]

Re: Vietnamese Beans

There are some Aribicas but it could be interesting to see what they are like.

Rich

[Mdub]

Re: Vietnamese Beans

Thanks for the feedback on the beans. I have done some further reading, and it appears that when I visited Vietnam, it had just started to let foreign visitors in, and subequently the food and coffee provided at a premium price to tourists was good but in short supply.

I suspect the increase in tourism, has driven the need to provide more food and accommodation, and as a result quality has become a poor second to quantity.

So given that the general consensus is that it is not worth drinking, and the fact that I know nussing... about green coffee beans, where should I be looking.

Mdub

[gwdcoffee]

Re: Vietnamese Beans

Where to start? That is a very open ended question. Perhaps I can ask a few questions of you.

What sort of coffee do you drink? That is, espresso, or espresso based milk drinks. Perhaps plunger or filter coffee. If it is the former, these are usually blends with a Brazil base and something to build body and some highlight flavours. There are a few ideas in the blend section to get you going with these. If your preference is plunger or filter coffee it might be that a single origin coffee such as an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe or Harrar or perhaps a good Kenya AA might work for you.

Most of the people who have been buying for a while end up with a lot of different coffees. Most of them experiment to find out what works best for them and over time might end up with just a few favourites they like best.

Perhaps the easiest thing to do is to get yourself a variety of beans and start from there. At typically $4 to $7 / kilo (plus postage) they are relatively cheap and you can afford to experiment.

This site runs a regular poll where members buy green beans that we purchase on their behalf and ship to them. We usually run a new poll every month that features from 1 to 4 different beans. Currently there are Kenyan and Ethiopian beans on the poll and we will be adding 1 or 2 Brazils in a week or so. The current polls may take a while to fill but the new ones will go fairly quickly so you need to be ready.

In the meantime you should send a PM to Rich & Rae (admin) and ask them what they have available out of their private stash. If they are available suggest you try a kilo each of whatever they can offer and look to set yourself up with 3 to 5 varieties. you should also expect a few PMs from other members who want to sell down beans they have that are excess to requirements. If you look for: Brazil or Columbian, Sumatran Mandheling, Kenya AA Dorman (on current poll), Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and Harrar, you will have a good start.

Cheers,

Graeme

[FrenchBean]

Re: Vietnamese Beans

I think we are a little too quick to knock thew stuffing out of Robusta beans, their taste leaves a little to be desired but one point worth concidering is the common knowledge that Robusta Beans contain greater levels of Caffein and thus would be a good been to add when you want to make a brew that has a good kick in it.

Thats just my thought anyway.

FB