Re: Vietnamese Weasel Coffee
I came across real weasel coffee while holidaying in Vietnam in February 2012.
I was in the Dalat area which has many coffee plantations up in the mountains in its Lam Dong province. We befriended the owner of the hotel where we stayed, and over coffee conversations she (the hotel owner) learned that I love my coffee and am a keen home roaster. So she introduced me to her good friends who are coffee farm owners. The coffee farm owners generously invited us on a personal tour to visit their coffee farm in Lam Dong. They mentioned the authentic weasel coffee which they produce in very small amount each year. Having heard so much about the mythical weasel coffee (sampled it once in a cafe in Australia) and seen much artificial weasel coffee around the Vietnamese markets, I jumped at the chance to see the real thing.
The scenic drive thru the Lam Dong area has endless hills of coffee plantations on both sides of the rough narrow country road. Each farm would have coffee beans laid out sundried at the front. According to the signs on coffee tree lots, it looked like the lower areas have Robusta trees, and the higher mountain areas tend to have Moka Arabica trees.
At the weasel coffee farm, bamboo trays of weasel coffee (still in its weasel droppings form) are laid out in the front patio to sun dry. The droppings consisted of coffee beans clumped together. The cherry pulp had been removed by the weasel digestion process. Note that each bean is still inside its parchment. I could easily break off a bean and crush/rub the parchment off by hand to produce a clean looking green bean (i.e. no visual defects). Once completely dry, the droppings are then put through a machine to be scrubbed clean. I was told the Robusta also goes through a wash process before being scrubbed.
We were shown inside one of the rooms where the weasels are kept and workers were transferring the droppings from the metal trays below the cages to the bamboo tray for sun-drying. The weasels are fed hand-picked ripe berries in bowls where they can select the better cherries.
We had several tasting sessions of both weasel Robusta and Arabica coffee over several days. The roasted coffee came in pre-ground vacuum sealed sample packs of 100gm each. A sample pack can be purchased at the coffee farm for $10 (Robusta) or $15 (Arabica). The coffee was made using the Vietnamese drip filter.
Tasting notes from a novice cupper:
The Robusta had a bold full body (another novice coffee drinker in the group mentioned the word “syrupy”), strong dark chocolate taste with a real kick and typical Robusta “burnt rubber” aroma. It was not very pleasant as a straight black; however I think it was smoother without the tobacco hardness I often taste in normal Robusta. Not sure if the smooth character is attributed to the coffee crop quality or the weasel digestion process. This better suited the locals’ palate because the strong taste stands up well against ice, sugar and/or condensed milk. Condensed milk combined with Robusta coffee makes an addictive sweet nougat-like white Vietnamese coffee.
The Arabica had a noticeably thinner body. The taste and aroma were predominantly nutty and dark chocolate. I could not pick up any other aromas and this could be due to many factors; however I suspect the coffee being pre-ground and the very dark roast (the master roaster confirmed the beans are roasted into second crack, though I could not confirm how far into second crack) would help destroy any floral characters in the coffee. The aftertaste indicated a pleasant, bright but smooth lingering acidity that reminds me of the aftertaste of eating ripe strawberries (also abundant in Dalat area). I thought it was surprisingly nice although it did not suite the local s’ palate. They said it was “sour” and the master roaster confirmed he had to make it less “sour”. I suspect that is another reason for the very dark roast.
I wished I had my little set up on hand to try different roasts of the coffee and different espresso based coffees.
Bringing weasel coffee into Australia:
Before taking your trip, you must apply and pay associated fees to be granted an import permit from DAFF (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Biosecurity before you are allowed to carry weasel coffee (whether green or roasted) into Australia as part of a passenger’s luggage.
Without the import permit the weasel coffee will be confiscated and destroyed.
Weasel Coffee Contacts:
The coffee farm owners are looking for import agents for the weasel coffee. If you are interested in contacting them or the hotel that can help arranging the coffee farm tour then please PM me.
Photos of coffee farm with sun dried coffee:


I came across real weasel coffee while holidaying in Vietnam in February 2012.
I was in the Dalat area which has many coffee plantations up in the mountains in its Lam Dong province. We befriended the owner of the hotel where we stayed, and over coffee conversations she (the hotel owner) learned that I love my coffee and am a keen home roaster. So she introduced me to her good friends who are coffee farm owners. The coffee farm owners generously invited us on a personal tour to visit their coffee farm in Lam Dong. They mentioned the authentic weasel coffee which they produce in very small amount each year. Having heard so much about the mythical weasel coffee (sampled it once in a cafe in Australia) and seen much artificial weasel coffee around the Vietnamese markets, I jumped at the chance to see the real thing.
The scenic drive thru the Lam Dong area has endless hills of coffee plantations on both sides of the rough narrow country road. Each farm would have coffee beans laid out sundried at the front. According to the signs on coffee tree lots, it looked like the lower areas have Robusta trees, and the higher mountain areas tend to have Moka Arabica trees.
At the weasel coffee farm, bamboo trays of weasel coffee (still in its weasel droppings form) are laid out in the front patio to sun dry. The droppings consisted of coffee beans clumped together. The cherry pulp had been removed by the weasel digestion process. Note that each bean is still inside its parchment. I could easily break off a bean and crush/rub the parchment off by hand to produce a clean looking green bean (i.e. no visual defects). Once completely dry, the droppings are then put through a machine to be scrubbed clean. I was told the Robusta also goes through a wash process before being scrubbed.
We were shown inside one of the rooms where the weasels are kept and workers were transferring the droppings from the metal trays below the cages to the bamboo tray for sun-drying. The weasels are fed hand-picked ripe berries in bowls where they can select the better cherries.
We had several tasting sessions of both weasel Robusta and Arabica coffee over several days. The roasted coffee came in pre-ground vacuum sealed sample packs of 100gm each. A sample pack can be purchased at the coffee farm for $10 (Robusta) or $15 (Arabica). The coffee was made using the Vietnamese drip filter.
Tasting notes from a novice cupper:
The Robusta had a bold full body (another novice coffee drinker in the group mentioned the word “syrupy”), strong dark chocolate taste with a real kick and typical Robusta “burnt rubber” aroma. It was not very pleasant as a straight black; however I think it was smoother without the tobacco hardness I often taste in normal Robusta. Not sure if the smooth character is attributed to the coffee crop quality or the weasel digestion process. This better suited the locals’ palate because the strong taste stands up well against ice, sugar and/or condensed milk. Condensed milk combined with Robusta coffee makes an addictive sweet nougat-like white Vietnamese coffee.
The Arabica had a noticeably thinner body. The taste and aroma were predominantly nutty and dark chocolate. I could not pick up any other aromas and this could be due to many factors; however I suspect the coffee being pre-ground and the very dark roast (the master roaster confirmed the beans are roasted into second crack, though I could not confirm how far into second crack) would help destroy any floral characters in the coffee. The aftertaste indicated a pleasant, bright but smooth lingering acidity that reminds me of the aftertaste of eating ripe strawberries (also abundant in Dalat area). I thought it was surprisingly nice although it did not suite the local s’ palate. They said it was “sour” and the master roaster confirmed he had to make it less “sour”. I suspect that is another reason for the very dark roast.
I wished I had my little set up on hand to try different roasts of the coffee and different espresso based coffees.
Bringing weasel coffee into Australia:
Before taking your trip, you must apply and pay associated fees to be granted an import permit from DAFF (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Biosecurity before you are allowed to carry weasel coffee (whether green or roasted) into Australia as part of a passenger’s luggage.
Without the import permit the weasel coffee will be confiscated and destroyed.
Weasel Coffee Contacts:
The coffee farm owners are looking for import agents for the weasel coffee. If you are interested in contacting them or the hotel that can help arranging the coffee farm tour then please PM me.
Photos of coffee farm with sun dried coffee:












Honestly we should just enjoy the beans off the bush. I could always try feeding my greens to my persian cats, then fishing them out of the litter pan. Anyone want to try?.... ;D


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