Coffee in Vietnam: Café Weasel

Vietnam is a little-known country in global coffee production. Know that this Southeast Asian country is the second largest exporter of beans and produces coffee one of the most expensive coffees in the world.

History of coffee in Vietnam

Coffee was introduced to Vietnam during French colonization around 1860. France which was a dominant power in coffee production, with more than 50% produced in the world (through the colonies). Caribbean, Africa and soon Indochina. It was in 1857 that coffee was transported from Bourboun (Caribbean) to the Anaam region (Vietnam). France was able to preserve its coffee needs and its gigantic production, until decolonization. However, around the middle of the 20thth In the century, Vietnam experienced the Indochina War (1954), then the Vietnam War. Finally free, independent and at peace, this country began a series of economic and agricultural reforms. But it was not until 1985 that these economic amendments by the Communist Party bore fruit (especially for the coffee that interests us 🙂 ). The socialist state market economy now shares coffee production with private companies. It was then that Vietnamese coffee production began to grow dramatically, almost tripling between 1995 and 1999, becoming the world’s second largest exporter.

Coffee production in Vietnam nowadays

However, this phenomenal growth is not without side effects on Vietnam’s population and soils. WWF estimates that 40,000 square kilometers of forest have been cut down since 1973, largely for coffee, and the NGO’s soil experts say much of the land used for growing coffee has made the land uncultivable because of intensive agriculture.

Most coffee plantations are in the south, the main production being robusta. Arabica coffee is mainly produced in the northern regions and partly in Lam Dong, Daklak. Daklak province alone accounts for about 45 percent of the country’s coffee production, with Lam Dong and Gia Lai contributing an additional 40 percent. The country is currently one of the largest producers and exporters of robusta coffee.

Coffee Chôn or weasel coffee from Vietnam

One of the most expensive coffees in the world on the same production principle as Kopi Luwak. The animal named “Weasel” or Weasel in English. This weasel eats the fruits of the coffee maker, then the farmers (farmers I don’t know 😉 ) recover the coffee beans in the excrement of the weasel! The process of maceration of the coffee bean in the stomach and intestine of the weasel through enzymes, gives a vanilla aroma and a much less bitter taste. Attach yourself well the price per kilo sometimes reaches 750 euros or more. Researchers have tried to reproduce the enzymes without success. If this happens the price of coffee would fall and be more accessible to lovers of less wealthy coffees.

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