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Every coffee brand in Hanoi carries its own unique traits. Some focus on trendy spaces, while others prioritize drink quality. When it comes to high-quality coffee brands, two names stand out: Cafe Yen and Neo Cafe. So, what makes these brands exceptional? Which one serves better drinks? Let's find out below!
1. Introduction to Neo Cafe and Cafe Yen
Cafe Yen – The Innovative Coffee Brand
Yen is a highly popular coffee brand among young people in recent years. The target audience of Cafe Yen includes students and young professionals who have just started working. That's why Yen's drink menu is quite creative with beverages sporting charming names like Kartina, Little Saigon, Vạn Vân, Sapa, and more. Cafe Yen uses Arabica beans that are freshly roasted every day, earning its reputation as a place for fresh coffee.
Cafe Yen Attracts Many Young People
Initially, Cafe Yen had only one location in a small alley on Quan Thanh Street. After receiving overwhelming support from customers, Yen expanded to open 4 more branches, including 3 in Hanoi and 2 in Saigon.
Yen's closing time is quite early. If you want to enjoy Cafe Yen in Hanoi, you need to arrive before 5 p.m. The Long Bien branch of Cafe Yen closes at 9:30 p.m. As for Saigon, you'll have more flexibility as Yen's branches there all stay open until 9:30 p.m.
Locations of Cafe Yen:
Branch 1: 184 Quan Thanh, Ba Dinh District
Branch 2: 11A Tran Quoc Toan, Hoan Kiem District
Branch 3: 21 Alley 42 Giang Van Minh, Ba Dinh District
Branch 4: 9 Alley 539, Nguyen Van Cu, Long Bien
Branch 5: 182 Quan Thanh
Opening Hours: 07:30 AM – 05:30 PM
Facebook Page: Yen Cafe
Neo Cafe – The Smart Coffee Brand
While Cafe targets young customers, Neo Cafe is a brand favored by professionals, businessmen, and middle-aged people. Using 100% premium Arabica coffee, clean ingredients, and a team of highly skilled baristas, Neo Cafe creates extremely high-quality drinks that are good for health. As a result, the Neo Cafe brand has built credibility and trust among customers when using its services.
In addition, the price of drinks at Neo Cafe is very reasonable because the shop has built a high-tech operation system, allowing payments through a smart app. First-time customers who top up money into NeoMenu will RECEIVE 100% of the amount for the first top-up.
Neo Cafe features modern and elegant open-space design
Currently, Neo Cafe has 2 branches in Hanoi's Old Quarter. In December 2022, the shop will expand to Saigon to bring the delightful taste of egg coffee, which has enchanted many Hanoians, to the South. Now, people in the South don't need to travel thousands of miles to enjoy Hanoi's egg coffee anymore. Moreover, the shop is preparing to introduce some new products. Let's look forward to what new drinks Neo Cafe will bring!
At Neo Cafe, you can comfortably chat with friends and colleagues until late at night because the shop stays open until 11 PM.
Neo Cafe's Locations:
Branch 1: 33 Le Dai Hanh, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi
Branch 2: 35B Nguyen Huu Huan, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Branch 3: 109 Chu Van An, Binh Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City (coming soon)
Opening hours: 07:00 – 23:00
Facebook Page: Neo Cafe
2. What are the distinctive features of the café space?
Both brands focus solely on coffee quality without emphasizing virtual living spaces. However, it doesn't mean their spaces aren't beautiful! Each brand has its own highlights.
Cafe Yen – 'Backyard-style' atmosphere
Yen doesn't boast luxurious designs. It embraces simplicity, often referred to as 'sidewalk coffee.' With just a chair, surrounded by greenery, you'll find tranquility to enjoy a flavorful coffee.
Because of its simple and nature-inspired design, Cafe Yen has gained a loyal customer base. Most Yen cafes are designed for sitting either in the alley or indoors, providing a sense of familiarity and coziness similar to enjoying coffee at home.
Yen cafe's modest space brings a peaceful atmosphere
Neo cafe – Modern and elegant open-space design
Unlike Cafe Yen, Neo Cafe puts more emphasis on designing its space. If you're into virtual living, Neo Cafe is the place to be. The main color scheme is concrete gray combined with brown wood. Warm yellow lights from the ceiling create a cozy ambiance. Cups, napkins, tables, seating areas, and ordering sections are neatly organized and clean.
Neo Cafe's branch at 35B Nguyen Huu Huan has only one floor. The open-space design is suitable for hanging out and chatting with a small group of friends. Meanwhile, at Neo Cafe's 33 Le Dai Hanh location, there are 2 floors. This can accommodate a larger number of customers. The second floor of the cafe is quiet, suitable for studying, working, or hosting business meetings.
3. Signature drinks of each brand.
Both Cafe Yen and Neo Cafe use Arabica beans. This type of bean has more acidity, providing a richer and more balanced flavor compared to Robusta beans. Most coffee enthusiasts know that Robusta beans yield a strong and bitter taste, while Arabica beans offer a gentle bitterness, natural fruity acidity, and a sweet chocolate-like aftertaste.
I rate the quality of drinks at Neo Cafe and Cafe Yen as excellent and consistent. There are no difficult or bland drinks. However, each brand has its own characteristics in terms of their main products.
Cafe Yen – Coffee is the sole product
At Cafe Yen, the main products include Sapa, egg coffee, Cold brew, and Vạn Vân.
Cafe Yen Vạn Vân features a creamy white milk foam layer
Sapa Coffee
Sapa seems to have become a legendary beverage at Cafe Yen. You'll easily notice that most customers here choose this drink because of its delicious and easy-to-drink flavor.
The taste of Sapa coffee is similar to milk coffee but richer. This is because during the brewing process, the barista whips condensed milk with fresh cream (whipping cream) to create a smooth, creamy mixture. Adding ice and pouring pure coffee, stirring well, we get a drink with a creamy brown color, coffee aroma, and creamy taste. The drink has intoxicated countless customers. Even if you're a coffee connoisseur, you can still order yourself a Sapa. The taste of the milk cream reduces almost all the bitterness of the coffee.
However, for the taste of Hanoi people, Sapa coffee may be a bit sweet. I had to add a little bit of filtered water to balance the flavor.
Egg Coffee
Egg coffee at Cafe Yen is served in a small coffee cup, topped with a beautiful golden layer of egg cream. Yen is very delicate in preparing additional roasted coffee water to awaken the taste buds before enjoying egg coffee.
Egg coffee at Cafe Yen is quite delicious with a rich and creamy egg layer on top, not too eggy. However, the amount of egg is a bit much, making it difficult to get to the coffee underneath. In terms of flavor, the egg is slightly sweet and overwhelms the coffee flavor quite a bit. If you enjoy egg custard, you will love the egg coffee at Yen. If you prefer a balanced coffee and egg flavor, then the egg coffee at Yen may not meet that standard.
Also, not every time you go to Yen will you be able to enjoy egg coffee as the place is often crowded and egg coffee frequently runs out or you have to wait quite a long time (about 20-40 minutes). Therefore, if you only go to Cafe Yen to enjoy egg coffee, there are many other places that are better such as Neo Cafe, Cafe Giang, All Day Coffee, etc.
When you drink egg coffee at Cafe Yen, you will also be served a cup of roasted coffee water on the side.
Cold Brew
Cold Brew at Cafe Yen is crystal clear and has a beautiful amber color, topped with a layer of golden foam. The appearance reflects the skilled craftsmanship of the coffee brewer. When you taste it, you'll experience the cool, refreshing coffee flavor mixed with natural fruity acidity like orange or raspberry. It leaves your body feeling refreshed and invigorated.
Vạn Vân
This is a unique beverage created by the owner himself, so you can only enjoy Vạn Vân exclusively at Cafe Yen.
When enjoying Vạn Vân, you'll clearly taste the coffee flavor along with the creamy taste of fresh milk. A cup of Vạn Vân is made from freshly brewed Arabica coffee and frothy fresh milk on top. In terms of appearance, this beverage resembles a Cappuccino but with a thicker foam layer. This foam is soft and fluffy, reminiscent of clouds. Perhaps that's why the owner named it Vạn Vân - inspired by the clouds in the Northwest sky.
This drink is not too sweet and has a mild bitterness. Suitable for those who enjoy light coffee without the strong bitterness of regular coffee.
Neo Cafe - Main Products with a Healthy Orientation
At Neo Cafe, the main products of the shop include Sapa, egg coffee, cold brew, kombucha, and decaf coffee. Most of these products are scientifically proven to be good for health. Cold Brew helps protect the liver, prevent cancer, and boost immunity. Kombucha is rich in antioxidants that help beautify the skin and detoxify the body. Decaf coffee helps filter out the side effects of caffeine such as anxiety, nausea, insomnia, and high heart rate.
Kombucha is rich in antioxidants that help enhance skin beauty and detoxify the body.
Now, let's delve deeper into the flavors of each product.
Sapa Coffee
The ingredients used to brew a cup of Sapa at Neo Cafe and Cafe Yên are exactly the same. However, due to the recipe, proportions, and the skill of the barista, the flavors of the two sides differ.
Yên's Sapa Coffee leans towards sweetness and richness, with the coffee flavor somewhat subdued. In contrast, Neo Cafe's Sapa is less sweet and less rich, boasting a fragrant and bold coffee taste. Additionally, Neo Cafe offers twice the volume of Yên Cafe at a similar price (45K). Therefore, the choice of drink depends on individual taste preferences.
Egg Coffee
Neo Cafe's Egg Coffee is hailed as the 'Best Egg Coffee in Hanoi'
'Best Egg Coffee in Town' is Neo Cafe's affirmation of the quality of its egg coffee. Instead of using traditional drip coffee, Neo Cafe employs an Espresso extraction machine that is both fast and retains the essence of the coffee beans.
Among the cafes I've tried, Neo Cafe offers the most balanced and harmonious taste of egg coffee. Typically, the egg foam tends to overpower the coffee flavor in egg coffee, but at Neo Cafe, these two flavors are perfectly balanced and blend together. The rich and creamy egg foam on top complements the bold and aromatic coffee underneath, creating a delightful combination that's less bitter.
The egg coffee at Neo Cafe features freshly whipped eggs, prepared upon ordering to ensure the freshest taste for your coffee. The serving time for a cup of egg coffee is also not too long, around 8-10 minutes, and you'll have a deliciously rich and creamy egg coffee. The cafe also includes a small cup of black tea for you to enjoy alongside your egg coffee.
Cold Brew
Similar to Cafe Yên, the Cold Brew at Neo Cafe boasts an attractive dark brown color and offers a refreshing taste. However, Neo Cafe caters to its customers with a variety of beverage options: pure cold brew, orange cold brew, milk cold brew, and golden lemon cold brew (a new addition to the menu).
Neo Cafe caters more to its customers with a diverse range of cold brew options.
Kombucha
Neo Cafe offers three types of kombucha: Tropical kombucha, Raspberry kombucha, and Guava kombucha. The flavor of Neo Cafe's kombucha is refreshing, tangy, and lightly carbonated, perfect for quenching thirst on hot summer days. The ingredients used to make kombucha are 100% fruit preserves, without added syrup to deceive consumers. If you drink kombucha with syrup, you'll easily notice the overly sweet and less refreshing taste compared to high-quality fermented kombucha.
Comparing with some other brands offering kombucha products, Neo Cafe provides better value. For 45k, you get a large bubble tea-sized cup of kombucha (300ml), while other cafes typically offer smaller sizes (150ml) for the same price.
Decaf Coffee
This is one of Neo Cafe's strengths that not every cafe offers. Decaf coffee is coffee beans that have had most of the caffeine removed – the stimulating substance that keeps the brain alert but also has many side effects such as rapid heartbeat, headaches, insomnia, etc. Therefore, decaf coffee is an excellent solution for those who enjoy coffee but are concerned about its side effects. If you're worried that decaf coffee might lose its rich, delicious flavor, the answer is no. You won't be able to tell the difference in terms of flavor.
Neo Cafe offers a variety of decaf coffee options for you to choose from: Decaf Milky Coffee, Decaf Salt Coffee, Decaf Sapa Coffee, Decaf Latte, Decaf Cappuccino, and more.
4. Other Products of Neo Cafe and Cafe Yen
In addition to the signature drinks mentioned earlier, Cafe Yen also offers many other types of coffee for you to consider. Little Saigon has a flavor similar to Vạn Vân but sweeter. Katina is made from fresh coffee with Greek yogurt for a refreshing and creamy taste. Solar Latte is a harmonious blend of flavors with a mixture of whipped cream, condensed milk, and fresh milk without sugar.
As the cafe specializes in coffee, there are no other drinks or food items served, only coffee.
In contrast, Neo Cafe serves a variety of beverages such as peach tea, lychee tea, bubble milk tea, hot cinnamon orange tea, hot chocolate, various smoothies, coconut drinks, and more.
To accompany your coffee, Neo Cafe also offers a variety of pastries such as grape Danish, tiramisu, passion fruit mousse, croissant with cheese, cheese bread, Oreo cheesecake, sunflower seeds, etc., for you to choose from.
Neo Cafe offers a wide variety of sweet pastries for you to freely choose from.
Overall, each person will have their own taste and preferences, so there will be individual choices. Will you choose Yen Coffee for its fresh coffee with a sweet flavor or Neo Cafe for its premium ingredients and distinctive coffee taste? For me, I would choose Neo Cafe for its more diverse drinks and reasonable prices. If I go on a date with a large group of friends, I don't have to worry about someone getting too 'caffeinated' here.
So, I've provided you with an overview of these two coffee brands. If you have any questions or want the cafe to review a new type of drink, feel free to comment below!
Posted by: Nguyen Thi Thu
Keyword: Comparing Cafe Yen and Neo Cafe: Which one serves better drinks?
