Buzz
Vối coffee stands as one of the most popular and cherished coffee varieties in Vietnam. Despite its prominence, many are still unfamiliar with its appearance and flavor. Join Mytour Blog to explore the origin and taste of Vối coffee in the content below.
What is Vối Coffee?
Vối coffee, also known as Robusta, is a commercially cultivated coffee predominantly grown worldwide. This coffee variant takes the lead in Vietnam's coffee industry, securing the second position in global coffee production.
Distinctively, this coffee type boasts a composition rich in natural organic acids, rendering it less susceptible to insect attacks. Consequently, it thrives effortlessly, ensuring robust growth and stable yields.
Vối coffee, also known as Robusta (Source: Internet)Origin and Key Cultivation Areas of Vối Coffee
Here is information about the origin and primary distribution locations for Vối coffee that you can explore further:
Origin
Vối coffee was first discovered in Congo – Belgium (Africa) in the 1800s. Almost 100 years later, this coffee type was introduced and expanded in the Southeast Asian region. Unfortunately, a devastating outbreak of Coffee Leaf Rust wiped out a significant number of these plants in many countries, leaving only a few survivors.
Today, with advancements in agricultural biotechnology, this coffee variant has experienced substantial growth, contributing to 30 – 40% of the global coffee production.
Vối coffee was first discovered in Congo – Belgium (Source: Internet)Key Growing Areas
Currently, Vietnam holds the title for the world's largest exporter of Vối coffee. This coffee variant is predominantly cultivated in the Central Highlands, including provinces such as Đắk Lắk, Lâm Đồng, Đắk Nông, Gia Lai, Kon Tum. Additionally, it is grown in various other provinces and cities, including Đồng Nai, Bình Phước, Thừa Thiên Huế, Quảng Trị, Nghệ An, Ninh Bình, Điện Biên, Sơn La, Phú Thọ, Lai Châu, Lạng Sơn, Lào Cai, and Yên Bái.
Vối coffee is most extensively cultivated in the Central Highlands (Source: Internet)Characteristics of the Vối Coffee Plant
The Vối coffee plant exhibits either a woody or bushy stem, reaching heights of up to 10 meters in its natural growth. Its round coffee berries boast small-sized beans with a caffeine content ranging from 2 – 4%. Thriving in tropical regions, this coffee type flourishes in areas with altitudes below 1000m above sea level.
The preferred temperature range for the plant is approximately 24 – 29°C, thriving with an annual rainfall of over 1000mm. Harvesting can commence around 3 – 4 years, yielding beans for about 20 – 30 years.
The Vối coffee plant has either a woody or bushy stem, bearing round berries (Source: Internet)Tasting Notes and Quality of Vối Coffee
The flavor of this coffee type receives moderate acclaim due to its less pure caffeine content ranging from 3% to 4%, offering a bitter taste not as mild as tea-infused coffee. Additionally, regions cultivating and processing Vối coffee predominantly opt for dry processing, intensifying its robust and bitter undertones.
In its unprocessed state, this coffee variety emits a fresh peanut aroma. Roasting these beans introduces a subtle fragrance, occasionally resembling burnt rubber upon closer inspection. Hence, producers often blend Vối coffee with tea-infused coffee during processing, creating a balanced product with moderate caffeine, pure flavor, and delightful aroma.
Vối coffee boasts a bitter and robust flavor attributed to its high caffeine content (Source: Internet)A Brief Note on the “Bitterness” of Vối Coffee (Robusta)
Despite being called Acid, Chlorogenic Acid (CGA) in coffee beans doesn't exhibit a sour taste but rather a bitter one. During the coffee roasting process, CGA gradually breaks down to form Caffeic Acid and Quinic Acid (approximately 50% of the original CGA in a medium-roasted bean is degraded). The combination of these acids with caffeine results in the intense bitterness commonly found in this coffee type.
However, practical production indicates that when processed using the wet method, this coffee type can yield a higher-quality product than conventional tea-infused coffee. Hence, comparing Vối coffee with tea-infused coffee is not always entirely accurate.
Vối coffee has a more intense bitterness compared to regular tea-infused coffee (Source: Internet)It is evident that Vối coffee, with its high caffeine content, is rarely consumed in its pure form. Typically, it is blended with other coffee varieties in specific proportions to create a completely different and more delightful coffee flavor. We hope that the information shared by Mytour in this article has been informative for you.
