Buon Ma Thuot- Vietnam's Coffee Capital
We finally were able to visit what is called the "Robusta Capital" of the world! This single area is responsible for %16 of the world's robusta supply.
Buon Ma Thuot in the Dak Lak region of Vietnam. With the perfect soil and altitude needed for Robusta production. And yes, there is a lot of coffee here.
Robusta Coffee Flower in Dak Lak region
and in short...Yes! Id love to return there. Its not just the abundance of coffee, but really the people that we found so inviting. A much slower pace, and genuine kindness from the laid back people.
Our thanks to Will and Tammi (our supplier of Cherry Robusta) for their hospitality and time. We look forward to visiting again during coffee processing season.
"Great Cherry" Coffee Producers, Dak Lak
We were able to spend for days here and learn more about the industry and the types of coffees here. The area has quite a few ethnic groups, such as E'De minority group. We even got to stay with one ethnic family and try out their really healthy cuisine of wild chicken and forrest pig wrapped in sour leaf.
E'De Traditional Restaurant
Nowadays because of its rich soils and high prices, farmers are actually combining coffee trees with Durien trees, even pepper! So one field can have a mixture of pepper, durien and coffee , all growing together.
If you'd like to visit, either to try the local produce or to meet the locals, there are many mini hotels and even home-stays.
Why not get out of the bustling city and come to a less-travelled location like Buon Ma Thuot.? I can almost guarantee your friends havent been here yet..
Checkout this homestay in Buon Ma Thuot, right in the middle of the village area
And when you come to try out the different specialty coffees, we recommend you try out "Soul Origin" cafe. Many different local styles and methods of making. There are some weird coffees to try,
Im not saying youll like them all, but its worth trying anyway. Some of the specialty robustas tasted too medicinal to me. However I really love the anaerobic robusta, produced by Great Cherry company, as well as their "smooth honey" style.
Learning about Coffee Trees with Will
As I said,Great Cherry team are producing high quality beans and are very happy to welcome any visitors from Australia. They are very interested in improving their methods and investing in the latest production technology. Currently they are selling their highest quality to Europe.
Feel free to contact FOB Coffee with any trade qs about importing Fine Robusta or if you plan to visit this area in Vietnam. It really is worth the detour up to the highlands into coffee growing country.
