Farm visits in Da Lat (Vietnam) und Learnings

At the Coffee Show in Ho Chi Minh City, I spoke with several roasters and tried the co-fermented Robusta from An Farm at the RedDoor Roasters booth. I didn't immediately recognise that it was Robusta. Until now, I thought that speciality coffee was always Arabica. But in Da Lat, the roasters and farmers experiment a lot with production processes. Yesterday, I finally visited several farms with Cathu Coffee Roasters and learnt a lot.

For example, I learnt that Lam Dong Province has a rare Robusta bean called Purple Bud, named after the colour of the coffee. This bean offers more complexity and a clean, creamy mouthfeel. I also tried An Farm's Robusta Anaerobic Natural Banana as an espresso, and I was really surprised by the profile.

In my opinion, working with Robusta in the specialty coffee field has several advantages: the plant requires fewer chemicals as it is naturally more robust. It also needs less water and grows at a wider range of altitudes. Due to climate change and other factors, I can see how the expertise of Vietnamese producers is becoming increasingly valuable.

As well as knowledge transfer, we also enjoyed a great Vietnamese lunch together, and of course it's a great opportunity to learn about other cultures and connect with interesting people.

Please let me know if you have any corrections or additions – I'm always keen to learn!