French missionaries brought coffee to Vietnam in 1857, and although Vietnam is much smaller in area than Brazil, the most important coffee-growing country, the coastal state has become the second-largest producer in a very short time.
The Coffea plants originally imported to Vietnam were Arabicas. Today, however, almost only Robusta is grown in the Southeast Asian country. More than 95% of the coffee is grown on small farms. The tropical climate and the altitudes of about 600m above sea level offer ideal growing conditions.
The quality of coffee from Vietnam is extremely inconsistent and for the most part a very average grade. Some of the coffee tastes very flat and often has undesirable woody notes.
The rare Arabicas, however, convince with great notes of nut and chocolate.
