Robusta - Trung Huynh Farm
Impressions: green apple, clove, brown sugar, dried apricot, popcorn
Roast degree: medium (2.5/5)
Country: VietNam
Province: Lam Dong, Di Linh district
Farmer: Trung Huynh
Altitude: 1100masl
Variety: Robusta (local orange cultivar)
Process: Natural
Import partner: 96B
We can't begin to explain how lucky and excited we are to share coffee from 96B on the menu. Since they are have their own roasting project and one of the few specialty coffee in Saigon, they do not export much coffee nor do they work with many people outside of Vietnam. When Thai, of one the co-founder, texted David to see if he was interested in bringing some for RH, he jumped at the opportunity. Our shared values made this a match made in heaven, both in terms of ethos and taste.
You can find 3 other lots from 96B on our menu: Java (Arabica), Liberica, Catimor (hybrid).
96B is a Saigon-based roaster, cafe, coffee education centre, green bean producer & exporter. They focus on Liberica, Robusta & Arabica coffee grown and processed in Vietnam. Their country is mostly know worldwide for being the biggest commodity robusta producer, and they want to redefine the outdated narrative of Vietnamese coffee. To do so, they work closely with innovative farmers.
''Direct trade allows us to optimize our quality control, while compensating farmers fairly for their work, improving their livelihoods in a radical and immediate way.
Since 2016, almost all the coffees we have bought are priced by the farmers.''
Each lot of the exclusive coffee adhere to high social and quality standards:
- Mutually beneficial relationships with producers
- Respect for health and environment
- Red cherries: we only pick and sort ripe cherries
- Controlled drying: most of our coffees are slow-dried in greenhouses to improve taste - Defect picking: we optimize machine- and hand-picking to remove defect beans
Robusta gets a bad rep, and since Vietnam is the biggest robusta producer in the world, the whole country kind of gets a bad rep as well. 96B is trying to change that and they are redefining what Vietnamese coffee can look and taste like.
This natural robusta won't taste the same as your favourite arabica. But this would be like saying your apple won't taste like your banana: robusta and arabica are both coffee, but they are different species.
This lot is beautiful in its own right, not just good for a robusta. The acidity is like a fresh green apple. The sweetness is all brown sugar (cassonade in French) and we could sense a lot of different spices in the brew, like clove and all spice.
It's also full of dried fruit notes with hints of roasted peanuts and almonds, and the finish is a little buttery and make us think of pop corn.
The cappuccinos are simply exquisite with this coffee.
Also don't forget that robusta has a lot more caffeine than arabica!
| Method | Dose | Ratio | Time |
| Espresso | 16-20 g | 2.1:1 | 28-32 sec |
| Espresso with milk | 16-20 g | 1.8:1 | 26-30 sec |
| Americano | 16-20 g | 2:1 | 26-30 sec |
|
V60/Origami |
18-32 g | 14:1 | 2:45-3:30 min |
|
Chemex & Batch Brew |
40-60 g | 14:1 | 4:45-5:30 min |
|
French Press |
18-25 g | 13:1 | 3:15 min steep time |
Exporter: 96B
Price paid by us for the landed coffee at our roastery: 14.10CAD/kg
(Airfreight from Vietnam via UPS: +15CAD/kg)
Farmgate: 190 000 VND /kg
Export fees, financing, quality control, vacuum seal, transportation, defect picking:
51 000 VND
Important to note that the farmers working with 96B are price setters and not price takers. Very few farmers have control over their own pricing worldwide, notably because of buyer's greed and the broken C-Price system to name only these two causes.
It takes a willing buyer like Thai to let farmers dictate price, and something we wish to see normalize in specialty coffee across the board.