The GDR and Vietnam: From Fake Coffee to Coffee Empire (katjahoyer.uk)
42 points by NaOH 3 days ago
ValentineC an hour ago
I was just in Hanoi, and some of their roasters are incredible value for money.
Lots of co-fermented specialty Vietnam-grown Robusta and Liberica at incredible prices, far cheaper than what people would find from roasters that import their beans from Colombia or any of the other big coffee-growing countries.
Kirby64 an hour ago
> Lots of co-fermented specialty Vietnam-grown Robusta and Liberica at incredible prices, far cheaper than what people would find from roasters that import their beans from Colombia or any of the other big coffee-growing countries.
Robusta at least is substantially cheaper, because yields are better and it’s less affected by disease. I don’t know enough about Liberica to know how it yields.
Also, “co-fermented coffee” generally is just code for flavored pre-roast flavored these days, especially out of Colombia. Not sure if that’s made it to Vietnam, but I’m always going to raise an eyebrow with co ferments these days. Not that they can’t be tasty, but they shouldn’t command a price premium if it’s essentially just flavored coffee in my view.
latchkey 30 minutes ago
I've driven motorbikes through Dak Lak a few times. Really beautiful area. Just south of there is Da Lat and close by, there is one tiny coffeeshop run by some kids that live there that was my favorite... https://maps.app.goo.gl/PPy3c3T1oreRrDDR6
curmudgeon22 4 hours ago
A fun read. It's interesting to think about the trade limitations imposed on East Germany and how those impacted daily things we take for granted.
ggm 4 hours ago
Coffee with Chicory? Tres Frenchy. Coffee with Chicory, Oats, and christ knows what? Not chic.
deadmutex 4 hours ago
The article never defines GDR, but I looked it up in case you were also unfamiliar:
The German Democratic Republic (GDR), commonly known as East Germany, was a socialist state in Central Europe that existed from October 7, 1949, to October 3, 1990
frantathefranta 4 hours ago
The German acronym (DDR) is much better known among Eastern Europeans. My parents (Czech) would almost never call it East Germany.
akoboldfrying 4 hours ago
What an interesting slice of history.