Featured image by Verena Yunita Yapi
We’ve talked about the various types of coffee beans, their pests, and methods they’re brewed, so it’s time to share some coffee beverages. My focus will be on some Asian coffees, specifically Vietnamese coffee for now. Surely you’ve encounted some sort of Vietnamese coffee if you’ve had a craving for [Vietnamese] Pho or Bánh mì (Vietnamese sub).
Vietnamese egg coffee
Vietnamese egg coffee is a dense, sweet, and creamy coffee beverage. It is made of egg yolk, coffee powder, and condensed milk. Legend has it that during the Vietnam war, this beverage was made when milk was in short supply, using whipped egg instead. Not to be confused with Swedish egg coffee, which uses eggs only in the brewing process.
Dalgona (South Korean whipped coffee)
This is a coffee you can easily make. Dalgona is a very new coffee beverage that was born out of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. It is made of instant coffee powder, sugar, and hot water that is whipped until it has a creamy consistency, then poured on milk. Quite similar to the Vietnamese egg coffee, just without egg.
Kopi Luwak (civet poop coffee)
Unlike the other coffee beverages, this one is not Vietnamese, but Indonesian, and one that many will find revolting and cruel. Kopi Luwak coffee is literally feces of a civet. The reason for this is the civet’s digestive system, which supposedly makes coffee less bitter. Kopi Luwak is the most expensive “coffee”, and has led to civets increasignly being held captive. Sure, civet poop coffee can be obtained from wild civets, but it’s impossible to tell whether or not civet poop coffee is wild or not. You’re better off saving your wallet, dignity, and civets.