Saigon : Phuc Long

cà phê sữa đá : It means white coffee with ice, the most popular menu in Vietnam. Their rather dark coffee tastes best when mixed with condensed milk.

This is one of the many trips I’ve taken to Ho Chi Minh, formerly known as Saigon, in Vietnam, a hectic city famous for its acrobatic riders who seem to ride their motorcycles without braking. My tip for you if you ever want to jaywalk; don’t wait – walk tall and proud because the motorcycles will automatically maneuver around the pedestrians – and hope for the best, really. Unfortunately my week-long trip was all for business and less of a pleasure, from day to evening. But in between business, I stole some time to visit several coffee houses that I found to be interesting.

Vietnam could be one of the countries in South East Asia that is so immersed with its coffee culture, as you can see from their day-to-day life. Their pride of their local coffee is obvious, and Trung Nguyen is Vietnam’s version of Starbucks which can be found in many parts of Saigon. Other than that, Phuc Long – a traditional coffee house – has been famous since the 50s and it has been recognized by many, including the tourists. Aside from coffee, Phuc Long also offers all kinds of tea produced in many tea plantations all over Vietnam.

Dark Roast. Phuc Long offers many coffee variants, especially Robusta, but the roasted result of their coffee is mostly very dark.

Even though the place doesn’t look spaceous – about 30 m square, Phuc Long is one of the places that offer coffee beans that are locally produced. Vietnam is the biggest Robusta coffee in the world, as evident from the kinds of coffee that are mostly offered here. Roasted until it’s almost black and greasy, the coffee beans from Phuc Long are sold in reasonable prices (ranging in dozens of thousands of rupiah) per 250 gram.

The price I paid for one iced coffee with milk was around 35,000 Vietnamese Dong or less than Rp. 20,000. Other coffee beverages offered also range from similar prices. In the midst of the hot and humid weather, Phuc Long’s iced coffee satisfies my thirst, despite its distinct bitterness mixed with the sweetness from the condensed milk – it’s definitely a popular blend.

(To Be Continued).

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Ini perjalanan kantor untuk kesekian kali ke Ho Chi Minh yang dulunya dikenal dengan Saigon, Vietnam, sebuah kota yang selalu hiruk pikuk dengan akrobatik pengendara motor yang seolah berkendara tanpa rem. Tip saya bila Anda menyebrang jalan bukan di lampu merah, tak usah menunggu, berjalanlah dengan yakin karena motor akan secara otomatis menghindari para pejalan kaki … dan bertawakal 🙂 Sayangnya perjalanan selama seminggu dihabiskan untuk urusan kantor dari panggi hingga malam hari. Tapi di sela waktu tersebut, saya mencuri waktu untuk melihat dua tempat kopi yang cukup menarik.

Bisa jadi Vietnam sebagai salah satu negara di Asia Tenggara yang begitu kental dengan kultur kopi sebagaimana terlihat dalam keseharian mereka. Kebanggan mereka terhadap  kopi dalam negeri tak perlu diragukan lagi dan Trung Nguyen adalah Starbucks-nya Vietnam yang bertebaran di pelosok kota Saigon. Di samping merek besar tadi, Phuc Long sebuah kedai kopi tradisional yang sudah lahir sejak tahun 50an sudah mulai banyak dikenal oleh khususnya oleh para turis. Sebenarnya bukan hanya kopi, Phuc Long juga menyediakan berbagai jenis teh yang dihasilkan dari berbagai perkebunan di Vietnam.

Walau tempatnya tidak terlalu besar, hanya seluas kira-kira 30 meter persegi, Phuc Long adalah salah satu tempat yang menyediakan biji kopi dari berbagai jenis hasil produksi mereka sendiri. Negara Vietnam sebagai penghasil robusta terebesar di dunia, terlihat dari jenis kopi yang tersedia di sini dengan mayoritas varian tersebut. Di roast dengan warna mendekati hitam dan berminyak, biji kopi dari Phuc Long dijual dengan harga puluhan ribu per 250 gram.