This resort is a peaceful oasis approximately 2 hours by taxi from Ho Chi Minh City on the Southern Vietnamese coast. Given Vietnam’s reputation of being the biggest producer of robusta coffee in the world, we were expecting the typical, rubbery and bitter robusta coffee found in many Italian bars. How wrong we were!
We were presented with an excellent cappuccino at breakfast, made in front of us on a Simonelli coffee machine by the local barista. Although it did have a slightly papery robusta aroma, the coffee was strong but sweet, with good body. The espresso was similarly good, with a strong fruity/ chocolatey taste and none of the typical bitterness you would expect from a robusta coffee. What a pleasant surprise!!
Our conclusion was that (i) the local robusta coffee found in Vietnam is way better than the stuff found in Europe, (ii) the Vietnamese know how to both roast and extract coffee to achieve the best result, and (iii) the hotel was using a special blend of robusta and excellent local arabica coffee beans.
In fact, wherever we ended up in the country, it was easy to find a very decent cup of espresso coffee. Impressed!
Grade: 7/10
