Salt coffee has become such a popular drink trend on social media platforms over the past few months that even the giant Starbucks has followed suit.
A small, simple cafe in the city of Hue is widely credited with inventing the now-popular drink, made by adding sweetened condensed milk to Vietnamese coffee. The mixture is topped with salted cream and served hot or iced.
Hue drinks make many international diners fall in love
Salt coffee is an upgraded version of milk coffee with a layer of salt cream on top. Customers can stir it or drink it directly. The salt cream layer creates a salty, fatty taste but still retains the coffee flavor. It is like a breath of fresh air for traditional coffee products, including black coffee, milk coffee, and iced coffee.
This is not a new drink but has existed for a long time in many countries around the world. In Vietnam, the first place to sell salt coffee is said to be Hue city, then spread to many other provinces across the country, each place is adjusted a little to suit the taste of local customers.
This drink was born more than 10 years ago but until now still retains a strong attraction for many generations of locals and tourists from all over the world.
The founders of Salt Coffee told CNN that "After the pandemic, salt coffee seems to be becoming a trend across Vietnam." In Hue, salt coffee has become a daily drink like black coffee or milk coffee, so this trend has brought many changes to their business. Today,
Many coffee shops even bottle this drink to sell all over Vietnam, and it has attracted a number of international visitors to Vietnam to try this coffee, just like they tried egg coffee in Hanoi.
According to the results of the iPOS survey of the food business market in the first 6 months of 2023, the attraction of salt coffee is so strong that 40.1% of surveyed units have added this dish to the menu, even though the trend has only exploded since the beginning of April 2023. This is also the dish that stores added to the menu the most in the first 6 months of the year, surpassing soursop tea (accounting for 34.3%) even though this drink has also "made waves" on social networks.
Salted coffee brewed in the traditional way also gives diners the opportunity to be patient before enjoying the ancient capital's specialty.
While the name may be off-putting, the flavors really do work. The sweet milk and cream balance out the bitterness of the coffee, while the salt enhances the sweetness—much like a pinch of salt in salted caramel makes the caramel flavor stand out.
Even Starbucks Vietnam branch joined the salt coffee wave, launching its own version of salt coffee in May this year.
Salty coffee comes to "invade" America
Vietnam, which mainly grows Robusta coffee, is the world’s second-largest coffee exporter after Brazil. Vietnam’s coffee exports reached $2.9 billion in the first five months of this year, marking a 43.9% increase over the same period last year, according to the International Trade Council.
It is not surprising that salt coffee, a drink characterized by the combination of the bitter taste of coffee and the subtle saltiness of salt, is becoming increasingly popular and loved not only in Hue but also throughout Vietnam.
First introduced by French colonists in the 1850s, coffee is now hugely popular across the country. Coffee shops range from small sidewalk stands with plastic stools to sleek, modern cafes with on-site roasters.
A cup of coffee, even after a long time, will not lose its flavor, but will still be rich.
Salt coffee is just one of the Vietnamese-flavored coffees that may surprise those who have not tried it. The saltiness of the salt blends with the bitterness of the coffee, creating a harmonious and stimulating whole. This drink brings a refreshing, alert feeling and helps reduce the bitterness for those who are not used to drinking black coffee.
According to a report by global market research agency Mintel released in 2023, consumers outside Asia are increasingly interested in these new coffee experiences and flavors. About 71% of Gen Z consumers interviewed by Mintel in the US said they were interested in trying Asian-inspired coffee drinks like Vietnamese coffee.
Starbucks Salt Coffee has officially launched to popularize this drink in the international market.
In the US, 7 Leaves Café, a chain of Vietnamese coffee shops, has expanded to more than 40 locations across the country after opening its first cafe in California in 2011.
