VI
EN
Salted coffee has become a popular beverage trend on social media platforms over the past few months, to the point that even tech giant Starbucks has followed suit.
A small, unassuming café in Hue city is widely recognized for inventing the now-popular beverage, made by adding sweetened condensed milk to Vietnamese coffee. This mixture is topped with salted cream and served hot or iced.
Hue's local drinks have captivated many international diners.
Salted coffee is an upgraded version of milk coffee with a layer of salted cream on top. Customers can stir it or drink it straight. The salted cream creates a salty, creamy taste while still retaining the coffee flavor. It's like a breath of fresh air for traditional coffee products, including black coffee, milk coffee, and iced coffee with condensed milk.
This isn't a new drink; it has existed for a long time in many countries around the world. In Vietnam, the first place to sell salted coffee is believed to be Hue city, after which it spread to many other provinces and cities across the country, with each place slightly adjusting it to suit the taste of local customers.
This drink was created more than 10 years ago, but it still maintains a strong appeal to many generations of locals and tourists from all over the world.
The founders of Salt Coffee shared with CNN that "After the pandemic, salt coffee seems to be becoming a trend across Vietnam." In Hue, salt coffee has become an everyday drink like black coffee or coffee with milk, so this trend has brought about many changes to their business. Today,
Many cafes even bottle and sell this drink throughout Vietnam, attracting a number of international tourists to Vietnam to try it, just as they once tried egg coffee in Hanoi.
According to iPOS's survey of the food and beverage market in the first six months of 2023, the appeal of salted coffee is so strong that 40.1% of surveyed businesses have added it to their menus, even though the trend only started in early April 2023. It was also the most frequently added item to menus in the first six months of the year, surpassing even soursop tea (which accounted for 34.3%), despite the latter having also been a sensation on social media.
Traditionally brewed salted coffee also gives diners a chance to be patient before enjoying this specialty of the ancient capital.
Although the name might be off-putting to some, the flavor really does matter. The sweet milk and cream balance the bitterness of the coffee, while the salt enhances the sweetness—much like a touch of salt in a salty caramel sauce makes the caramel flavor stand out.
Even Starbucks' branch in Vietnam has joined the salted coffee trend, launching its own version of salted coffee in May of this year.
Salted coffee is "invading" America.
Vietnam, a country primarily growing Robusta coffee, is the world's second-largest coffee exporter after Brazil. According to the International Trade Council, Vietnam's coffee exports reached $2.9 billion in the first five months of this year, marking a 43.9% increase compared to the same period last year.
It's no surprise that salted coffee, a signature drink combining the bitterness of coffee with the subtle saltiness of salt, is becoming increasingly popular and beloved not only in Hue but throughout Vietnam.
First introduced by the French colonialists in the 1850s, coffee has become incredibly popular throughout the country. Coffee shops vary widely, from small stalls with plastic chairs on the sidewalk to modern, stylish cafes with on-site coffee roasters.
Even after sitting for a while, the coffee doesn't lose its flavor; instead, it becomes richer and more intense.
Salted coffee is just one of many Vietnamese-flavored coffees that might surprise those who haven't tried them. The saltiness blends with the bitterness of the coffee, creating a harmonious and stimulating taste. This drink provides a refreshing and invigorating feeling and helps to lessen the bitterness for those who aren't used to drinking black coffee.
According to a 2023 report by global market research firm Mintel, consumers outside of Asia are increasingly interested in these novel coffee experiences and flavors. Approximately 71% of Gen Z consumers surveyed by Mintel in the US indicated interest in trying Asian-inspired coffee drinks such as Vietnamese coffee.
Starbucks' salted coffee version has officially launched to popularize this beverage in the international market.
In the US, 7 Leaves Café, a chain of cafes selling Vietnamese drinks, has expanded to more than 40 locations nationwide since opening its first cafe in California in 2011.
