I love coffee. Any coffee. Starbucks coffee. Leopard Forest coffee. Folgers coffee. Coffee from the closest BP. Old Furman Dining Hall coffee. Brew it, and most likely I’ll drink it (I know this doesn’t say much for my taste). But here in Shanghai I have come upon one of the most beautiful, supernatural uses of the coffee bean I have ever encountered — coffee Vietnamese-style. Has anyone ever heard of this? I was intrigued by the “Vietnamese coffee” at a new coffee shop today (Cafe Mojo on Taikang Lu — excellent) and ordered it only to be told it would take FIFTY minutes to brew. Say whaaaat? But man was it worth it. Apparently, this strong Vietnamese coffee is freshly ground when you order it, put in a specific filter which resembles a tin top hat, and then combined with hot water to drip ever-so-slowly over a cup of sweet condensed milk. After waiting so long I probably would have enjoyed anything that remotely tasted like coffee, but within the next 20 minutes of sipping this incredible concoction I experienced sweet sweet caffeine-enhanced nirvana. In fact, in honor of Vietnamese coffee (and probably because of the caffeine high I’ve been on ever since), I’ve written a song for it, sung to the tune of Beyonce’s Ego.
It’s toooo bold. The milk’s white. It’s toooo strong. I want a sip.
It’s too much. Can’t drink enough. It tastes like this cause it’s from Vietnam.
Ok so that wasn’t particularly creative, but it does go to show that this coffee has inspired me. It is now my coffee muse upon which many future coffee tastings will be judged. Can’t wait to go to Vietnam in February and taste the real thing!
