This morning, I experimented to see which method would make the best coffee. Using WA’s Yahava coffee, I prepared it three ways:

1. The Vietnamese way using a drip cup I bought from Vietnam recently

2. Plunger

3. Italian cafeteria, electric model

To ensure that my bias didn’t play a role in determining the outcome, Zorba participated in a blind tasting.

The one I thought would come up on top, the Italian cafeteria, was in fact our least favourite. The coffee was watery, lacked robustness and generally would only be the sort of coffee I’d drink if there was nothing else but instant.

The plunger did a nice job, although there was a bit of sediment at the bottom of the cup that wasn’t overly pleasant.

The Vietnamese drip cup made the best brew. The coffee was robust, slightly thick, and tasted rounded. Perhaps is was because the coffee is steamed first?  The way it works is that you load two teaspoons of ground coffee inside the cup. Up turn the lid and place a little boiling water in the lid and sit the loaded up drip cup on top for two minutes. This steams the coffee. According to one Vietnamese chef, this step is crucial to making good coffee.  After the coffee has steamed (you won’t notice any difference to the coffee – looks just the same), sit the drip cup over a mug, fill it with boiling water, put on the lid on and wait.  It takes about four minutes for the luscious coffee to all drip through.

Vietnamese drip cup over a mug

I was surprised, I didn’t expect this little drip cup that cost me $0.50 (yes, 50 cents) to work so well.  I should’ve bought a truck load of them!

Vietnam is the world’s second largest producer of coffee. That was news to me until I travelled there. I guess they know a thing or two about making good coffee, and once you go there and witness the coffee culture for yourself, you won’t be surprised either.

Verdict:  Vietnames drip cup makes the best coffee.

p.s. sorry that the full post wasn’t on display initially – had a glitch in the system.