Vietnam has long made its name on the global coffee market with Robusta Coffee. Although Vietnam produces primarily Robusta, the country also has Arabica coffee varieties that are often regarded as the world’s most excellent. And as Arabica is grown only in the region with high altitude, climate and soil suitable, only a few regions in Vietnam can meet this requirement. The Cau Dat area of Da Lat, Lam Dong is one of a few lands growing coffee that is acknowledged as a paradise for the most delicious Arabica in Vietnam. Read on to find out more about high quality Cau Dat Arabica.
1. Brief history of Cau Dat Arabica from Dalat, Lam Dong
There are three main types of Arabica coffee grown in Dalat, Lam Dong: Bourbon, Typica, and Catimor. The most well-known Bourbon descendent variety is Arabica Bourbon, often known as Moka. It is well-known not only in Vietnam, but also around the world for its high quality. During the colonial period, French missionaries brought Moka to Vietnam in 1875. Following that, they developed some Moka-cultivation farms. Nowadays, Moka is still cultivated in Cau Dat district of Dalat Province. Many people have tried to grow this kind in places other than Dalat, but the farmer is unable to produce the same high–quality fruits. Moka is known as the Queen of Coffee because of its deep and unique flavor with a wine scent.
Each year, 2.5 to 3 tons of Arabica Typica are produced in the Cau Dat district, which includes Tram Hanh and Xuan Truong. Only Typica and Bourbon were available in this area prior to 1988. Many coffee experts considered Typica to be the queen of coffee during this time period. Its sweet flavor, silky mouthfeel, and luxurious aroma are well-known characteristics of its cup profile. Typica was increasingly displaced by high-yielding Arabica Catimor, which yields coffee more than 2–3 times as much as Typica, until the 1990s. Despite the fact that significant effort has been made to bring Typica back, its characteristics have rendered it an extremely rare and limited production variety.
Vietnam Coffee Growing Region. Source: caudatfarm
2. Why is Cau Dat Arabica considered Vietnam’s best Arabica?
Golden geographic advantages that Cau Dat – Da Lat owns
The Cau Dat, which is situated about 24km from Da Lat city in Lam Dong Province, part of the famous Central Highland is a naturally gifted place. The quality of Arabica increases as the altitude increases, and the temperature drops. With an altitude of over 1,500m above sea level, along with a cold climate and foggy weather most of the year, Cau Dat is a paradise for Arabica coffee plants. Located at this high altitude, Cau Dat is surrounded by gorgeous mountains and vast pine trees. This area has several characteristics of a temperate zone region with two distinctive seasons: rainy and dry. The temperature amplitude of the year here ranges from 5 degrees coldest and the highest does not exceed 33 degrees. With the average precipitation of 1562 mm, Cau Dat is often hazy and has high humidity (80%). Combined with soil which is fertile basalt soil, Cau Dat – Da Lat has 3 golden conditions to be the perfect land for the Arabica coffee trees to grow, which produces very high quality and rich in flavor.
Cau Dat Farm Coffee in the fog
Local’s experience in growing and processing Arabica coffee
Along with its geographic advantages is the meticulously picking and pruning process. Farmers manually harvest each coffee bean after the growth and development process when the minimum mature fruit rate reaches 95% before taking it home to be processed. Before processing, the beans are cleaned, plucked, and contaminants are eliminated from the beans, which are then hand-picked and sorted into 100 percent ripe coffee. Most common processing methods applied in Cau Dat are Natural processing, honey processing, wet processing in greenhouses or baskets exposed to natural sunlight. Before being sent to the roastery, post-processed coffee beans are carefully stored in plastic bags in a cold atmosphere, avoiding direct sunlight.
The producing experience over the time of the locals here contribute to the exceptional quality of Cau Dat Arabica. Arabica coffee from Cau Dat has a unique combination of elegant acidity and mild bitterness. It has a rich coffee aroma together with honey and sweet taste. Cau Dat coffee has been described as having the immaculate flavor of a Sunday morning, and consumers who have had it will never forget it. The coffee here is on par with some of the top coffees on the planet. Since 2016, Starbucks has started selling Arabica originating from Cau Dat, Dalat in more than 21,500 stores in 56 countries worldwide.
Mr. Khanh, one of the prominent coffee farmers in Cau Dat. Source: CDIVietnam
3. Protected geographical indication for Cau Dat- Da Lat coffee
The registered certification “Cau Dat Da Lat Coffee” trademark was issued by the Department of Intellectual Property (Ministry of Science and Technology) on October 4th, 2017. This is the legal basis for protection on investment development, in order to enhance the prestige of Da Lat coffee-tea products which are produced and processed exclusively at the altitude of 1,500 meters above sea level.
With the general direction about developing “Cau Dat Da Lat Coffee” trademark, the government of Da Lat city has set out 5 missions focusing on deploying synchronize in next time. Such as: complete the intensive farming models of high quality Arabica coffee to transfer widely to producers; strengthen promoting agriculture, training for rural labor; build the chain of linking value product; improve the percentage of wet processed Arabica coffee to 100%; find and expand the consumer product market.
TIPC Lam Dong
Viego Global – Your trusted sourcing partner in Vietnam
At Viego Global, we know it’s more than just finding the right coffee supplier since every step of the supply chain requires proper implementation in order to ensure Vietnam quality coffee beans are well delivered to clients. We always try our best to determine the best suppliers, including coffee farms and coffee collectors based on customers’ needs. During research on potential suppliers, discussion and factory visits, we inspect every single thing from business license, capacity, to past orders as well as the equipment and the workers’ competence. This is why Viego Global makes sure that you can reach the best coffee suppliers at the most competitive price from Vietnam.
In order to provide a deeper insight on Vietnam’s Coffee Market, we’ve created this series along with tips on how to select the best beans from Vietnam for your business. Jump to:
- A start-to-finish guide to coffee beans market in Vietnam
- Best types of coffee beans to source in Vietnam
- How to find wholesale coffee suppliers in Vietnam
- Essential guide to checking the quality of Vietnam’s green coffee beans
- 4 Most common mistakes when sourcing green coffee beans from Vietnam