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BY EMILY JOY MENESESBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Featured photo by Emily Joy Meneses
In Vietnam, coffee is an integral part of the culture, with the crop growing in multiple regions across the country. Coffee shops line the streets of major cities like Hanoi and Saigon. Today, we’re test driving Copper Cow’s modern ode to the Southeast Asian country’s famed drink: single-serve pourover Vietnamese coffee, which they have available in a variety of flavors.
Copper Cow & Vietnamese Coffee
Traditional Vietnamese coffee is brewed on a slow-drip phin filter, which is typically made of metal or ceramic. Robusta beans, which are widely available in the Southeast Asian country and provide a bold, smoky flavor, are usually used. The brewed coffee is sweetened with condensed milk and can be served hot or over ice.
Copper Cow, founded by Vietnamese American Debbie Wei Mullin, is an online retailer dedicated to making high-quality Vietnamese coffee more accessible to home brewers worldwide. The company even enjoyed a stint on Shark Tank in 2021. Copper Cow has since become available across the United States in markets like Whole Foods and Sprouts. Notably, the shop is also dedicated to promoting the welfare of Vietnamese coffee farmers and their homelands, paying coffee producers double the market price while helping them transition to organic farming methods.
Single-Serve Pourover Sachets: An Overview
Copper Cow’s single-serve pourovers are pre-filled sachets of coffee sourced directly from Vietnam, with a mixture of robusta and arabica, and are meant to provide a modern take on the traditional phin filter method. Each one takes about only 90 seconds to brew, and optionally, you can order yours with Copper Cow’s single-serve coffee creamer packets. The sachets are also available in a variety of flavors: Classic, Lavender, Churro, Vanilla, and Salted Caramel. There is also a decaf option.
The Test Drive
Today, we’re test driving Copper Cow’s “Best Brews Sampler,” which includes one sachet of each of their five pourover flavors along with five of their single-serve creamers, which are made the traditional Vietnamese way with condensed milk— providing a nice balance to the strong, deep flavor of Vietnamese coffee beans.
I started out my test by brewing the Classic alongside the Lavender flavor. Setup was very straight-forward, and the sachets were really stable in each cup. Once I poured hot water into each sachet, the brew was super quick—yet each sachet yielded a lot of flavor. I first tried each coffee without the creamer, and they were smooth and well-balanced, with the Lavender flavor having a really lovely light floral fragrance. The Classic flavor had the dark, smoky profile characteristic of Vietnamese coffee; however, it wasn’t too overpowering.
I was a little nervous that because the coffee itself was a bit mild, the flavor of it might get drowned out by the condensed milk creamer. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the creamer instead brought out the tasting notes of each coffee even more.
I went on to sample the Churro, Vanilla, and Salted Caramel flavors, all of which were great! None of the flavors was overly sweet. Even though these flavors aren’t a usual part of traditional Vietnamese coffee, I found that they still held up to the coffee that I tried during my travels in Vietnam.
Getting Creative
Copper Cow also shares the versatility of their coffee creamer, which can be used in several ways. “Because it doesn’t need to be refrigerated and comes in convenient single-serving packets, our all natural Creamers are insanely versatile,” the company shares on their website. On their blog, you can find a number of ways to use their creamers, including adding them to smoothies and using them to top your toast or fruit.
To change things up, you can also turn your single-serve coffee into iced coffee by simply pouring your brew over a cup of ice. I tried this with the Lavender flavor and found that it still retained a lot of flavor and didn’t get too watered down. However, if you prefer your coffee to be stronger, you can always use less hot water while brewing.
The Takeaway
If you don’t have a phin filter and want to try your hand at home-brewing Vietnamese coffee, I highly recommend Copper Cow’s single-serve pourover coffee. I really appreciate that the coffee is ethically sourced from Vietnam and roasted to bring out a lot of the deep, smoky flavors you look for in Vietnamese coffee while still staying smooth and well-balanced. The sampler box is great for those who like to have something different every day, and it also makes a great gift.
Having tried a lot of Vietnamese coffee from many different places over the years, I’ve come to be quite picky about it. In my opinion, these pourovers do a great job of making the beverage easy-to-brew without compromising taste or authenticity.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emily Joy Meneses (she/they) is a writer and musician based in Los Angeles. Her hobbies include foraging, cortados, vintage synths, and connecting with her Filipino roots through music, art, food, and beverage.
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