Copper Cow makes Vietnamese espresso accessible with out compromising authenticity.

BY EMILY JOY MENESES
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Featured picture by Emily Pleasure Meneses

In Vietnam, espresso is an integral a part of the tradition, with the crop rising in a number of areas throughout the nation. Espresso retailers line the streets of main cities like Hanoi and Saigon. Right this moment, we’re check driving Copper Cow’s trendy ode to the Southeast Asian nation’s famed drink: single-serve pourover Vietnamese espresso, which they’ve obtainable in a wide range of flavors.

Copper Cow & Vietnamese Espresso

Conventional Vietnamese espresso is brewed on a slow-drip phin filter, which is often made from metallic or ceramic. Robusta beans, that are broadly obtainable within the Southeast Asian nation and supply a daring, smoky taste, are normally used. The brewed espresso is sweetened with condensed milk and could be served sizzling or over ice.

Copper Cow, based by Vietnamese American Debbie Wei Mullin, is an internet retailer devoted to creating high-quality Vietnamese espresso extra accessible to house brewers worldwide. The corporate even loved a stint on Shark Tank in 2021. Copper Cow has since change into obtainable throughout the US in markets like Complete Meals and Sprouts. Notably, the store can also be devoted to selling the welfare of Vietnamese espresso farmers and their homelands, paying espresso producers double the market value whereas serving to them transition to natural farming strategies.

Single-Serve Pourover Sachets: An Overview

Copper Cow’s single-serve pourovers are pre-filled sachets of espresso sourced immediately from Vietnam, with a mix of robusta and arabica, and are supposed to present a contemporary tackle the normal phin filter methodology. Each takes about solely 90 seconds to brew, and optionally, you may order yours with Copper Cow’s single-serve espresso creamer packets. The sachets are additionally obtainable in a wide range of flavors: Traditional, Lavender, Churro, Vanilla, and Salted Caramel. There may be additionally a decaf choice.

The Take a look at Drive

Right this moment, we’re check driving Copper Cow’s “Greatest Brews Sampler,” which incorporates one sachet of every of their 5 pourover flavors together with 5 of their single-serve creamers, that are made the normal Vietnamese approach with condensed milk— offering a pleasant stability to the sturdy, deep taste of Vietnamese espresso beans.

I began out my check by brewing the Traditional alongside the Lavender taste. Setup was very straight-forward, and the sachets had been actually secure in every cup. As soon as I poured sizzling water into every sachet, the brew was tremendous fast—but every sachet yielded quite a lot of taste. I first tried every espresso with out the creamer, they usually had been clean and well-balanced, with the Lavender taste having a extremely pretty mild floral perfume. The Traditional taste had the darkish, smoky profile attribute of Vietnamese espresso; nonetheless, it wasn’t too overpowering.

I used to be somewhat nervous that as a result of the espresso itself was a bit gentle, the flavour of it’d get drowned out by the condensed milk creamer. Nevertheless, I used to be pleasantly shocked that the creamer as an alternative introduced out the tasting notes of every espresso much more.

I went on to pattern the Churro, Vanilla, and Salted Caramel flavors, all of which had been nice! Not one of the flavors was overly candy. Though these flavors aren’t a typical a part of conventional Vietnamese espresso, I discovered that they nonetheless held as much as the espresso that I attempted throughout my travels in Vietnam.

Getting Artistic

Copper Cow additionally shares the flexibility of their espresso creamer, which can be utilized in a number of methods. “As a result of it doesn’t have to be refrigerated and is available in handy single-serving packets, our all pure Creamers are insanely versatile,” the corporate shares on their web site. On their weblog, you’ll find quite a lot of methods to make use of their creamers, together with including them to smoothies and utilizing them to high your toast or fruit.

To alter issues up, you may as well flip your single-serve espresso into iced espresso by merely pouring your brew over a cup of ice. I attempted this with the Lavender taste and located that it nonetheless retained quite a lot of taste and didn’t get too watered down. Nevertheless, in the event you choose your espresso to be stronger, you may all the time use much less sizzling water whereas brewing.

The Takeaway

When you don’t have a phin filter and need to attempt your hand at home-brewing Vietnamese espresso, I extremely suggest Copper Cow’s single-serve pourover espresso. I actually admire that the espresso is ethically sourced from Vietnam and roasted to convey out quite a lot of the deep, smoky flavors you search for in Vietnamese espresso whereas nonetheless staying clean and well-balanced. The sampler field is nice for many who prefer to have one thing totally different day by day, and it additionally makes an amazing present.

Having tried quite a lot of Vietnamese espresso from many alternative locations over time, I’ve come to be fairly choosy about it. In my view, these pourovers do an amazing job of creating the beverage easy-to-brew with out compromising style or authenticity.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Pleasure Meneses (she/they) is a author and musician based mostly in Los Angeles. Her hobbies embody foraging, cortados, classic synths, and connecting together with her Filipino roots by means of music, artwork, meals, and beverage.

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