Vietnam’s coffee origins
Vietnam is one of the world’s largest coffee producers. Most of its coffee is Robusta grown in the Central Highlands. Arabica is grown in smaller volumes in highland areas, including Son La in the northwest.
Robusta or Arabica?
Robusta gives body, crema and caffeine, which is why roasters use it in espresso blends and milk drinks. Arabica gives sweetness and aroma and works as a single origin or the base of a blend. Many roasters buy both and blend them.
How to read a green coffee spec
- Moisture: the water content of the beans, usually kept at or below about 12.5%.
- Defects: black, broken and foreign beans, stated as a maximum percentage or count.
- Screen size: bean size by sieve. Screen 16 is 6.3 mm and screen 18 is 7.1 mm.
- Cupping score: for Arabica, a score of 80 points or more on the SCA scale is called specialty.
What polishing does
Polishing removes the silver skin from green beans. The beans look cleaner and more uniform and leave less chaff in the roaster. Polishing does not replace roasting, and some specialty roasters prefer unpolished beans, so ask your supplier for both.
Harvest timing
New-crop Vietnamese coffee is harvested in the last months of the year. Ask for new-crop samples early to secure the lots you want.
Importing a small lot
- Order size: many exporters quote full containers. Look for suppliers who sell by the bag or from 50 kg.
- Shipping: small lots often travel by air or courier; larger lots by sea as LCL or a full container.
- Price terms: FOB means you arrange freight from the Vietnamese port; CIF means the supplier pays freight and insurance to your port; DAP and DDP mean the coffee is delivered to your address, with DDP including import duties.
- Approval: always approve a pre-shipment sample from your actual lot.
Sample-to-shipment checklist
- Request offer samples and cup them
- Agree the spec and tolerances in writing
- Approve the pre-shipment sample
- Confirm documents, payment terms and shipping date
- Check the shipment against the lot report on arrival