It's already been over 2 years since I had the adventure of a lifetime, riding a motorbike in Vietnam from Hanoi in the north down to Ho Chi Minh in the south and beyond.
There are so many aspects and experiences from that trip that will stay with me for a lifetime... Including the beautiful lights of Hoi An, the winding roads of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and the incredible river markets of the Mekong Delta.
One memory of Vietnam that I enjoy reminiscing regularly is the Coffee.
More particularly the 'Cafe Sua'
(Source; https://londonsaigon.com/ca-phe-sua-da/)
Coffee culture in Vietnam is strong, as many of the Vietnamese people that I encountered, like nothing more than to sit outside the thousands of Coffee Shops to enjoy Coffee and Conversation in sun.
Traditional Vietnamese Coffee is prepared by placing a single serve Coffee Basket on top of a glass containing Condensed Milk. Add Coffee and hot water, then simply wait for it to drip through to the vessel beneath.
(Source; https://gbr.grandado.com)
Once the Coffee has dripped through, one has simply to stir in the Condensed Milk to achieve a super strong and super sweet, comforting and caffeinated beverage.
(Source; https://www.google.com/search?q=condensed+milk)
During the long days of travelling, I made a point of stopping for a Cafe Sua every time that I stopped for fuel. Petrol for the bike, Caffeine for me.
This meant that at the end of the riding day of anywhere between eight and twelve hours, I would usually arrive at my destination more awake than when I had departed in the morning.
Anyway, to the point of this little story....
Today I took Jacky to St Neots, which is just on the border of Cambridge.
When we got there we immediately set about looking for for the required caffeine hit.
A short walk later and we came accross Griddle and Grind.
A quick peruse of their menu and to my delight, they serve Vietnamese Coffee!!
Unfortunately it wasn't served traditionally, but still, it looked incredible.
Then came the taste test.. Immediately i was transported back to a dusty highway on the big adventure and it felt great.
The coffee was particularly nice (once again.. almost as good as mine 😏)
I spoke to the girl behind the counter to commend their blend, and was informed that they roast the beans themselves.. 'Impressive' I thought.
Turns out that after an exhaustive search, they couldn't find beans that they were happy with and so decided to open their own Roastery.
So, the Coffee beans are sourced from Brazil and then Roasted to their particular tastes in St Neots.
In the next couple of weeks I intend to take a visit to their Roasting Facility and I hope to be able to prepare a post of the positively precise process.
I thought I would post this because once again it just goes to show.. When you break out of your own little world and have a chat with people, you will probably find that they have something interesting to say. Whether its a hidden cellar under a table or an entire Coffee Roasting operation, things may not always be as they first appear.