A Brief Introduction of The Hanoi coffee (Cà Phê Hà Nội)

Introduced into Vietnam by French colonists in 19th century, coffee has become popular in Hanoi since 1883. For more than a century, the aroma of coffee has enchanted the Hanoians. Coffee - a drink with an attractive aroma, which is black or brown in color and palatable bitterness, are widely available all over Hanoi streets and becomes a culture of the Hanoians.

For a long time, drinking coffee - ca phe phin (traditional Vietnamese coffee), ca phe den (black coffee), ca phe nau (brown coffee), ca phe nong (hot coffee), ca phe da (iced coffee), weasel coffee, ca phe trung (egg coffee) etc. has become an elegant pleasure of the Hanoians. If they find a coffee shop making their true coffee taste, they will come there “all their life” to drink it. The pleasure lies in sipping a cup of coffee in a familiar coffee shop and chatting with friends or quietly enjoying their cup, waiting for the pitch-black drops of coffee slowly tricking into the cup, and watching the flow of people passing through becomes a part of Hanoians’ life. Gradually, enjoying coffee in the morning - afternoon - evening becomes a culture and a life style of the residents. They consider coffee a relaxation, a soul mate and a creativity inspiration. Brewing a palatable is an art in which clean filter and cup are needed. Coffee is placed into the filter chamber and its quantity is adjusted for the drinker’s taste. The cup is put into a bowl with a wide brim. Hot water is poured both in the filter and the bowl to keep the filter chamber hot enough for coffee not to get cold. Though the coffee’s aroma is quite subtle, one is charmed with its aroma making them feel passionate with the absolutely delicious bitterness.

Over the years, Hanoi coffee has changed in its both aromatic flavor and enjoyment. Many coffee shops located in old quarter have discolored limestone walls and moss-covered roofs. For many Hanoians, the most important factor of a coffee is not its luxury but the quality of the product. Relaxing in a coffee shop, one can contemplate Hanoi in four seasons - in hot days of summer and dull days of winter, set their soul free with sunshine and wind, be dazed with a Hanoi-characterized atmosphere, then order a cup of coffee and enjoy the “slow flavor” of time just for the pleasure of it.

A Brief Introduction of The Egg Coffee (Cà Phê Trứng)

Egg Coffee (Cà Phê Trứng) is a Vietnamese drink which is traditionally prepared with egg yolks, sugar, condensed milk and robusta coffee. The drink is made by beating egg yolks with sugar and coffee, then extracting the coffee into the half of the cup, followed by a similar amount of "egg cream"⁠ ⁠— egg yolks which are heated and beaten, or whisked.

The legend goes that fresh milk was in short supply during the post war 1975 because fresh milk and condensed milk are scarce commodities due to the trade embargo and so whisked egg yolk was used as a replacement.

The drink is served in cafes throughout Vietnam, though it originates in Hanoi. Ingredients for making coffee include fresh chicken eggs, sugar, milk, and coffee. The egg yolks are hand-whipped with milk and sugar, and then boiled. Hot or iced coffee is poured into the beaten eggs, which will form a beautiful and aromatic foam. A teaspoon is provided in order to eat the foam before drinking the coffee at the bottom.

Egg coffee is contained in a small cup. To keep the drink warm, the waiter puts a cup of coffee in a bowl of warm water. After being poured over the cream made from eggs, the coffee at the bottom of the cup acquires a richer taste. In the past, eggs were just hand-beaten, so it took time and the foam of the eggs could not be achieved. Now, after the eggs have been smoothed with the machine, hot or iced coffee is added, together with cocoa eggs, egg white beans and matcha (tea powder) eggs. It can be served either hot or iced.

A Brief Introduction of The Lotus tea (Trà Sen)

The lotus flower is the specialty of Trang An which holds a special position in Vietnamese spirit and culture. The lotus in West Lake is possibly one of a kind – the bud is slightly dark pink with up to a hundred petals and a distinct aroma. From long ago, people living near West Lake have tried to absorb the aroma of lotus flower in their tea art, gathering the aroma of nature in each flower to put in tea leaves. The process of making lotus tea makes it the essence of Trang An cuisine.

The picking of lotus flowers has to be done at dawn before sunlight and the wind dry the stamens and reduce the aroma. After that, the flower petals are separated, the smaller ones of which will be used in later stages. The pistils (the lotus ‘rice’) are then taken out to make tea. They make the ‘aroma sachet’ of a flower so the process has to be done carefully so as not to affect the fragrance. Every kilogram of dried tea leaves needs about one kilogram of lotus ‘rice’, which comes from around 1,000 flowers.

Making lotus tea is sophisticated from selecting the flowers to selecting the tea. The tea should be the high-quality one from the mountainous area of Ha Giang. The process to produce 1 kg of lotus tea is also very complicated. The tea has to be steamed first to reduce the original tea smell before let dried. The tea leaves are mixed smaller flower petals are mixed to soften and absorb the scent of the dawn in West Lake. The next step is scenting the tea. The tea leaves are separated from the flower, dried and mixed with the lotus ‘rice’ alternately in a glazed terra-cotta jar in a closed and warm place for three days. After three days, the tea leaves are mixed with a new batch of lotus ‘rice’. Because the flower has a light fragrance, the scenting process is only finished after 7 batches of lotus ‘rice’ have been used.

Not only the scenting of tea leaves with flower aroma, the manner of enjoying tea is also a form of art. Lotus tea should be clear and yellow-ish green, served in small tea cups. The drink is not for people who are busy or rushed. It is best to take time to feel the slight aroma of the lotus flower combined with the strong scent of tea leaves. The drink will taste bitter at first, but will leave a sweet taste after swallowed.

The complexity and sophistication of scenting and drinking lotus tea of the Hanoian people make it ever more special as a part of Hanoi culture.

A Brief Introduction of The Ice lemon tea (Trà chanh)

Lemon tea shops on Hanoi’s streets like Nho Tho, Ly Quoc Su, Dao Duy Tu, etc. are over crowded on summer evenings. Pavements, roads and small parks become lemon tea shops, where thousands of the youngsters group up to chat.

Lemon tea (in Vietnamese, it is called “Trà Chanh”) is a very simple drink: a glass of green tea with jasmine fragrance, adding little sugar, 1 or 2 lemon slices. Sweet, sour, acrid and smell of jasmine became the familiar beverage of the people of Hanoi. The drink is popular only with the material life, but it was so appealing to so strange. If anyone has been to Hanoi and has had the opportunity to enjoy lemon tea, it is sure to be unforgettable. No tables and chairs, no professional serving and space nor elegance, modern.., the lemon tea shops have only plastic chairs. These chairs also do work of tables in order to put the tray on.

A Brief Introduction of The Iced apricots syrup ‎(Nước Mơ)‎

Apricot fruit is a special natural gift of Huong Son. On the first days of the third month of lunar calendar, it is wonderful for the visitors who are tired of climbing the mountain to drink iced apricots syrup as a dehydrating beverage. Apricot is not only a drink but also an effective traditional medicine.

To make apricots syrup ‎(Nước Mơ)‎ very simple: Washing apricots in salt water, then put them in a jar, add suger on top. After 1 or 2 moths we got syrup with yellow color. The flavor and aroma of syrup make you feel different with another drink. This drink we ussually add ice & used in summer

A Brief Introduction of The Dracontomelum drink (Nước sấu)

When the sunshine of May spreads out Hanoi streets and cicada’s sound rumbles on over groves, it is dracontomelum season. In each summer, the sunshine is more blazing and pours the colored amber light all over the streets and lanes in Hanoi. As a date, the Hanoians wait for a familiar fruit, which is called “sấu”. The sound of the name is like that of “xau” word (equivalent to “ugly”), but it is not ugly at all.

To make dracontomelon juice, first the dracontomelon fruits need to be pickled. The fruits picked are big, not too young but not too ripe, and have no bruises. They are cleaned and peeled off. Then, the fruits are carved with circles in order to make them pickle faster and look nicer. Next, dracontomelon fruits are put in a jar together with cooked sugar water and chopped ginger. After a day or two, the pickled dracontomelon fruits and condensed juice are ready to be used.

When drink, just take out a few teaspoons of the fruits and its juice, mix with water, more sugar and add some ice. Dracontomelon juice will bring you a refreshing taste and make the Hanoi heat go away almost immediately!