Barista Magazine

APR-MAY 2017

Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005

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energy is diffi cult to describe but it leaves me hopeful that my next trip will uncover a strong sense of community, education, and growing transparency in the Dalat coffee region. I should add that Dalat is home to some of the best banh caah in the country and it's available in morning, afternoon, and evening shifts around town. It might be the perfect break from a caffeine-rich coffee crawl. T H E B I G C I T Y Hours before my return fl ight, I met with Vietnam's fi rst barista champion, 22-year-old Tran Han at Klasik Coffee Roasters in Saigon's bustling and increasingly hip District 1. A sort of Vietnamese coffee prodigy and poised beyond her years, Tran is the epitome of coffee ambassadorship. After three years studying at university, she decided that it wasn't for her, landed a job as a pastry chef, and made a fi tting transition to part-time barista at the start of Vietnam's foray into specialty coffee. She now works at Bosgaurus Coffee Roaster, an "Arabica only" training-oriented operation with high ceilings, gorgeous natural light, and multiple bars that would make any design-minded coffee consumer gleeful. Bosgaurus employs eight baristas and is located in a relatively exclusive part of the city near one of the most expensive apartment complexes around, although this hasn't kept a small coffee community from creating a space for conversation about the industry. Because there is no consistent "offi cial" training course for coffee enthusiasts and young professionals to undertake in Vietnam, regular coffee crawls, farm visits, and friendly knowledge exchange have brought this community to another level. Tran articulated the struggle of explaining coffee as a legitimate profession to family and friends, a frustration many Vietnamese baristas echo as they describe their path to becoming a coffee profes- sional. To "make coffee" is simply to work at one of the thousands of cafés that line Saigon's streets and alleyways, but to develop a career in coffee is much harder to explain to anyone unfamiliar with siphon brewing and the nuances of AeroPress competitions. It took becoming Vietnam's fi rst barista champion in 2016 for family and friends to fully realize the scale of what Tran accomplished in such a short amount Clockwise from top: Xuan Huong Lake is a (man-made) central feature of Dalat. Saigon's urban sprawl stretches to the horizon. The "Valley of Love" (Thung Lung Tinh Yeu) is about as kitsch as it gets, but the misty valley views are spectacular. 46 barista magazine

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