{"product_id":"crop-to-cup-presents-vietnam-tasting-set","title":"Crop to Cup presents: Vietnam Tasting Set","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis kit contains 7 different 1 pound green Vietnamese specialty grade coffees! Very detailed information for each coffee can be found \u003ca href=\"\/products\/crop-to-cup-presents-vietnam-tasting-set\"\u003eHERE\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs part of our exploration into emerging specialty coffee producing countries, in collaboration with \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.96b.co\/\"\u003e96b Cafe and Roastery\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/newmathcoffee.com\/\"\u003eNew Math Coffee\u003c\/a\u003e, Crop to Cup is excited to present a selection of non-Arabica coffees (Liberica and Canephora cultivars) from Vietnam. ⁠\u003cbr\u003e\n⁠\u003cbr\u003e\n\"Why Liberica?\" 96B founder Hana Choi wrote to us. \"It is a long story that can be cut short: In my quest for unique coffee flavor, Liberica appeared as an underrated, and little understood coffees. As far as I know, no one in Vietnam in 2015 really cared to process Liberica as high value green beans. Liberica trees have traditionally been used as a fence or a type of shade tree for other coffee varieties. They have also been used for grafting with Robusta due to their strong roots and thick stems, as well as for their ability to grow well in harsh condition.\"⁠\u003cbr\u003e\n⁠\u003cbr\u003e\nWe're selling seven coffees from this import in one-pound bags through Showroom for roasters to familiarize themselves with the mind-bending and unusual profiles of these coffees.⁠\u003cbr\u003e\n⁠\u003cbr\u003e\nNew Math, who has championed non-Arabica species and has extensive experience roasting them, is offering roasts of three of these coffees for contrast (3 coffees individually in 10 oz retail sizes or all three together as a 3 x 4 oz sampler pack).⁠\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the words of Ben Heins, Crop to Cup's Head of Sales:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"In many ways 2023 was a year of fine-tuning for Crop to Cup. We now have three domestic labs providing sensorial information and (two international), with an embarrassment of talented cuppers on staff that are extremely engaged with the imports. We’ve been getting dialed, focused on how to make sure we don’t miss anything special across our tables, adjusting the tiniest practices and evaluating the result of that change. There’s a process orientation and a level of detail to this pursuit. It feels, if not scientific, certainly the opposite of serendipitous. We know the very specific characteristics of a coffee that we’re looking for - we ‘have a type’, so to speak. It’s thrilling to get better, but it isn’t often very surprising - ‘you only see what you’re looking for’ right?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen we meet Mikey, who would, over the course of time, graciously, shared coffees with us. In 2023 Mikey traveled to Indonesia and came back and hosted a cupping with a really fun subset of coffees that they experienced while traveling. Lot’s of processing innovation to be sure, but because it’s Indonesia, also, some very specific genetics, including, yes - robusta. When I began in Crop to Cup in 2012, Uganda (a 80% Robusta coffee economy) was learning the ‘R’ system - how to grade specialty robusta - according to the Q Coffee Institute. I remember a Ugandan robusta that tasted like a banana shake, amongst a pretty large spectrum of flavors that fell well outside (but also did include) the typical associations with Robusta (rubber, soil). When Mikey introduced Vietnamese Coffees from Hana at 96B, and we tasted through arabicas, libericas and robustas - my experience in Uganda came flooding back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI wasn’t emotional, or gobsmacked. I was just reminded - that the world of coffee that’d I’d been focused on - and pursuing with a healthy amount of vigor - was a small slice. In my pursuit, in our focus, we had become a bit myopic. There’s more to the world of coffee (hellya!) and, it’s changing fast. Also - if I’m being honest, I think I was kind of Gobsmacked.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe offers that you see here are coffees that we love. They’re head scratchers for sure - and that’s a big part of what make me love them. How to use a liberica that is full of orbit gum aspartame flavor crystals is an open question. Tasting coconut notes in a robusta is a delight - and how can that be harnessed? More than anything, this collaborative import is fun. We wanted to share an experience similar to the one Mikey shared with us - a sensorial trip through unusual, unlikely coffees that have been professionally curated to represent what’s happening right now in Vietnamese specialty - a wide embrace of coffee, that lives within and outside of our common understanding and experience of the common specialty definitions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs importers, we’re often in a position to share interesting work from different producing contexts - it’s a joy for that to be our work. It’s even better to be the recipient of other coffee professionals sharing their work with us. So, a heartfelt thank you to New Math and 96B for making these coffees happen. We hope you enjoy this exploration!\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Showroom Coffee","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45927147503676,"sku":"Vietnameseset","price":125.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0719\/5253\/1516\/files\/96B-Collaboration.jpg?v=1785165530","url":"https:\/\/showroomcoffee.com\/products\/crop-to-cup-presents-vietnam-tasting-set","provider":"Showroom Coffee","version":"1.0","type":"link"}