Frequently Asked Questions
About Coffee
What is Arabica ?
Originating from Ethiopia, Arabica coffee plants are grown at high altitudes, around 1,000 meters or above, near the Equator, in regions with distinct wet and dry seasons. Arabica coffee beans have a rich and complex flavor, a sweet aftertaste with little bitterness and slight sourness. The caffeine content is usually around 1.2% to 2%. Arabica is used worldwide for making coffee drinks.
Where are coffee beans mostly grown ?
According to International Coffee Organization, Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer with Arabica predominantly grown in the country. Vietnam is the world’s largest Robusta coffee producer.
What is Robusta ?
Robusta coffee plants are grown on areas of elevation below 1,000 meters, near the Equator, in regions with distinct wet and dry seasons. Robusta coffee beans are strong and bitter, but not sour. The caffeine content is about 2% to 4%. Robusta coffee is often used to extract caffeine for the beverage and confectionery industry.
What is Catimor ?
Catimor is a cross between Timor (Robusta) and Caturra (Arabica). It was developed in Portugal in 1959. Catimor is very resistant to diseases and has a high yield. Catimor is currently grown in Xuan Truong hamlet Dalat city and in Lac Duong district Lam Dong province. The variety is often mistaken with original Arabica.
What is Peaberry ?
A coffee flower usually contains two ovules which grow into two separate seeds in a coffee cherry. Sometimes, one of the two seeds fails to develop due to insufficient pollination or lack of nutrients if the cherry is located at the outer ends of branches. As a result, only one seed develops into a round shape as the bean ripens and is known as a Peaberry. Coffee cherries with one round bean from Robusta trees are Robusta Peaberries, from Arabica trees are Arabica Peaberries. Although some people like Peaberries, the beans may not taste better than regular ones.
What is Specialty Coffee ?
Specialty coffee is coffee that meets all Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)’s strict standards from seed to cup. The people involved in the process of creating specialty coffee must possess a high degree of knowledge, the right technology, and a strong passion. The highest quality and excellence are the most crucial goal throughout the lifecycle of specialty coffee. As a significant factor in the specialty coffee value chain, consumers of specialty coffee need to be informed. They are people who have passion, artistic sense, and scientific knowledge.
What is Mocha? Where are Mocha trees planted ?
Mocha coffee beans, also called Moka, originate from Yemen. Mocha was brought to Vietnam by the French and was planted in Cau Dat – a hamlet of Xuan Truong commune in Da Lat city, and in Lac Duong- a district of Lam Dong province. Known for its exceptional sweetness, Mocha is a legendary coffee. However, the coffee has a low yield and is susceptible to pests and diseases, which makes it costly to grow. Nowadays, Mocha is almost no longer grown in Vietnam. In Kenya, Scott Laboratories have developed SL28 and SL34 varieties based on Mocha and Bourbon. The varieties from Rukera farm in Kenya won the Best of Harvest competition held by Eastern African Fine Coffees Association. The Rukera coffee has an intense aroma of flowers and dried fruits.
How to tell if the coffee is pure or has been mixed with fillers and additives ?
Adding chemicals, flavoring, fillers, and preservatives into commercial coffee is a common practice; this is possibly due to habits. Some so-called experts believe that coffee is drinkable only after mixed with flavors, aromas, alcohol, butter, corns, soybeans, and cocoa. The reason is these adulterated coffee beans are usually of Robusta type which has a bitter and earthy flavor. To improve its taste, coffee producers need to add “flavoring”. As a result, producers have their own secret of adding additives to suit the taste of different customers. In the world, additive-free coffee is a delicious and well-liked drink because the coffee beans used for making the coffee drink is of Arabica type. Before buying coffee, consumers need to carefully read the information on the package because, by law, manufacturers must clearly indicate all the ingredients and the number of certificate of compliance with food safety requirements. It should be noted that pure and freshly roasted coffee emits lots of CO2 gas. A coffee bag, therefore, usually has a one-way degassing valve to prevent it from bursting.
What are the differences between Arabica and Robusta ?
The differences between Arabica and Robusta are as follows:
- Robusta has a strong, bold, and bitter taste. Arabica is slightly sour, sweet, and aromatic.
- Caffeine content is from 2% to 4% for Robusta, from 1.2% to 2% for Arabica.
- Arabica contains almost twice the amount of fat and sugar as Robusta.
- Unroasted Robusta beans are less expensive than unroasted Arabica beans.
- Robusta has a higher yield and is less susceptible to diseases than Arabica.
- Robusta beans are round while Arabica beans are more of an oval shape.
- Robusta trees are 2.5-meter to 4.5-meter tall whereas Arabica trees grow to a height of 4.5 meters to 6 meters.
- Arabica tastes sourer than Robusta.
- Robusta trees have shorter flowering and fruiting cycles than Arabica trees.
- Robusta is primarily grown in Vietnam because of its high yield, its strong resistance to diseases, and the adequate climate and growing conditions of the region.
About 1864 CAFÉ®
Where to buy 1864 CAFÉ® products ?
In Ho Chi Minh City, 1864 CAFÉ® products are available at the Markets of Safe Farm Produce (Chợ Phiên Nông Sản An Toàn) organized by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and at authorized distributors and retailers across the country. Customers can also call 08 8811 1864 or purchase online from many e-commerce websites including Lotte.vn, Lazada.vn, Tiki.vn, Shop.vnexpress.net, coophomeshopping.vn, Shopee.vn, Sendo.vn, and Amazon.ca.
is your coffee ground or whole bean?
Our 1864 CAFÉ® products are available in both ground and whole bean, at the same price. To make the best possible cup of coffee, we recommend that you invest in a coffee grinder and always purchase whole bean coffee.
Which product is recommended for Vietnamese brew ?
Depending on your taste, you may want to choose one of the following products:
- THUNDER® No.1, THUNDER® No.2: high caffeine content, super strong, suitable for making iced coffee with condensed milk.
- THUNDER® No.3 and above are for long-time coffee drinkers and coffee connoisseurs who can distinguish subtleties in flavor of different coffee varieties.
- THUNDER® No.3, THUNDER® No.4: great for making iced coffee with or without condensed milk.
- THUNDER® No.5, THUNDER® No.6: high proportion of Arabica beans, excellent for brewing a hot cup of coffee.
- THUNDER® No.7, THUNDER® No.8: very high proportion of Arabica beans, perfect for making black hot coffee without sugar, and also suitable for use in Espresso machines.
Which products are recommended for automatic coffee machines ?
Pro Barista and Exquisite Barista are crafted for fully automatic coffee machines. Roasted with Anti-Residue™ technology, the coffee beans are perfect for fully automatic espresso machines (super-automatics) to make espresso, latté, cappuccino, latté macchiato, americano, flat white…as well as excellent for use in all coffee makers from Jura, Faema, Rancilio, De’Longhi, Gaggia, Philips Saeco, Nivona, Bosch, Nuova Simonelli, Melitta, La Cimbali, Fagor, KRUPS, Miele.
How do I become an authorized distributor/retailers of 1864 CAFÉ® products ?
I like strong and aromatic coffee mixed with condensed milk, which product should I buy ?
All products from our international coffee brand 1864 CAFÉ® are pure, free of additives and adulterants such as sugar, alcohol, caramel, artificial flavor, artificial aroma, vanilla, cocoa, artificial coffee flavor, kopi luwak (weasel) flavor, soybeans, corns, and other adulterants. Thunder No.4 is recommended for making hot coffee or iced coffee with or without condensed milk.
What are the differences among Thunder No.1, No.2, No.3... No.8 ?
- THUNDER® No.1, THUNDER® No.2: high caffeine content, up to 2.5%, super strong, good for making iced coffee with or without condensed milk.
- THUNDER® No.3, THUNDER® No.4: great for making iced coffee with or without condensed milk.
- THUNDER® No.5, THUNDER® No.6: high proportion of Arabica beans, perfect for making hot coffee.
- THUNDER® No.7, THUNDER® No.8: very high proportion of Arabica beans, produce a rich layer of crema, very good for making hot coffee without sugar, and excellent for use in coffee machines.
I saw products bearing the name Thunder sold at HCMC’s markets of safe farm produce. Are they made by 1864 CAFÉ® ?
Thank you for your support and interest in the 1864 CAFÉ® Thunder products. All of our products are pure, and free from additives and fillers. The production process is strictly managed according to the ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety Management System and is certified to the quality control system HACCP Codex. We guarantee that our products’ quality lives up to our goal, which is “customers’ health is our top priority”. Our Thunder coffee products aim to provide customers, who like natural and authentic coffee, a genuine experience of pure coffee free from added aroma, flavoring or coloring. For that reason, 1864 CAFÉ® has been participating in the Markets of Safe Farm Produce (Chợ Phiên Nông Sản An Toàn) organized by Ho Chi Minh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, where safe agricultural products are distributed. Visit the market to try our 1864 CAFÉ® products today.
Do you sell specialty coffee ?
1864 CAFÉ® is a member of Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and has been a roaster, importer, and retailer of specialty coffee under the brand name Exquisite® in Vietnam since 2015. 1864 CAFÉ® introduced specialty coffee at the 2016 Coffee Expo and Viet Coffee Style (Hội chợ chuyên ngành cà phê và Tuần lễ Văn hóa cà phê Việt, 2016) which was broadcasted on HTV9 (Ho Chi Minh City Television). Also in 2017, 1864 CAFÉ® participated in the Vietnam Foodexpo. For further information on our Exquisite® Specialty Coffee, please go to Products > Specialty Coffee.