According to CNN Travel , in recent months, a new drink trend suddenly emerged on social networking platforms like TikTok: How to turn a cup of Starbucks coffee into delicious Vietnamese iced coffee?
And more and more people are sharing about a special version of this sweet, caffeine-rich drink - salted coffee.
The origin of this popular drink is " Ca Phe Muoi " - a small, simple coffee shop in Hue city.
Sharing with CNN Travel , Ms. Ho Thi Thanh Huong and Mr. Tran Nguyen Huu Phong said: "We created salt coffee in 2010, when we opened the first Salt Coffee shop at 10 Nguyen Luong Bang street."
The combination of condensed milk, salt and black coffee creates a wonderful mixture, soothing the bitter taste of coffee and balancing the sweetness of condensed milk.
"We hope the name salted coffee will be easy to attract because people often think that black coffee only has sugar or milk. We want to open a different cafe, so the flavor of salted coffee will retain guests" - the couple shared.
Curious locals and tourists started coming to the shop and showing interest in this special drink. According to the shop owner, Hue people have the habit of drinking black coffee mixed with sugar or condensed milk, so salty coffee is considered a strange drink.
Not long after that, salted coffee became famous as a specialty drink representing Hue. After the years of the COVID-19 pandemic, salted coffee became a trend throughout Vietnam.
However, Vietnam is not the only country that adds salt to coffee. In 2023, an article on Bon Appetit, an American culinary website, suggested people add salt to drinks to reduce bitterness and enhance flavor. The article notes that this tradition dates back hundreds of years in countries such as Türkiye, Hungary and Siberia.
But, the world is increasingly expressing special interest in Vietnamese coffee. About 71% of Gen Z consumers interviewed by Mintel in the US said they were interested in trying Asian-inspired coffee drinks like Vietnamese coffee.
7 Leaves Café, a chain of coffee shops selling Vietnamese drinks in the US, has expanded to more than 40 branches across the country after opening its first coffee shop in California in 2011.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese coffee shops have popped up across the country, with Phin Ca Phe in Seattle and Café Roasters in Philadelphia among those offering salted versions of the coffee. Across the Atlantic in London (UK), places like Caphe House offer a variety of Vietnamese coffee drinks including egg coffee.
