If Hanoi is famous for egg coffee, Ho Chi Minh City is famous for iced milk coffee, Hue - the ancient capital impresses with its unique drink - salt coffee.
Although not a traditional drink of Hue, salted coffee seems to have become a "specialty" favored by local people and attracting the curiosity of tourists over the past decade.
Salted coffee appeared in Hue more than 10 years ago and quickly won the hearts of local people, quickly becoming a popular drink in all provinces.
However, few people know that the first cafe to sell this drink was a small cafe. The first shop serving salted coffee is at 10 Nguyen Luong Bang, which is rated the best in terms of taste. The second location of the shop at 142 Dang Thai Than has more investment in space, customers come to the shop not only to drink coffee but also to take photos.
As the name suggests, salted coffee is prepared from three main ingredients: coffee, milk and salt. The special feature of this drink at the shop is that it still uses traditional aluminum filters to make coffee, which not only maintains the flavor but also creates a feeling of nostalgia and slow living.
Each cup of salted coffee consists of three layers: Condensed milk layer at the bottom, milk cream layer and traditional aluminum coffee filter placed on top.
Diners need to patiently wait for each drop of coffee to drip onto the layer of pure white salt cream below. After the coffee has finished flowing, just stir well and you can enjoy.
The combination of the bitterness of coffee, the sweetness of milk and the saltiness of salt creates a harmonious, unique flavor. Salt plays a neutralizing role, highlighting the sweetness of milk and reducing the bitterness of coffee.
At this cafe, a cup of salted coffee costs 15,000 VND. With a strange but harmonious, unique flavor and affordable price, many diners are addicted to this drink from the first time they enjoy it .
Ha Vy, from Hai Duong, shared: "In my area, there is salted coffee, but it is pre-brewed salted coffee, the cup is large so the flavor is not strong. The main flavor of salted coffee is ' Its 'homeland' is really different, it's worth a try."
Thanh Mai, traveling nearly 1,000km from Dong Nai to Hue to enjoy salted coffee, had a similar feeling: "Basically quite similar to Ho Chi Minh City's iced milk coffee, but the salty taste of salt and The unique way of enjoying filtered coffee gives the drink its own unique characteristics that other coffee shops do not have."
Because she was impressed with this unique flavor but didn't have much time to stay in the ancient capital, Thanh Mai decided to buy a bottle of salted coffee to bring back to her hometown and introduce it to relatives. A take-away bottle of salted coffee with a capacity of 250ml costs 60,000 VND.
Another plus point is the restaurant space. Although not too large, there is both indoor and outdoor space. The restaurant's interior uses warm tones, creating a cozy and nostalgic feeling.
The campus is full of trees, fresh and quiet, so diners can still feel comfortable and at ease even in the harsh sunlight of the ancient capital this season. The shop has music playing, suitable for relaxing and serves free tea.
Salt coffee is not only a drink, but also a symbol of the slow, simple lifestyle of Hue people. If you have the opportunity to come to Hue, diners should stop by to enjoy unique cups of salted coffee and enjoy every everyday moment of the land of poetry.
