episode-14

ARIGATOU Cafe has a Japanese employee residing in Hanoi. He works for Sennensha Vietnam in the IT and design fields and also manages the cafe.
Here is the report from the employee in Hanoi.

Why does ARIGATOU Cafe serve Japanese drip coffee in Vietnam (Hanoi) - the Kingdom of Coffee?

I'll start from the fact that Japanese style paper drip coffee is not very popular among Vietnamese people.
They always say, “It is weak.”
Eventually, I began to ask ahead in advance, “Our coffee is weaker than Vietnamese coffee, is that okay?” when I received orders from customers.

Vietnam, the world's leading coffee producer and exporter.
Vietnamese coffee is strong and harsh coffee, which is dripped slowly with an aluminum dripper.
And one cup of coffee a day is one of joys of daily life for the people of this country.
I think it's natural for them to be against the concept of drinking Japanese style paper drip coffee, which is different from Vietnamese coffee.
However, the reason why ARIGATOU Cafe still insists on the Japanese style paper drip coffee is because there are a large number of Vietnamese coffee cafes in the neighborhood.

In the beginning, we used to serve paper drip Robusta beans, which are popular among Vietnamese people.
In Japan, paper drip coffee made with Arabica beans is the most common type of coffee, so it's like a different kind of Japanese coffee with a Vietnamese flavor.
“Collaboration of Robusta beans and paper drip” sounds good but the response is not so good.

In April of 2020, due to the corona lockdown situation, Japanese people could not easily return to Japan even if they wanted to.
Even though you don't notice it, when you can't go home, you start to miss the taste of Japan. I thought that there might be some Japanese people who feel the same way.
That is why I decided to purchase Arabica beans that tastes sweeter and softer.
Coffee brewed with Arabica beans is exactly what Japanese coffee is all about.
And if we do this, we’ll add some bean snacks.
Not sunflower seeds, bean snacks.
If Japanese customers can experience the illusion of being in Japan, even for a short time, I think that's all that matters.

We added a small note on the menu, saying that we can also make blend of Arabica and Robusta or 100% Arabica coffee.
Since we always grind coffee from beans and brewing it, the effort is
the same.
As a result of such a small detail, Japanese people started to come to us to drink Arabica coffee.
Even customers who came to the store without knowing us, they noticed the small text on the menu and began to order Arabica coffee. I don't know if they feel the same way I do but it makes me a little happy.

Now, we have regular Vietnamese customers who come to drink coffee every day.
Some of our Vietnamese customers try Arabica coffee for a refreshment.
The most popular menu item at the ARIGATOU Cafe is kakigori but honestly, the happiest moment for me is when people order coffee.

By the way, my own favorite is a blend of 50% Robusta and 50% Arabica.
The bitterness of Robusta and sourness of Arabica are balanced perfectly.
Please give it a try when you visit our store.

“Careful roasting of coffee” is the guideline style of Arigatou Cafe.