LA VIET CAFE, COFFEE GROWERS AND ROASTERS
Of all the Dalat coffee tours on offer, the best is perhaps by La Viet (Là Việt). Home to Dalat’s – and some of Vietnam’s – finest bean-to-cup coffee, La Viet is café, coffee producer, roastery, and barista training centre in one. Located in a big, airy warehouse space with a cool contemporary style that could be in Saigon, Bangkok, Melbourne, or New York, but comes as a surprise in Dalat, La Viet is a must-do for serious coffee drinkers.
The big blackboard menus feature a long list of coffees you’d find on blackboard menus in any serious café around the world – don’t come here for a ca phe sua da or other traditional Vietnamese filter coffees, as there’s none on the menu. And don’t come for the food – when we visited there was little more than cakes and biscuits to accompany your coffee; it’s all about the coffee here.
Staff at La Viet offer regular, short, behind-the-scenes coffee tours of the facility, which tour operators and guides can book ahead if you’ve only got one day in Dalat and are on a tight schedule. However, if you are serious about your coffee, you have more time and you’re travelling independently of a guide or group, there are two scheduled daily tours on offer for 500,000 VND per person.
On the morning tour (8-11.30am) you get to visit La Viet’s coffee farm to learn how coffee is planted and harvested, while on the afternoon tour (1.30-4.30pm) you get a more in-depth look at how coffee beans are graded, processed and roasted, and some hands-on experiences at roasting and coffee making.
As we only had one day in Dalat and were tight on time, we did one of the regular on-site behind-the-scenes coffee tours of La Viet’s facility and process, which, while fast and only provided a brief overview, was still fascinating. It’s a great introduction to those still learning about coffee.
Make sure you allow some time to browse their wonderful little boutique. You can buy La Viet coffee, coffee makers and accessories, along with local teas, honey, jams, Marou Chocolate, and more, and it’s all amazing value. And try their coffee of course
