When the Vietnam War ended in 1975 the country was on its knees, and economic policies copied from the Soviet Union did nothing to help. Collectivising agriculture proved to be a disaster, so in 1986 the Communist Party carried out a U-turn – placing a big bet, at the same time, on coffee. Coffee production then grew by 20%-30% every year in the 1990s. The industry now employs about 2.6 million people, with beans grown on half a million smallholdings of two to three acres each. This has helped transform the Vietnamese economy. In 1994 some 60% of Vietnamese lived under the poverty line, now less than 10% do. Coffee was introduced to Vietnam by the French in the 19th Century and a processing plant manufacturing instant coffee was functioning by 1950.As much as specialty coffee shops buy Arabica coffee beans, there are plenty who use a Robusta blend particularly for their espressos. Vietnam grows the hardier Robusta bean which produces a great ‘crema’ in an espresso cup. Arabica beans contain between 1% to 1.5% caffeine while Robusta has between 1.6% to 2.7% caffeine. There is a lot more to coffee, though, than caffeine as we all know. Complex flavour chemistry works to make up the flavours inherent in coffee; caffeine on the other hand is such a small percentage of total content, especially compared to other alkaloids, that it has a very minute effect on flavour.
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Turkey began to roast and grind the coffee bean in the 13th Century, and some 300 years later, in the 1500's, the country had become the key distributor of coffee, with markets established in Egypt, Syria, Persia, and Venice, Italy.