Was on biz trip to Vietnam in late 2017. Went to specialist local coffee shop and the brew was fantastic. Had the kick of an angry mule and a really rich flavour. FTR I don’t like drip or perc coffee and outside of specialist coffee houses the general North American and European black water (laughingly called “americano” so I’m not sure who created this label but they were trying to insult Americans, italians and coffee drinkers all in one go) is not to my taste.
Yes Vietnam is mainstay of the global instant coffee supply but they do have some good robusta. And if you aren’t convinced go visit Sumatra where robusta also grown and have a local brew. To die for.
Americano was named for American soldiers stationed in Italy during WWII who didn’t like the taste of full strength espresso, so they would water it down.
So the same people who discovered spaghetti alla carbonara by eating their ham and eggs with pasta.
Funnily enough Soth Koreans love iced Americano regardless of the season. That's even more watered down than regular Americano or Espresso Freddo. Maybe the coffee equivalent of iced tea.
Yes Vietnam is mainstay of the global instant coffee supply but they do have some good robusta. And if you aren’t convinced go visit Sumatra where robusta also grown and have a local brew. To die for.