{"id":1295,"date":"2026-02-09T13:49:53","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T04:49:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/?p=1295"},"modified":"2026-05-01T17:10:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T08:10:05","slug":"vietnamese-coffee-taste-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/cafe\/vietnamese-coffee-taste-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is Vietnamese coffee said to be bad? \"Bad,\" \"too bitter,\" \"too strong\""},"content":{"rendered":"

When you look into Vietnamese coffee, in Japanese reviews you'll sometimes see voices such as \"it's bad,\" \"too bitter,\" and \"the character is too strong.\" On the other hand, overseas it's not rare for it to be rated as \"rich and delicious,\" \"amazing combined with milk,\" and \"it has a chocolate-like body.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though it's the same Vietnamese coffee, why are the ratings this divided? To put the conclusion first, the reason lies not in superior or inferior quality but in the type of bean and the assumed way of drinking, as well as the differences in each country's palate culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article organizes the reasons Vietnamese coffee is called bad while explaining the palate gap that arises between Japan and overseas, and further, specific ways of drinking that turn \"bad\" into \"delicious.\" It also touches on the reasons behind the searches that have been increasing for feeling \"Vietnamese coffee makes me drunk\" and \"Vietnamese coffee makes me feel sick.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest reason Japanese people tend to feel it's \"bad\" is Robusta beans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Much of the coffee usually drunk in Japan is Arabica. Arabica has acidity and aroma, with a fruity, light flavor as its feature. In these past few years, light-roast specialty coffee has also become common, and more people now prefer \"a bright aroma\" and \"transparent acidity.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, the mainstream in Vietnam is Robusta. Robusta has very strong bitterness, little acidity, and a heavy body as its features. Its caffeine content is also higher than Arabica, and the impact of the flavor comes out quite strongly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For that reason, when Japanese people take a sip black, they tend to feel<\/p>\n\n\n\n

- Too bitter
- No acidity and monotonous
- Feels harsh<\/p>\n\n\n\n

which leads to the impression of \"bad.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this is not to say Robusta is inferior. Robusta has a major strength: its concentration is high, so its flavor doesn't lose out even when combined with milk or sweetness. In other words, Vietnamese coffee is not designed to be judged black; it's \"a flavor completed by combining it with something.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, Robusta is not a bean that evolved on the premise of being drunk on its own. Improved for the purpose of mass production and stable supply, and armed with strong bitterness and high caffeine content, it is also a presence premised on \"being processed.\" That is why Robusta is often used in instant coffee, canned coffee, and sweetened drinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, Vietnamese coffee differs in its very design philosophy from Japan's \"coffee culture of enjoying the character of the bean.\" If you judge it without knowing that, it can be said to be a natural flow that you'd feel it \"has off-flavors\" or is \"cheap.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason international ratings split is that the \"assumed way of drinking\" differs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Japan, many people drink coffee black, and it's established as a luxury item for enjoying aroma and finish. That's why, when bitterness stands out, it tends to be judged as \"poorly balanced.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, overseas, especially in regions with a strong milk culture, coffee is often rated on the premise of combining it with milk, and it's rather felt to be lacking if it isn't strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It's the same in Vietnam, where the condensed-milk ca phe sua da is the standard. By combining strongly bitter coffee with sweet, rich condensed milk, it becomes a dessert-like cup. If you try it black without knowing this way of drinking, it's a natural flow to feel it's \"just bitter.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, it can be said that the difference in ratings owes more to the difference in \"what way of drinking is assumed\" than to the flavor itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specific points on why Vietnamese coffee is called bad<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Behind Vietnamese coffee being called bad, several factors overlap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, the bitterness is very strong. With Robusta times a strong extraction, the bitterness comes out straight. It's an appeal for those who like bitterness, but for those who don't, the stimulation is too strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next is the point that almost no acidity is felt. There's no fruity acid preferred in Japan, and many people find it hard to feel dimensionality in the flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, variability in quality also has an effect. Vietnam is one of the world's leading coffee producers with a wide price range, and the flavor differs greatly by roasting and storage condition. If you happen to hit a cup that doesn't suit you during your trip, it stays as the impression that \"Vietnamese coffee = bad.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\u30ab\u30d5\u30a7\u3067\u306e\u30b3\u30fc\u30d2\u30fc\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the reason it's \"delicious when made into a caf\u00e9 latte\"<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is the important part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Precisely because Vietnamese coffee is bitter and strong, it transforms all at once when combined with milk. Made into a caf\u00e9 latte, the bitterness rounds off, and the heavy body unique to Robusta changes into a flavor like chocolate or nuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Light Arabica-based coffee can lose out to the milk when made into a latte, but because Robusta's concentration is high, its flavor doesn't disappear. That's why it pairs very well with caf\u00e9 latte and condensed-milk latte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many cases where even people who felt it was \"bad\" black feel it's \"unexpectedly delicious\" when made into a latte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason Vietnamese coffee makes you feel \"drunk\" or \"sick\"<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The frequent searches for \"Vietnamese coffee makes me drunk\" and \"Vietnamese coffee makes me feel sick\" are mainly due to the effect of caffeine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robusta has more caffeine than Arabica and is also extracted more strongly, so the amount of caffeine entering the body increases all at once. As a result,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

- Heart palpitations
- Feeling dazed
- A queasy stomach<\/p>\n\n\n\n

are symptoms some people experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be especially careful on an empty stomach or when drinking it all at once. As countermeasures: keep the amount modest, always eat something before drinking, dilute it with milk, and drink slowly. Just these four points change how it feels quite a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary: It's not bad; \"the direction of the flavor is different\"<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The reason Vietnamese coffee is called bad lies in the strong bitterness and low acidity unique to Robusta beans, and the strong impact from a strong extraction. Compared with the Arabica-centered coffee common in Japan, the direction of the flavor differs greatly, so the sense of disconnect that \"it's different from the coffee I imagined\" easily leads directly to the rating of \"bad.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, overseas, a culture of enjoying it combined with milk and sweetness is rooted, and the same features are often received positively as \"rich and full-bodied\" and \"delicious when made into a latte.\" Herein lies a major reason the ratings split at home and abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you drink Vietnamese coffee and feel it's \"bad,\" next do try it as a caf\u00e9 latte. Precisely because it's bitter and strong, its true appeal is drawn out when combined with milk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vietnamese coffee is a drink where preferences divide. But that owes not to a quality problem but to the difference in the direction of the flavor and the way of drinking. Just by changing the premise a little, the impression will surely change.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We explain why Vietnamese coffee is called \u201cbad,\u201d from the characteristics of the Robusta bean and differences in taste culture. We clearly cover the gap with overseas ratings, tips for making it delicious as a caf\u00e9 latte, and the causes of feeling drunk or queasy.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":197,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"swell_btn_cv_data":"","ssp_meta_description":"\u300c\u30d9\u30c8\u30ca\u30e0\u30b3\u30fc\u30d2\u30fc\u306f\u307e\u305a\u3044\u300d\u300c\u82e6\u3059\u304e\u308b\u300d\u300c\u30af\u30bb\u304c\u5f37\u3044\u300d\u3068\u8a00\u308f\u308c\u308b\u4e00\u65b9\u3001\u6d77\u5916\u3067\u306f\u300c\u6fc3\u539a\u3067\u7f8e\u5473\u3057\u3044\u300d\u3068\u8a55\u4fa1\u3055\u308c\u308b\u771f\u9006\u306a\u7406\u7531\u3002\u30ed\u30d6\u30b9\u30bf\u30fb\u6df1\u714e\u308a\u30fb\u7df4\u4e73\u306e\u7d44\u307f\u5408\u308f\u305b\u304c\u751f\u3080\u5473\u306e\u6b63\u4f53\u3092\u5728\u4f4f\u8005\u304c\u89e3\u8aac\u3057\u307e\u3059\u3002","ssp_meta_keyword":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,39,18,21],"tags":[26,242,244,238,246],"purpose":[151,128],"keyword":[168,177,169,170,174],"location":[423],"class_list":["post-1295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cafe","category-coffee","category-column","category-travel","tag-coffee","tag-coffee-culture","tag-phin-drip-tag","tag-vietnamese-coffee-tag","tag-robusta-species","purpose-learning-experience","purpose-food-and-drink","keyword-coffee","keyword-phin-drip","keyword-vietnamese-coffee","keyword-robusta","keyword-condensed-milk-coffee","location-central-highlands"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1295"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2087,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1295\/revisions\/2087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1295"},{"taxonomy":"purpose","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/purpose?post=1295"},{"taxonomy":"keyword","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/keyword?post=1295"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=1295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}