Dak Lak Specialty Coffee – the taste of the Central Highlands mountains and forests

1300’s started its journey to discover Dak Lak quite a while ago, it has the perfect location with suitable microclimate conditions and dedicated farmers who proudly grow Robusta coffee to the highest standards. Contrary to what many people think, Robusta coffee is not inferior to Arabica coffee. It has a completely different taste. It grows larger, has larger leaves and has a higher yield per hectare than Arabica. The product is roasted slowly, the coffee beans will have a rich flavor, the finished product will be a cup of coffee full of emotions with natural caffeine, flavors of dark chocolate and roasted nuts.

Soil: Red basaltic soils

Altitude: 650m above sea level

Average temperature: 23 – 24 °C

Average rainfall: 1.518 mm/year

Coffee (mainly Robusta coffee) is the main economic sector of Dak Lak, an agricultural product reminiscent of the capital of the Central Highlands, with a famous coffee brand from the French colonial period – Buon Ma Thuot Coffee (Dak Lak Specialty Coffee)

Even with the number 2 position in the world in exports, Vietnam’s Robusta coffee cannot change the quality shortcomings compared to Arabica beans. Robusta’s rough, astringent and strong taste has caused the world market to underestimate its quality and consider it a low-grade product used to make instant coffee.

Initially, specialty coffee only applied to Arabica coffee, but now it also applies to Robusta coffee. Standards and evaluation procedures for specialty coffee are applied according to the World Specialty Coffee Association (for Arabica) and the World Coffee Quality Institute (for Robusta).

First of all, harvesting, pre-processing, and processing Robusta coffee is technically more difficult than Arabica, because the sugar content in Robusta beans is low, so it is difficult to ferment, making the creation of unique scents difficult. harder. However, this entire process helps form new flavors for coffee and overcomes “error points” of Robusta beans.

When growing Robusta coffee, 1300’s and the farmers here will prioritize organic fertilizers, do not use chemical fertilizers, do not spray pesticides, and use vegetation and shade trees to retain moisture and water. We ensure strict processes from care, harvesting to processing.

For coffee roasting levels, 1300’s are used: Light, Medium or Dark. Each roast level, coffee will create its own unique flavor and aroma. Modern roasting technology allows coffee beans to ripen evenly, without burning, retaining the most delicious flavor. Depending on your preferences and coffee taste, 1300’s will advise you on the appropriate roast level.

For Dak Lak Specialty Coffee (Robusta), we choose the honey processing method, this method is a combination of the wet method and the natural method. However, we do not remove all or will retain all of the slime before drying. This will give the coffee beans a dark brown color similar to honey, while retaining a lot of sweetness and a soft body when enjoying.

The footprints of the 1300’s team are gradually appearing more in the sunny and windy land of the Central Highlands (Dak Lak), we will accompany the farmers on their journey to conquer the ripe red Robusta coffee forests. At the same time, it awakens potential and contributes to building a specialty coffee region, bringing the Dak Lak Specialty Coffee brand to coffee lovers around the world.