It has a magical quality that allows each country to create its own brand of coffee. Every mouthful is a cultural, taste, and history story. Speaking of Asia, there are two brands that are remarkable for their daring taste and traditions of brewing coffee: the Thai Coffee vs Vietnamese Coffee. These two are not only drinks, but cultural events, which have crossed borders and settled in cafes worldwide.
Vietnamese coffee is prepared through the phin filter and ends up being very strong, intense in flavour, particularly the ca phe sua da (Vietnamese iced coffee), flavoured with condensed milk. Thai coffee, or Oliang, on the other hand, is smoother and aromatic and can be mixed with some grains or spices to form the creamy Thai iced coffee that is adored by its light sweetness.
Each style reflects its country’s culture and climate, one bold and robust, the other smooth and refreshing. And while traditional versions use beans, our brand Karkze brings a modern twist with mushroom coffee powder, a bean-free alternative coffee that offers the same ritual and comfort with a gentler touch.
What is Thai Coffee?
Thai coffee comes with its own cultural flavor and charm. Thai coffee is also referred to locally as Oliang and is known to be light-spiced, smooth, and aromatic. Rather than having a mixture of coffee beans, Thai iced coffee is usually mixed with coffee beans with roasted grains, soy beans, or cardamom that provide an exceptional nutty, floral aroma.
It is brewed using a standard cloth filter known as a tungdtom, which imparts rich, earthy flavors and mellows the bitterness in the final brew. It is normally combined with sugar as well as condensed milk and sometimes evaporated milk, and yup, chosen for giving that iconic creamy sweetness that makes Oliang so memorable among the Thai street cafes.
The coffee culture in Thailand has started to grow faster, too, as the simple roadside salespeople have turned into sophisticated coffee shops in an attempt to experiment with green blends and domestic beans. Thailand coffee can be hot or iced, but it is all about moderation: a relaxing blend of aromas, sweetness, and coolness on tropical days.
Types of Thai Coffee
Thailand has a variety of coffee varieties, all of them adjusted to specific tastes and occasions:
- Oliang (Traditional Thai Iced Coffee) – Made with a blend of grains, spices, and coffee, served with sugar and milk on top of ice. It is light, refreshing, and aromatic.
- Thai Iced Latte – Upgraded. It is produced with espresso shots, sweetened condensed milk, and crushed ice more strength than Oliang and is nevertheless creamy.
- Hot Thai Coffee – It is served hot served typically with breakfast and with sweet pastries.
- Thai Coffee Mixes Street style – Popular ready-to-mix powders that can be readily purchased in the local markets and provide a simple means of making home-made authentic flavors.
Every type of Thai coffee is an expression of the creativity and warmth of the country, becoming bold but friendly, simple but rich in different flavors. And to those who desire an alternative to beans that still gives the same level of comfort, Karkze has introduced a mushroom coffee powder that gives coffee its essence without beans in a smooth, well-balanced manner.
Read More about Why Mushroom Coffee Is Replacing Espresso Today
What is Vietnamese Coffee?
Vietnamese coffee is the drink that possibly embodies the soul of Vietnam. With its strong aroma and intense taste, this coffee is highly embedded in the country's culture, as both early-morning street stands and modern hipster cafes serve it. The secret of its strength is in the beans of Robusta, the beans comprising approximately 90 percent of the coffee production in Vietnam. These are harder, bitterer, and they have almost twice the amount of caffeine Arabica has, which makes the Vietnamese iced coffee (ca phe sua da) have the unique flavor that it can be recognized by.
Historically, it is made with a small drip filter in a metal phin filter, which drips with hot water over a glass of ground coffee. The technique produces a thick, concentrated brew which is generally combined with sweetened condensed milk to form a creamy, dessert-like beverage. It is taken black (ca phe den da) by some to make it more powerful and bold.
In Today's world, Vietnam is the second-largest coffee exporter with an average export of 17-18 percent of the world's coffee. It has fallen in love with coffee and made it its identity, a blend of French influence, local creativity, and pure passion for taste.
Types of Vietnamese Coffee
There are numerous delicious varieties of Vietnamese coffee, each offering a different taste experience:
- Ca phe sua da – The most renowned Vietnamese iced coffee, only made of Robusta beans, condensed milk, and ice. It is good, spicy, and refreshing.
- Ca Phe Den Da – iced black coffee with no milk that delivers the full and bitter experience of Robusta.
- Egg Coffee (Ca phe Trung) – A delicacy in Hanoi where the yolk of the egg is whipped together with sugar and coffee, resulting in a thick, custard-like foamy layer.
- Coconut Coffee – Tropical taste with coconut milk or cream, and it is creamy and sweet.
- Weasel Coffee (Kopi Luwak) – A luxury, very rare one, a type of coffee ground with digested civet cat beans, which is very aromatic and very expensive.
Both categories will emphasize how creative and coffee-driven the Vietnamese are, and every cup of coffee is a chance to be comfortable, take a stand, and be decadent.
Explore More: Discover Karkze: The Top-Rated Mushroom Coffee Brand
Thai Coffee vs Vietnamese Coffee – Key Differences
Thai coffee vs Vietnamese coffee is not only a matter of taste, but also everything, including the beans, brew apparatus, and so on. They are both Southeast Asian hits, but each drink tells an entirely different story.
Here’s a simple breakdown to understand how they differ:
|
Feature |
Thai Coffee (Oliang) |
Vietnamese Coffee (Ca Phe Sua Da) |
|
Base |
Mix of coffee, grains, and spices |
100% Robusta beans |
|
Flavor |
Smooth, aromatic, slightly sweet |
Bold, strong, and bittersweet |
|
Brewing Tool |
Tungdtom cloth filter |
Phin filter metal dripper |
|
Sweetener |
Sugar, condensed milk, or evaporated milk |
Condensed milk or sugar |
|
Texture |
Lighter, creamy, refreshing |
Thicker, more concentrated |
|
Serving Style |
Usually iced (Thai iced coffee) |
Often iced (Ca phe sua da) |
|
Caffeine Content |
Moderate |
Very high (Robusta beans) |
Thai coffee is more of a glass of dessert, easy to drink, smooth and well-balanced, particularly on hot days. It is ideal for people who like light sweetness with a touch of spice. Vietnamese coffee, conversely, is strong and heavy; it is consumed by individuals who desire the additional rush of caffeine as well as the assertive aroma.
The other major distinction is in the ingredients. Thai coffee is commonly mixed with roasted grains, soy beans, and cardamom, whereas Vietnamese coffee is made of strong Robusta beans only. Not even their way of brewing passes without a story; one pours through a cloth, the other through metal. Both styles have a strong background in their cultures, but attract totally different tastes.
Thai Coffee vs Vietnamese Coffee – Which Is Better?
The real question of which is better between Thai coffee vs Vietnamese coffee is dependent on the question of taste and compliance with caffeine content. The two are appetizing but serve varied moods and styles of living.
Vietnamese coffee can get you to fall in love with it in case you like robust and rich coffee that has a rich roasted taste. It contains high caffeine due to its composition of mostly Robusta beans, almost 2.7% caffeine per bean, whereas Arabica contains almost 1.5% caffeine per bean. That’s why a cup of ca phe sua da is a really energizing shot in the punch. It works well even on those mornings when one is in a hurry or just needs to have a wake-up jolt.
However, Thai coffee can be a better fit in case you like a coffee with a smoother, light texture with a fragrance. It is more balanced and kind to the stomach due to its combination of coffee, grains, and cardamom, and it is regularly offered cold as Thai iced coffee (Oliang). It is cool, tasty, and best suited to relaxed afternoons.
There is, however, an additional alternative to the coffee lovers who may wish to be able to skip the beans and use the mushroom coffee powder created by Karkze. It is a coffee substitute made of beans without caffeine and acidity, causing excessive energy effects on the body.
So, which is better? The fact is, they are equally incredible. Vietnamese coffee is power-giving, and Thai coffee is comforting. And when you feel like having something that is not only healthy, but also good, Karkze is a new take on the old coffee flavor, sweet, easy, and flavorfully unlike other drinks.
Also Explore: Organic Mushroom Coffee: Your Healthy Energy Boost
Conclusion
Thai coffee vs Vietnamese coffee. It is evident that both of them present something really special in every cup, a flavor of Southeast Asia. Thai coffee is marked by its grains and cardamom sugary smoothness, which can be combined with grains and cardamom to create a nice and relaxing drink. Instead, Vietnamese coffee provides an aggressive strength and rich coffee taste with the help of the phin filter and the powerful Robusta beans.
It is all up to your personality and mood. In case you like strong and intense flavor with a severe caffeine kick, Vietnamese iced coffee (ca phe sua da) is your choice. However, in case you are more into light, cool, and fragrant, Thai iced coffee (Oliang) is sure to become your new love every time.
However, to those who want to have a healthier, more bean-free coffee, Karkze mushroom coffee powder offers a new twist to the issue. It embodies the spirit of non-bean coffee, and it has a less acidic and smoother flavor that fits well into the lifestyle of wellness in the contemporary world.
So, when you are drinking a cold Oliang on one of those sunny afternoons or you need to get yourself going with a shot of ca phe sua da, you know there is a story behind every cup. And in case you are seeking a new page of taste and wellness, Karkze is your new drink of choice.