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5 Must-Try Unique Coffee Experiences In Asia

The next time you are in a new country, ask to experience their coffee.

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1. VIETNAM: You've heard of the Vietnamese drip coffee, have you tried their silky egg coffee?

Egg Coffee in all its delicious glory.

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Vietnam is often lauded for its coffee, which is strong, thick, and oftentimes over-the-top sweet. Sitting at local café’s, you can’t miss the unique way coffee is brewed in Vietnam (through the Phin filter). But, the lesser known, “Egg with Coffee” can be found on menus in hidden coffee shop gems.

over-coffee.com

If you’re put off by the sound of eggs in coffee, don’t be – it’s not the soggy scrambled eggs I’d envisaged, rather an indulgent, silky coffee-flavoured custard. So what’s actually in it? The topping is a combination of egg yolk and condensed milk whipped together until thick and creamy. Once this is spooned into a glass, strong black Vietnamese coffee is poured over the top and left to sink to the bottom. It’s sweet, sinful and definitely more of a dessert than a coffee.

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Vietnamese egg coffee

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Vietnamese drip coffee

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2. MALAYSIA: Malaysia's signature white coffee is thick and aromatic, intense and pure

OLDTOWN White Coffee

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With its rich culture and long history, Ipoh's Old Town white coffee has accompanied Malaysians for over half a century. A Hainanese coffee-blending master from a traditional old-style coffee shop located in Old Town, Ipoh, pioneered white coffee in Malaysia.

oldtown.com.my

The term 'white coffee' has no relevance to its colour but actually refers to the roasting of the coffee. Every cup of OLDTOWN White Coffee is a combination of 3 types of premium coffee beans (Arabica, Robusta and Liberica coffee beans) that have been meticulously roasted to perfection and prepared according to the method of the original white coffee, a process that remains unchanged till this day. This unique process is what gives OLDTOWN White Coffee its incomparable taste, texture and aroma every time.

oldtown.com.my

White coffee's thick, creamy texture gives out a full-bodied taste and an aromatic pleasure with a smooth finish. White coffee, a coffee blend that gives delightful complexity, will long stand in the history of Ipoh. It is a must for tourists to have a taste of the famous, authentic OLDTOWN White Coffee.

oldtown.com.my

Frothy white coffee

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White Coffee

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OLDTOWN White Coffee

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3. THAILAND: Sweet and frothy Thai iced coffee is the perfect pick me up for a hot day

Thai iced coffee

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Thai Coffee, also known as Oliang is a delectable drink that combines coffee with corn, sesame seeds, soybeans and other additions. The name Oliang comes from O, meaning “black” and Liang, meaning “cold” in the Teochew dialect, the main language spoken by Thai Chinese. This delicious iced coffee drink is often served with condensed or evaporated milk, and simple syrup- a sugar water that can be used to sweeten the cold, iced coffee to taste.

lakeforestthaifood.com

Thai iced coffee

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Making Thai iced coffee

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4. INDIA: Watching how the traditional South Indian filter coffee is prepared is a cultural experience by itself

South Indian filter coffee

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Call it coffee, espresso, kaapi or anything you want but every south Indian would wish to wake up to these sinful, little cups of coffee served the traditional way. The south Indian filter coffee is made from dark and roasted coffee beans which is heavier and more pure (70-80%) with chicory (20-30%), and is quite popular in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

indiatimes.com

The cool thing about South Indian filter coffee is the way it’s served and enjoyed. The liquid is served in a tumbler along with a “dabarah”, which is basically a deep saucer where you’re supposed to pour the coffee for it to cool down. Some people drink from the dabarah itself, but I believe the norm involves pouring it back to the higher cup and enjoy it from there itself. Pouring back and forward will help the coffee reach your preferred drinking temperature. If you don’t like sweet coffee, make sure you ask without sugar, as Indian people LOVE sweet taste and will prepare it to the general liking. Other than that, expect a very milk yet strong concoction, that can be enjoyed all over India, but with a strong South Indian personality!

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South Indian filter coffee

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South Indian filter coffee

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5. BALI: Luwak coffee, coffee made from civet cat poop, is perhaps one of the most unusual coffee there is

Luwak coffee

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Coffee Luwak is considered one of the finest coffees available. The Asian Palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) is responsible for the effects of this unique coffee. The omnivorous, tree-climbing civet cat prowls the coffee plantations at night picking and
consuming the finest and best ripe coffee cherries. These pass through the civet and are
collected in the droppings. Beans emerge without their fleshy coating, but entire and appear
undigested. They are extracted by washing and carefully cleansed before being processed.

baliorchidgardens.com

Luwak coffee beans

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A civet cat eating coffee beans.

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