Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Bean
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA
The geographical area corresponding to the GI of Buôn Ma Thuột coffee bean includes: districts of Cư M’gar, Ea H’leo, Krông Ana, Krông Buk, Krông Năng, Krông Pak and Buon Ma Thuot city, Dak Lak province.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND REPUTATION
Coffee originally was first introduced to Vietnam in the late 19th century when French missionaries brought coffee trees from the island
of Bourbon and planted them around Tonkin. Coffee plants have been grown in Tay Nguyen, the Central Highlands region, since the early
20th century. With ideal growing conditions, coffee plantations have expanded and rapidly developed in the Central Highlands, especially
in Buon Ma Thuot, which is generally considered the “coffee capital” of Vietnam.
Robusta coffee plants are found to grow well at altitudes from 400m to 800m above the sea level, on fertile basalt soil and under favorable
climate conditions such as cold and cool weather and low air humidity in the early dry season. Especially, during the period from September
to December when the beans (seeds) strongly accumulate dry mass and fruit ripening occurs, temperature variations between day and night
are large (11 to 17.50C). Such conditions bring the outstanding strong taste to Buôn Ma Thuột coffee. In addition, traditional farming practices
and indigenous cultural traditions of local ethnic groups (Ede, Gia Rai, etc.) have constituted the particular quality traits and invisible cultural
values of Buôn Ma Thuột coffee, exhibiting the cultural identities of Tay Nguyen.
Buôn Ma Thuột coffee is one of the two Vietnamese products recognized as Protected Geographical Indications in Thailand.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Buôn Ma Thuột coffee beans are produced from fresh cherries of coffea canephora (robusta) by either wet or dry processing method. Coffee beans bear the color of grey-green, green or light greygreen, are 10 - 11mm in length and 3 - 4mm in thickness with typical aroma. Roasted coffee beans have a lightly bitter taste without extreme acridity and caffeine content of 2.0 to 2.2%.