If you’re looking for a coffee experience completely different from anything you’ve tried before, let me tell you about a drink that’s taking the global coffee world by storm – salted coffee, or as the Vietnamese call it, “cà phê muối”. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Salt in coffee? But don’t be skeptical just yet. This is one of Vietnam’s most brilliant culinary innovations, and the story behind it is just as fascinating as the unique flavor of the drink itself.
The origin of salt coffee
To understand salted coffee, we need to go back to 2012, in the city of Hue – Vietnam’s former imperial capital. This is where Mr. Tran Nguyen Huu Phong and Mrs. Ho Thi Thanh Huong opened a small café on Nguyen Luong Bang Street. Like any café owner, they faced a difficult challenge: how to stand out in a city with hundreds of coffee shops?
Their answer was quite bold – create a drink that no one had ever thought of: coffee brewed with salt. At first, this recipe was kept absolutely secret. Customers came, drank, and became incredibly curious about this strange yet addictive coffee flavor. They asked many questions, but no one learned the secret. Interestingly, this very mystery made the drink even more famous – people wanted to come and discover it for themselves.
By the late 2010s, the recipe gradually leaked out – perhaps through a former employee sharing it, or someone decoding the brewing method. Instead of worrying about being copied, the original Salted Coffee shop attracted even more customers. People wanted to visit the very place where it all started, where the story began.
And like all famous dishes, romantic stories grew around salted coffee. Some tell of a fisherman who rushed to make coffee early in the morning, accidentally grabbed salt instead of sugar, but still drank it and praised it to please his wife. Others tell of a young man on his first date, nervously adding salt to coffee by mistake. Whether true or legend, these stories reflect Hue’s character – a city where love, poetry, and cuisine are always intertwined.
Why does salt make coffee better?
Now you might be thinking: “That sounds interesting, but why salt?” This is where science comes in. As it turns out, salt isn’t meant to make coffee taste salty. In fact, when used in the right amount, you don’t even detect a salty taste – you only experience the magical transformation in coffee flavor.
Research shows that salt can block bitter taste receptors on the tongue. This is especially important with Vietnamese coffee, as most coffee here is Robusta – a bean type with a much stronger bitter taste than the Arabica you typically find at Starbucks or Western coffee chains. Robusta contains 2.2-2.7% caffeine, double that of Arabica, and has a distinctive bitter taste with deep chocolate notes.
But don’t think Robusta is inferior to Arabica. In fact, Vietnam is the world’s second-largest coffee producer with an expected 31 million bags (60kg each) in the 2025/26 crop year, and accounts for 40% of global Robusta market share. The volcanic soil of the Central Highlands – where 92% of Vietnam’s coffee is produced – creates exceptionally high-quality Robusta beans with balanced bitterness and complex aromas.
The issue is how to “tame” this powerful bitterness, and that’s exactly why salt appears. With just about 1/4 teaspoon of salt (equivalent to 1-1.5g), the bitterness is softened, allowing the natural sweetness of the coffee and condensed milk to shine through. The result is an irresistible salted caramel flavor – sweet, creamy, and salty blended in a way you never thought possible.
How to make a delicious salt coffee
Now comes the fun part – how to brew a perfectly authentic cup of salted coffee yourself. The most important thing you need to know is: this isn’t a drink you can make haphazardly. Each ingredient, each step has its own significance.
You’ll need 20g of medium-roast, medium-grind Robusta coffee, 30ml sweetened condensed milk, 60ml heavy whipping cream, about 1/4 teaspoon fine salt, and ice cubes. Sounds simple, but the order and method of execution are key.
First, brew coffee using a traditional Vietnamese phin filter – an indispensable tool in Vietnamese coffee culture. Put the coffee in the phin, pour boiling water at about 95°C, then let the coffee slowly drip for 4-5 minutes. Don’t rush; this slowness helps extract the full flavor.
While waiting for the coffee to drip, you make the soul of this drink – the salted cream layer. This is what separates ordinary salted coffee from exceptional salted coffee. Mix whipping cream, condensed milk, and salt in a deep bowl, then whip until it forms a soft, smooth cream. The cream needs to be thick enough to hold its shape on top of the coffee, but not so stiff that you can’t mix it evenly later.
Finally, assembly: ice in a tall glass, add a bit of condensed milk, pour the brewed coffee, and gently layer the salted cream on top. This is when you need restraint – don’t stir right away. The proper way to enjoy it is to drink slowly, letting your tongue experience each distinct layer: the salty, creamy top first, then the strong bitter coffee, finally the sweetness of milk at the bottom. Only after tasting each complete layer should you stir everything together and enjoy the miraculous blend.
One amazing thing about salted coffee is its speed of spread. From a small shop in Hue in 2012, this drink has now appeared worldwide. But the real explosion only began around 2020 onwards.
Initially, salted coffee spread throughout Vietnam – from Hue to Da Nang, Hoi An, then up to Hanoi and down to Saigon. Each region added its own subtle touches, but the core recipe remained the same. Modern cafés in major cities began adding salted coffee to their menus, and young Vietnamese people – always hunting for new experiences – quickly turned it into a social media phenomenon.
This wave carried salted coffee internationally. In 2024, CNN reported on the drink’s popularity, right when international coffee chains were seeking “something different” to attract younger generations. And the numbers prove them right: a 2023 Mintel study showed that 71% of Gen Z in America are interested in Asian-inspired coffee beverages. This is a golden opportunity for salted coffee – a drink that’s both strange and familiar, both traditional and modern.
In the United States, the 7 Leaves Café chain – founded by Vietnamese – now has over 40 locations stretching from California to Texas and Nevada, with salted coffee as one of their bestsellers. In London, Caphe House brings Vietnamese coffee atmosphere to the city center, attracting both local youth and homesick Vietnamese. In Seattle, Philadelphia, Vancouver – anywhere there’s a Vietnamese community – salted coffee has found its place.
To understand why salted coffee appeared at just the right moment, you need to look at the bigger picture of Vietnam’s coffee industry. In 2024, coffee export revenue reached $5.62 billion – up 12% from the previous year, despite export volume dropping 16.5% due to unfavorable weather. What does this mean? It means Vietnamese coffee is no longer competing just on quantity but on quality.
Vietnamese Robusta prices in early 2025 reached a record $5,630 USD/ton – up 143% from the previous year. This is the first time in history that Vietnamese Robusta has been more expensive than Arabica in many markets. Domestically, coffee prices range from 125,000-139,000 VND/kg, figures that farmers dreamed of but previously thought impossible.
This change isn’t just about prices. Major corporations are investing heavily in processing: Nestlé invested $75 million, Trung Nguyen also $75 million, Highlands Coffee $20 million building factories. The goal is to increase added value – instead of just exporting raw beans, Vietnam wants to export roasted and ground coffee, instant coffee, and ready-to-drink products.
Salted coffee is the symbol of this trend. It shows that Vietnam doesn’t just produce coffee but also creates coffee culture, transforming Robusta from a “second-tier” bean into an ingredient for premium drinks sought after worldwide.
Read more: Four Vietnamese Coffee Drinks Ranked Among the World’s Best
Salted coffee in daily life
But with all those impressive numbers, don’t forget that salted coffee is first and foremost part of everyday life. In Hue, locals still drink it every morning at small sidewalk cafés, where they sit chatting and watching the city wake up. The original Salted Coffee shop now has two branches – one at the old location, one near the Imperial Citadel – but still maintains its simple, authentic atmosphere.
In Vietnamese culture, “going for coffee” isn’t simply about drinking coffee. It’s an occasion to meet friends, discuss work, share feelings, or simply sit still and watch life go by. Vietnam currently has over 500,000 coffee shops – from street carts to modern chains – and each has its own story. Salted coffee, with its unique flavor and compelling story, becomes a perfect bridge between locals and international travelers.
When you sit in a Hue café, sipping salted coffee, you’re not just drinking a beverage – you’re experiencing part of a culture, touching the story of millions of farmers in the highlands, of dedicated baristas, and of a country trying to share its identity with the world.
Where to enjoy it and what to know
If you’re in Vietnam, the first place you should visit is the original Salted Coffee shop in Hue – on Nguyen Luong Bang Street or the branch near the Imperial Citadel. Simple atmosphere, affordable prices (25,000-35,000 VND/cup), but priceless experience. If you’re in Saigon, Hoa Tuc is a good choice with more modern space. In Hanoi, Cau Go restaurant serves salted coffee with beautiful views over the Red River.
If you’re not in Vietnam, don’t worry. Shops like 7 Leaves Café in America, Caphe House in London, or independent cafés in Seattle, Philadelphia, Vancouver all serve salted coffee. The quality might differ slightly from the original, but the core flavor is there.
Health-wise, salted coffee has significant benefits: it naturally reduces bitterness so you don’t need to add much sugar, high caffeine content helps you wake up quickly, and a little salt provides sodium – an important electrolyte in tropical climates. However, if you have high blood pressure or heart disease, be careful with the salt content. And like all caffeinated coffee, don’t drink too much or too late to avoid insomnia.
When you take a sip of salted coffee, drink slowly. Let your tongue feel the magical transformation from rich salted cream, through the layer of strong bitter coffee, to the sweetness of condensed milk at the end. That’s the art of salted coffee – unhurried, unpretentious, simply an experience that makes you stop and cherish the present moment.
Read more: 2 delicious and creamy Vietnamese coconut coffee recipes
And when you set down your cup of coffee, perhaps you’ll understand why a drink from a small shop in Hue could conquer the world. Because sometimes, the most wonderful things come from the boldest ideas – and a little salt in coffee is the perfect proof of that.
