Bennett and Palmer The Global Gourmet is an online shopping company which aims to bring the world to the Philippines and vice versa by selling variety of gourmet products from and to different countries. They are the exclusive distributor of brands such as Hello 5 Vietnamese Premium Coffee, La Petite Epicerie Saigon (Fruit Jams and Preserves), Marous Faiseurs De Chocolat, Koala Tea Australia, and Phoenix All Natural. I have tried some of the fruit jams, coffee, and chocolate available at Bennett and Palmer but my favorite by far is Hello 5 Vietnamese Premium Coffee.
I love Vietnamese coffee. There is a coffee house in Manila that specializes in Vietnamese coffee which I frequent to but during those days when I am swamped with deadlines and getting out of the house is just impossible, I find comfort that I can make a good cup of Viet coffee on my own.
I have several favorite Vietnamese coffee brands but it was my first time to try Hello 5 Vietnamese Premium Coffee. Hello 5 carries different craft blends of Vietnamese coffee namely original, organic, mondo, deluxe, and regular. Each blends features a quality of its own variant and what I have tried was the organic one.
According to Bennett and Palmer, Hello 5 Organic Vietnamese Coffee is
Arabica and Culi Buon Me Thuot coffee beans which are picked from the
rich red soil of the famous basaltic region of Vietnam’s Central
Highlands. It has deep, rich chocolatey aroma and is perfect for people who are born under the Wood Sign that exhibit characteristics such as
patience, loyalty, generosity, and compassion. I am not born under Wood
sign, but since this blend is organic, I am more than happy to try since
it has a lot of health benefits.
Hello 5 Vietnamese Coffee is available in 250 grams package and in gift sets. For those who will be trying this for the first time, I suggest getting the gift set because it has coffee Phin Filter included. This coffee filter is a small stainless coffee pot with a filter chamber, filter press, cup spanner and a cap. I already have Phin Filter but I believe it already served its purpose for the number of years I have used it. Good thing that Bennett and Palmer offers this gift set.
A 250 grams coffee package is priced at Php350 while the gift set is at Php500. Phin filter is not really easy to find in our local stores, so, if you don't have it yet and is interested to have one, the gift set is definitely a good buy.
Making Vietnamese coffee for the first time may seem a bit daunting
with all the filtering required to extract the coffee from the coffee
grounds by your lonesome. But trust me, it's really easy and once you
get the hang of it, it will feel like just popping the usual 3-in-1
coffee sachet. Also, the gift set comes with an instruction manual you
may use as a guide. But while we are at it, let me just share with you how to do it.
First, place the filter chamber with the cap spanner on top of your cup. Hello 5's spanner is a tad smaller compared to my previous one so, I made use of a small Japanese tea cup instead of my usual coffee mug.
Next, put the coffee grounds onto the chamber. The quantity of coffee depends on your preference. I want my coffee strong so, I usually put three teaspoons or more. Tap the chamber lightly to settle the coffee then press the coffee with the use of the top filter press to even out the coffee.
Keep the top filter press inside the chamber after pressing the coffee but make sure that you would leave enough room between the coffee and the top filter press so that the water could easily penetrate.
Pour in hot water and fill half of the chamber. Remember however that
the quantity of water depends on the size of your coffee cup and your
desired taste. Wait for 20 seconds to moisten the coffee. You may want to press the coffee using the top filter press for faster dripping and intense extracting of coffee. If you have all the time in the world and not particularly fond of strong coffee then by all means, leave the natural extracting as it is.
20 seconds after pouring in the hot water, you can fill the chamber with
the second batch of hot water and the coffee will then continue
dripping. Again, the water you will be putting in must depend on the
size of your coffee cup and your preferred strength of coffee taste.
When your coffee cup is already filled, then it's good to go. Easy, right? Then for ultimate Vietnamese coffee experience, you could add in some condensed milk for a good measure. Pop in some ice cubes and you'll have the well-loved Vietnamese Iced Coffee. If you prefer to drink it black, then by all means do so. I'd like mine with some condensed milk and loads of ice but there are days when I do not mind having it espresso style.
Hello 5 Vietnamese Organic Coffee did not disappoint. I love the aroma that hinted of chocolate and the flavor was equally impressive. While I love visiting some of my favorite coffee shops and enjoying a cup of 3-in-1 instant coffee from time to time just for the convenience it brings, I am all for brewing/extracting your own coffee at home because the experience in itself, I find relaxing.
Vietnamese coffee in particular is really easy to make as shown in this blog post. So, if you are so inclined, I suggest that you try Hello 5 Vietnamese Premium Coffee from Bennett and Palmer and do share with us your thoughts on it.
Bennett and Palmer: The Global Gourmet
Website: www.bennettandpalmer.com
Facebook Page: /bennettandpalmer/timeline
