Today we're talking about a special highlight at Julius Meinl – "The Originals" Vietnam Limited Edition. What can you tell us about it?

The beans of our Vietnam Whisky Barrel Aged Arabica undergo a unique procedure. After harvesting, the wet-hulled coffee beans are aged inside of a Single Malt Scotch Whisky Barrel for several weeks. Through this hand-crafted technique, they gain complexity resulting in an exceptionally unique coffee with a distinct Scotch Whisky taste.

What aroma and taste can customers expect from this blend?

This coffee brings together the best of two worlds. The taste of remarkable coffee infused with a rich Scotch Whisky taste resulting in a creamy mouthfeel, a good balance of sweetness, acidity, and bitterness, and a flavour profile that contains hints of spices like cloves, yellow stone fruit with a 100% cacao aftertaste.

Tell us a little more about the production method. How did you arrive at the idea and what makes this coffee special?

In the specialty coffee world, the trend of special finishing processes such as Whisky Barrel or Rhum Barrel-Aged coffees appeared. One of our suppliers showed us this new whisky barrel coffee, which immediately grabbed our interest. There have been many flavoured coffees on the market over the past years. But with many of them, the flavour is added after roasting. What makes this coffee so special is that the green beans are stored for several weeks in an empty whisky barrel, allowing them to gently and naturally absorb the aroma of the whisky. There's no added flavouring, which is why this coffee is so innovative.

In which part of Vietnam is the coffee cultivated?

The coffee is grown and processed in Caudat village, in the Lam Dong Province – the new speciality coffee growing area in the heart of Vietnam.

The packaging shows a water buffalo. What's the connection to that particular animal? Why did you choose the water buffalo?

Each of our limited editions shows an animal of the country of origin that is threatened with extinction. It is one of our key concerns to preserve the nature and biodiversity of the regions where our beans are grown. There are lines of domesticated Vietnamese water buffalos that go back thousands of years, the animal is deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture. That is why we chose the water buffalo.

It's clear that this is a matter close to your heart. Is there a special programme in connection with "The Originals" Vietnam Limited Edition that supports this objective?

Yes, of course. For every pack of The Originals Vietnam Whisky Barrel, Julius Meinl donates 1 Euro to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Vietnam to help preserve the habitat of the Vietnamese Water Buffalo and hence, the biodiversity in the region. We are very happy about this cooperation!

Do you have any tips on how best to enjoy "The Originals" Vietnam Limited Edition? 

My personal recommendation would be to brew it as a double espresso on a portafilter machine. Therefore, I would use 16g of finely ground coffee in a 14g basket to achieve 32g of fluid Vietnam Whisky Barrel Aged coffee in 26 seconds. Best is to use 92°C to extract the best out of these special beans.