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We’re always excited to hear about new coffee experiences we could potentially cover. Currently, we’re accepting cafe submissions for Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

Please submit your interest through our Contact form.

We welcome baristas of all levels to submit their interest to be considered for an upcoming Barista Spotlight. We ask that you’ve been working as a barista for a minimum of 6 months with making coffee the vast majority of your daily activities.

Please submit your interest through our Contact form.

All of our cafe reviews display tags that indicate a variety of factors about the cafe.

Beverages

espresso – Espresso based coffee varieties served such as cappuccino, latte, mocha, etc

joe – American style drip coffee served

caphe – Vietnamese style cà phê đen (black coffee) or cà phê sữa (milk coffee) served hot or iced served

latteart – Specialises in detailed latte art in their espresso drinks

specialty – Offers a variety of specialty coffee styles such as pour overs (such as V60, Chemex and Kalita Wave), french press, aeropress and others

roaster – Establishment roasts and serves their own unique coffee beans

Food

food – Serves a typical menu of food items typically found in a restaurant or fast dining

dessert – Offers a limited selection of items such as cakes, cupcakes, donuts, pastries, macaroons, etc

Considerations

indoor – The cafe has a contained indoor seating area typically with air conditioning

outdoor – Has an outdoor seating or patio area typically with fans

laptop – Ideal environment for those wanting to use their laptop or tablet due to its well suited seating, tables, wifi availability and level of noise

hidden – The cafe’s location may require extra effort to find or get to, tips on how to locate the venue are provided with such listings

live – Offers live music and performances on regular basis

water – Located along or near a river, canal, lake, pond or the ocean

view – Scenic or high vantage point view visible from the cafe

indie – An independently owned cafe that is usually a single unique location or a small handful of locations

chain – A cafe chain that consists of at least 10 locations within a city

Pricing

lowprice – Represents great value for money and is lower than average average coffee prices

midprice – Coffee pricing is considered typical market rate and reasonable value

highprice – Anywhere from expensive to eye watering ridiculousness, may also add taxes and service fees on top of base prices

Style

modern – Often described by minimalism, simplicity and a decidedly clean and orderly look

vintage – Decore and furnishings often resemble or invoke a feeling of past eras in time

traditional – A cafe that represents a traditional more original style cafe for the city

cute – May have a variety of design factors that give it a cute, girlie, fun or youthful appearance and style

themed – May use a particular theme throughout the cafe’s decore or architecture

Vibe

tranquil – Peaceful and serene environment that offers a relaxing getaway

bustling – Is often busy with many patrons, above average volume music, a lot of moving about, frequently people are coming and going

trendy – Trendy crowd that are dressed accordingly, the ‘it’ place to be

It may be aparent to you that a majority of cafe reviews feature lattes (or cappuccinos) as the primary ‘coffee shot’ for cafes.

The appearance of a latte can often serve s a good comparable benchmark of the quality, skill and effort that went into it’s preparation. This can be more challenging to disern with other beverages with less visible traits for comparison.

The colour and texture of the crema and foam; complexity, creativity and accuracy of the latte art; quality of the mug, plate, spoon and sweetner; inclusion of biscuit and serving tray. Combined, thes factors give an impression as to the level of detail and care placed into preparation.

While such photos ultimately don’t speak to the tastiness of the coffee, they do lend to setting certain expectations in combination with any written coffee tasting notes.