AdvertoriAl mation in a succinct manner, perhaps taking a cue from modern wine labelling. First, the bean used is marked in big bold letters; for example, ‘Arabica’ on a packet of Premium Pihatt, or a blend of Arabica and Robusta on Regular Pihatt. The taste is described; for example, for Premium bitter, ‘sweet aftertaste’ and ‘long-lasting aroma.’ Then, you are given the colour. You can expect your Premium cup to look blackbrown. The information is given in Vietnamese on one side of a pack and in English on the other. The five products for a packet of 500 grams cost from between 79,000 dongs to 239,000 dongs. They are named in ascending order of price, ‘999’, ‘Regular’, ‘Medium’, ‘Premium’, and ‘Special’. I was given a rundown on Pihatt Coffee’s short and long-term market strategy. At the moment, it is only being sold to cafe owners. In about a year’s time, it should be available direct to consumers on the supermarket shelf. After establishing its popularity on the domestic market, it is expected to expand to other Asian markets. Singapore was mentioned as a key market. Then, the last step will be to conquer the rest of the world and make the marque something of which to make Vietnam proud.
Mr Truong Trong Cu, President of Pihatt Cafe Photo: Pihatt Café
I was invited to a tasting session. Mr Cu and his two aides had coffee on ice. I insisted on a black coffee with no sugar, something which always surprises my Vietnamese friends. ‘How else can one judge a coffee?’ I told them. My cup of ‘Premium’ was just as the label said it would be- slightly bitter with a long aftertaste and fur-
Food
thermore, very strong. In fact, it was a magic potion and kept my mind alert for hours. I do not think I have had such a strong drink of coffee I since worked in Saudi Arabia. ‘That is because you are drinking pure coffee,’ Mr Cu explained. ‘Do not drink this at night time,’ he continued, ‘you won’t get a blink of sleep!’ With all the wars and nasty things going on in the world, I am pleased to bring you some good news. If you live in Vietnam, you now have an array of coffee products, at least one of which will please your palate. You will soon be able to enjoy it at home and on your next trip, you should be able to take back a packet of Pihatt as a taste of Vietnam to offer to your friends. This coffee is a thoroughbred; pure and strong and sure to aid social interaction. ‘Pihatt Coffee’ pronounced with a Vietnamese accent as ‘by heart’. In years to come, please tell your children you heard about it first in Vietnam Heritage Magazine.n
Pihatt Café Office: 89 Cu Lao St, W.2, Phu Nhuan Dist., Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (08) 35 17 44 68 Email: info@pihattcafe.com www.pihattcafe.com