Cau Dat Arabica Roast & Ground Coffee

When Thalvora opened its Cau Dat sourcing area in 2006 for temperate vegetables, many partner households were still tending Arabica plots planted decades earlier. Two years later, in 2008, we launched Cau Dat Arabica roast and ground coffee. It started out supplying a handful of hotels in Ho Chi Minh City and now serves thousands of cafés and restaurants across Vietnam.

The Cau Dat growing area

The coffee grows at 1,500 to 1,650 metres, where the annual average temperature is around 18 °C and mornings are often misty. Around 320 partner households farm 540 hectares, mostly Typica, Bourbon and Catimor, under shade trees such as cassia and avocado. The farms are assessed against the Rainforest Alliance standard.

• Our agronomists advise on pruning, organic fertiliser composted from coffee pulp and ground cover to prevent erosion.
• Every lot of green coffee carries a QR code identifying the household and picking round.
• Growers earn a quality premium on lots with more than 95% ripe cherries.

Picking and processing

The harvest runs from October to January. Cherries are hand-picked selectively, with three to four passes through each farm so that only ripe red fruit is taken.

• Sorting: cherries are floated in water to remove underdeveloped fruit, green cherries and debris.
• Pulping and fermentation: pulping on the day of picking, followed by natural fermentation for 24 to 36 hours in tanks at ambient temperature.
• Washing and drying: the mucilage is washed off and the parchment dried on raised mesh beds under cover for 12 to 18 days, to 11–12% moisture.
• Resting and hulling: parchment rests for six to eight weeks before hulling and screening to size 16 and above.

Small-batch roasting

Our roastery at the Duc Trong plant uses a 15 kg drum roaster. Each batch takes 11 to 13 minutes, finishing at a bean temperature of 205–215 °C depending on the profile. We roast three profiles: light for filter and pour-over, medium for espresso, and a darker roast for the traditional phin. Every batch is profiled and cupped before packing.

Quality control

Green coffee is checked for moisture, defect count and aroma before roasting, and only lots scoring at least 80 points on a standard cupping scale go into this range. Roasted coffee is colour-measured and metal-checked before bagging. The roastery operates under HACCP.

Packaging and shelf life

The coffee is packed in bags with a one-way valve that lets roasting gases out without letting air in. It is available whole bean or ground in 250 g and 500 g bags, and in 1 kg whole-bean bags for cafés. Shelf life is 12 months unopened, with the best flavour in the four to six weeks after the roast date printed on the bag. Once opened, fold the bag tightly and store in a cool, dry place.

Brewing guide

For pour-over, use a 1:15 ratio, water at 92–94 °C and a brew time of around three minutes. For espresso, aim for 18 g in and 36 g out in 27 to 30 seconds. For a phin, use 20–25 g of coffee and bloom with a little boiling water for 30 seconds before filling.

Traceability

Every bag carries a QR code showing the grower group, picking round, roast date and cupping score for the lot.