Why Do Vietnamese Consumers Prefer Fake Coffee Over The Real Deal? – CoffeeTalk

Many Vietnamese people still prefer fake coffee products over real coffee, despite evidence that they contain little to no real coffee. Cheap additives like soybean powder and corn starch often replace genuine beans in these products. A company was caught making fake coffee powder with only 10% real coffee, and inspectors tested over 100 kg of coffee powder sold in grocery stores, finding caffeine levels between 0.41% and 0.46%, far below the claimed rate of over 1%. In the first 11 months of 2024, it had produced and sold seven different substandard coffee products, totaling 344 tons and worth about VND20 billion (US$784,325).

The preference for thick, jet-black coffee is due to the blend of corn, rice wine, butter, and fish sauce before 1990 when coffee beans were scarce. Today, some instant coffee products contain no real coffee at all—just chemicals. As a result, many Vietnamese have grown accustomed to coffee filled with additives, even though some products contain little or no real coffee. This preference for mixed coffee is similar to how some people get hooked on salty, spicy instant noodles and find light broths bland, or how others prefer bitter iced tea over pure green tea.

In countries like Italy and France, coffee is not about being thick, pitch black, or foamy—it is about aroma and balance. However, in Vietnam, many still judge coffee by its darkness, thickness, and foam, qualities that can easily be faked with soybean powder, corn starch, and foaming agents. Pure coffee products will struggle to compete as long as fake coffee remains cheaper than real coffee.

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