Born in Vietnam and now residing in Germany, Huong Quach—also referred to as Lucy—shares her journey from East to West, and her love for all issues canephora.
BY ISABELLE MANI
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Images courtesy of Huong Quach
Huong ”Lucy” Quach is a Vietnamese espresso professional with over a decade of expertise.
Though half of her profession unfolded in Vietnam, Lucy additionally embraced the expat barista life for a number of years: first in Taiwan—the place she gained the nationwide Latte Artwork Championship—then Amsterdam, Netherlands, earlier than settling in Munich, Germany, in 2022, the place she’s at present primarily based.
2024 marked a turning level for Lucy. In addition to successful the German Cup Tasters Championship, her perspective on Vietnamese espresso shifted dramatically after returning dwelling for the primary time in 5 years.
“Once I began in specialty-coffee, my mindset was all about arabica. However going again to go to, I rediscovered robusta—and I used to be blown away. I couldn’t even acknowledge it as robusta; it tasted so totally different from what I remembered 5 – 6 years in the past. That have had a profound impact on me. I ended up extending my journey to go to farms and see the standard work occurring firsthand.”
After we first met in Berlin in October 2024, on the third version of Canephorum, a two-day occasion devoted to the change of data round Coffea canephora, Lucy instructed me the expertise “deeply modified” her connection to her roots and id. Again then, she additionally talked about that she was getting ready to take a step again from her work as a advisor and barista, embarking on a self-funded hiatus to dive into Vietnam’s robusta harvest season beginning in January, the place she spent a few months.
We caught up once more to speak about all issues robusta: her evolving information, her position as an unofficial ambassador for Vietnam’s high-quality canephora in Germany, and the way this new chapter is inspiring each her profession and the espresso group round her. Lucy additionally simply opened her personal café in Munich, Humpback Whale Specialty Espresso, in April—a dream she’s had for over a decade. She additionally runs Merely Mì: a Vietnamese baguette store serving conventional bánh mì and Vietnamese espresso.
Robusta in Vietnam
In Vietnam, Coffea arabica was launched in 1857 by French missionaries, however robusta started to achieve actual floor within the early twentieth century. Round 1906, colonial authorities initiated extra systematic planting within the Central Highlands, supported by experimental stations and adaptation research.
Vietnam re-entered the worldwide espresso market after many years of stagnation brought on by conflict and financial isolation. Within the late Eighties, the Doi Moi reforms sparked fast transformation, and by the point america’ commerce embargo was lifted in 1994, the nation was poised to grow to be a world agricultural power—anchored by robusta.
In contrast to in different producing international locations, robusta in Vietnam was by no means burdened by stigma. From the beginning, it was embraced as a sensible, strategic crop: resilient, high-yielding, and well-suited to the nation’s terrain. Extra than simply an agricultural product, it grew to become a software of restoration and identity-building in a nation rebuilding itself.
Immediately, Vietnam produces over 40% of the world’s robusta, instantly supporting the livelihoods of over 2.5 million individuals, with most of this impression concentrated in rural areas of the Central Highlands, particularly within the Dak Lak, Gia Lai, and Lam Dong provinces.
In recent times, the nation has seen a quiet however highly effective shift towards high quality and innovation, pushed by a brand new technology of producers, educators, and professionals like Lucy, who’re serving to reshape how Vietnamese robusta is known and valued—each at dwelling and overseas.
“As soon as individuals cease anticipating it to style like arabica, they’ll begin appreciating it for what it’s. We want extra cupping tables, workshops, and occasions that convey baristas nearer to canephora,” says Lucy.
Within the Q&A under, she displays on what’s modified—and what’s subsequent.
Isabelle Mani: Relating to robusta, what adjustments have you ever seen on farms in Vietnam and amongst Vietnamese espresso producers?
Lucy: I noticed that farmers at the moment are investing in information. Though Vietnam isn’t a wealthy nation, producers are utilizing what they earn to put money into themselves and learn to develop higher espresso. I discovered that incredible. There are loads of High quality Graders in Vietnam now, and due to establishments like HQJ Espresso College, they’re altering their notion of what good espresso may be. This funding in training is resulting in greater high quality robusta.
How do you’re feeling about your position, having one foot within the Western specialty scene and the opposite in your heritage—Vietnam, the world’s largest robusta producer?
I really feel extremely pleased when individuals come to me with questions on espresso—particularly (questions on) robusta from Vietnam. It makes me proud after they ask about origin journeys and need to be taught extra about our espresso scene. Since successful the Cup Tasters, I really feel like I may be an envoy for Vietnamese espresso. I’m pleased with my roots, and I need to promote our espresso and encourage everybody again dwelling. I get emotional about it as a result of it means a lot to me.
Do you’re feeling a way of accountability to symbolize Vietnamese espresso as you develop within the world espresso group?
Sure, positively. I really feel deeply related to my tradition, my heritage, and my nation’s espresso. Being concerned within the world espresso trade, I really feel a accountability to be taught extra, share extra, and promote Vietnamese espresso. It’s not only a job or a ardour—it’s a part of my id.
How do you interact with different professionals within the specialty trade who additionally advocate for canephora?
I like organizing cupping periods and workshops that spotlight canephora potential. It’s an effective way to foster collaboration and construct a group of canephora advocates inside specialty-coffee. For instance, throughout my latest journey dwelling, I collected high-quality robusta from totally different farms and areas and hosted a Vietnamese robusta cupping for the espresso group in Munich.
As a part of this journey, I additionally hope to make use of canephora in competitions to showcase its potential to a broader and extra skilled viewers.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Isabelle Mani (she/her) is a author, journalist, and communicator specializing within the worldwide espresso trade. Since 2017, she has targeted on writing articles and options for numerous worldwide espresso information retailers. Isabelle has traveled to coffee-producing international locations comparable to Colombia, Kenya, Rwanda, China, and Brazil to check and analysis espresso. She holds coaching certifications from the Specialty Espresso Affiliation (SCA) and the Espresso High quality Institute (Arabica Q Grading).
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