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I tried Copper Cow's Vietnamese-style coffee packs, and found it easy to make my favorite drink on the go

Apr 18, 2020, 02:01 IST
Business Insider
Copper Cow Coffee
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  • Copper Cow Coffee's sustainably produced coffee grounds and clever pour-over design make it easy to enjoy delicious Vietnamese-style coffee anywhere.
  • Each pack (5 for $15) comes with a compostable filter that hangs onto the sides of your cup. All you need to do is add hot water, let the coffee filter through, then mix in some sweetened condensed milk (included separately in the pack).
  • The coffee is organic and produced by carefully vetted sustainable farms in Vietnam. There are no artificial ingredients or additives in any of Copper Cow's coffee.
  • See also: The best espresso machines

Whenever I eat at a Vietnamese restaurant, I like to mix up my order, so my meal is different every time. But one thing never changes: I always get Vietnamese coffee. It's traditionally prepared as a drip coffee with Robusta beans, then mixed with sweet and thick condensed milk to balance out the bitter, nutty taste. Hot or iced, it's a strong and satisfying thirst-quencher.

While I'll sometimes buy frozen Vietnamese coffee concentrate, it doesn't taste as good or fresh as the coffee I have in restaurants, plus I enjoy the ritual of actually making a cup of coffee. The coffee I tried from Copper Cow Coffee, a brand founded by Vietnamese-American entrepreneur and former World Bank consultant Debbie Wei Mullin, was a huge improvement and I was wowed from my first taste test.

Copper Cow's two-pack system produces delicious Vietnamese-style coffee. Connie Chen/Business Insider

These aren't just any coffee beans

Copper Cow Coffee comes in two-part packets: one packet contains a ground coffee blend of 70% Robusta (bitter, less acidic), and 30% Arabica coffee (floral, fruity, acidic) beans, while the other contains sweetened, additive-free condensed milk from California.

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Before launch, Mullen vetted 40 different suppliers in Vietnam, looking for sustainable, organic practices and delicious beans. Her main supplier employs sustainable picking and processing methods, without the use of pesticides or chemicals. The farmers are paid double the market rate per pound of beans, and Mullen told Insider Reviews, "we have confidence that our coffee is made with a completely pesticide- and chemical-free process from soil to roast."

The packs are thoughtfully designed

Something else I really love about Copper Cow is its clever pour-over design. You need zero tools to make your coffee, just a vessel — your favorite mug, coffee flask, or anything with walled sides — and hot water. Tear the top off the packet, pop open the side flaps, and hang them on the sides of your cup. After adding a small amount of water to wet the grounds, you can continue submerging them in water to let the coffee filter through.

The clever coffee filters attach to the sides of your cup — just pour hot water through them to get started. Connie Chen/Business Insider

Once eight ounces of water have filtered through, you can add the condensed milk. I tend to add the entire packet because of my uncontrollable sweet tooth, but you can use however much you want and reserve any leftovers to drizzle over fruit, oatmeal, or ice cream.

There are multiple flavor options

Copper Cow also offers churro, mint, and rose-flavored Vietnamese-style lattes, as well as dairy-free creamer options made with coconut milk.

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Senior reporter Owen Burke tried the brand's churro flavor and had this to say: "Copper Cow offers an easy-to-use at-home or on-the-go take on Vietnamese coffee. The pre-ground coffee itself is full-bodied, thanks in part to the hefty dose of Saigon cinnamon in the coffee pouch, and the sweet condensed milk will only go unappreciated by those with no soul. Tip: Don't empty the entire packet into one cup, lest you and you alone foot the bill for your dentist's new Mercedes-Benz."

My personal favorite is still the classic version. I love the taste and convenience, and it's strong — an 8-ounce cup has 120 mg of caffeine, while the average cup of regular coffee has 95 mg. I'm usually hesitant about single-use products, but Copper Cow's filter and grounds are compostable and the exterior packaging is recyclable.

A 5-pack on Amazon costs $15, and since I don't drink coffee every single day, the cost isn't too bad for me. Still, even if you drink coffee every day, consider Copper Cow Coffee your daily treat — it's no more expensive than a cup from a coffee shop, it tastes great, and it's really easy to make.

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