Nga Nguyen/ Thanh Nien News
Vietnam may be known for their aromatic coffee from the highlands and for their love of iced coffee, but a new product made from chemicals has made its way into the country that is hard to detect from the real thing.
Vendors in Vietnam are taking shortcuts to selling coffee, instead using a formula instead of beans. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet)
The black liquid, coming in big plastic cans, works magic. Just add a few drops into water and you can turn it into coffee — or at least something that tastes very close to coffee.
The label does not even try to hide what the chemical substance is for:“super profits” and “super convenience.”
Vendors at the Kim Bien wholesale market in the city’s District 5 said they believe the chemical is made in China and that it is poisonous, but it is good for coffee shops.
The liquid has an intense smell of coffee. Buyers can even choose from three flavors:robusta, mocha and Brazilian coffee.
Xuan, one of those selling the liquid at Kim Bien, charges VND380,000 (US$17) a liter, which she said can make at least 400 cups of coffee. That compares to VND150,000 for a kilo of cheap ground coffee, which can not make more than 40 cups.
Other vendors confirmed that it is “poisonous” even though they did not reveal what the liquid is exactly.
A source from the Ho Chi Minh City Chemistry Association said the liquid likely contains dangerous heavy metals such as lead and mercury which, if consumed regularly, can accumulate and cause liver and stomach cancer. Further tests are pending.
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