Refined at No Concept, Hanoi - Vietnam

17 P. Nhà Thờ, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội 11006, Vietnam
​https://www.refined.vn/

Heavily influenced by French colonialism and, then later, East German demand, Vietnamese coffee culture has evolved in its own special way. It has its own filter for Ca The drinks, its own unique drinks like coconut coffee, salt coffee, and egg coffee, and its own way of populating the country.

This is great for those intrigued in how this has developed, and it is certainly an interesting story, especially when you consider that Vietnam is now one of the world’s largest exporters of coffee. However, most of this is Arabica and the espresso based drinks can be hard to come by when the majority of people are drinking things originating from their own part of the world.

Sneak away from the street cafes and stalls, and you can find the elegant fashion store of ‘No Concept’ just off the square where the impressive imitation of French religious architecture that comes in the package of St Joseph’s cathedral sits. 

If you can brave the downstairs and walk past the high-end fabrics towards the stairwell at the rear, you can climb into the dimly lit, yet exquisitely modern ‘Refined’ which is a coffee shop that really knows how to handle an espresso machine.

A range of specially selected coffees from across the globe make up the menu, and you can select everything about your chosen drink, right down to the choice of beans. We pick up a chocolatey oat latte and a rare Geisha single origin that comes as an iced black coffee before being fortunate enough to situate ourselves on the narrow balcony that allows you to peer over the chaos below in a serene manner.

The Geisha is sublime, with floral notes of hibiscus petals that gently lay on the tongue as you can only sip at it so as to fully appreciate its delicate flavours unravelling on the tongue. The latte lack any bitterness whatsoever and is almost like a hot cocoa in its richness, making it a divine drink to take your time over.

In a Communist country, this spot is unashamedly exclusive and is coffee for the elite. It knows it, and so do its price points, but given the currency exchange, you’re unlikely to get a Geisha this good, this cheap anywhere else.