Killer Coffee: Vietnamese Café Sua Da

A Powerful Iced Coffee Treat

YA LIKE COFFEE, BUCKAROO?

Did you try that Mexican coffee I wrote about previously? Ready for some more good stuff? Whether or not you've been to a rodeo, after you've drunk this coffee you'll feel like you've ridden a bronco!

A LITTLE BACKGROUND HISTORY

Long ago Vietnam (Việt Nam - formerly called French Indochina) was a strictly Asian country unto itself. Before the French colonized Vietnam, its written language was a form of Chinese called Chữ Nôm, as in ancient times it had been the Nam Việt (南越) region of southern China.

After the French colonization in the mid 19^th century, many things changed. The written form of Vietnamese was romanized to conform with a kind of French writing style, complete with accents and inflections - which explains the "funny writing" I've heard friends comment on when I take them to Vietnamese restaurants.

CAFÉ SUA DA - FROM VIETNAM WITH LOVE

Folks in the old land drank tea and ate food indigenous to the region, many of which you can enjoy in Vietnamese restaurants to this day. Among the many changes the French made, they also introduced French coffee - which has taken off as a cultural phenomenon of its own in Vietnam.

In recent decades, thanks to the globalization efforts of companies such as good old Starbucks, the coffee phenomenon has leapt upward both within Vietnam and adds to an already rich menu of drinks that coffee lovers can enjoy in lands abroad.

Now is your turn to try something truly yummy - and devastatingly powerful: Café Sua Da - commonly known as Vietnamese Iced Coffee...

Nuf said! Let's start drinking!

IT'LL KNOCK YOU OFF YOUR HORSE

My first taste of café sua da (also spelled Cà phê sữa đá) was in college years ago, and I've loved it ever since. After taking the first cautious sip or two, I gulped down a great part of the tasty fluid a few moments later. Within minutes I was jabbering up a storm and felt like I could run a marathon.

It's damn strong! So strong it'll knock you off your horse, Buckaroo!

WHAT IS IT?