Creative ONE - Culi Robusta

* Trademark heirloom Vietnamese Robusta originally established in Vietnam in 1890 - 1922, made from select Culi (single, unsplit, peaberry) beans for richest flavor. Dark, strong, full-bodied and naturally sweet, can stand up to plenty of milk and sugar. A particularly excellent choice for iced coffee.

* The Vietnamese pioneered and perfected the Robusta variety over a hundred years ago. Yet in the late 20th century, much of the gourmet quality of this heirloom variety was lost due to improper cultivation and harvesting. The Culi Robusta is Trung Nguyen's triumphant return to the best gourmet Robusta in the world. There simply is no other source that we have found that exemplifies the true potential of gourmet, heirloom Robusta raised in the perfect climate, picked in multiple sessions, and sun-dried for up to 100 days to achieve the full ripeness and wonderful flavor tones that cannot be duplicated in water-washed coffees.

* Creative #1 is an extremely full-bodied coffee, partially Culi or "peaberry mix, that fills the room with superior aroma. Some can detect a chocolaty flavor, too, that originates from the long ripening process. It is difficult to describe this coffee to Americans who have never had access to a gourmet heirloom Robusta, and who have been told that only Arabica coffee can be exceptional. This is one of the world's best gourmet "cheap thrills". Because of the prolific growth of Robusta, this coffee is available in a price range well below its worth in quality.
It makes an excellent, strong iced coffee. We stock some locations that brew the Culi Robusta commercially as their only iced coffee and it has performed better than their previous brands. However, the Culi Robusta does not store well as an iced coffee, so it should be served only on the day it is brewed.

* The Culi Robusta is a high-caffeine coffee, with about 40% more caffeine than most Arabicas. It's hard to brew this coffee too strong. as it has few faults. It performs well in most drip machines at one level tablespoon, or more to taste, per cup. It can be doubled up in a Phin or French Press for an espresso intensity. It also is a great mixer for improving the flavor of that expensive Arabica coffee you have in your pantry that you were disappointed with. Blend your own Arabica/Robusta mix and you will join the millions who say "Wow!" over Culi Robusta in any form.

* Robusta is a superior coffee for those who like to drink their coffee with cream and sugar, since it has been lab-proven that Robusta flavors are not masked by cream and sugar, unlike many Arabicas.

Creative TWO - Robusta Arabica

* The Trung Nguyen Robusta Arabica is definitely the hands-down most accessible and popular coffee served in our taste testings and Market booths. It's a wonderful blend of high-quality Arabica and heirloom Robusta. It is an "anytime" coffee, with medium caffeine, well-balanced blended taste, and as good iced as it is hot. We suspect that at one time, a blend like this was the standard approach to fine coffee served around the world, before the days of modern hybrids and confined one-species tastes.

* If you have never tried Vietnamese coffee, here is a perfect first candidate. In over 20,000 taste tests we can count on the fingers of one hand the number of people who were not enthusiastic about this coffee.

Creative THREE - Arabica Se

* The Trung Nguyen Arabica Se is one of the world's most select and superior Arabica coffees. The Se stands for "Sparrow". The Sparrow Arabica is a cultivar grown exclusively in Vietnam and is noted for its mild acidity and superb balance. We often describe it as "what a donut-shop coffee wants to be when it grows up"!

* If you object to the flavors in the new hybrid Arabicas, which can be redolant of licorice, lemon or barley, you will enjoy the fully old-world taste of this fine Arabica.

*The Arabica Se is such a great combination of mild acidity and balanced aroma and taste that it is well suited as an all-purpose coffee, served any time of day and excellent for icing.

Creative FOUR - Premium Culi

* The quintessential coffeehouse favorite, and Trung Nguyen's proudest traditional multi-bean blend.

* This coffee is a gourmet's dream blend. Trung Nguyen puts together carefully selected Culi (unsplit "peaberries") from 4 different varieties. A lot of care and balancing goes into this coffee, and Trung Nguyen is rewarded by many loyal Vietnamese drinkers who proclaim this their favorite brew.

* There are a lot of complex flavors in this coffee, and it also runs a little to the bitter and acid tastes, which is a plus for people who want a full-bodied coffee experience. If you like strong coffee, double up on this one and go for the gusto! In winter this is a comfort coffee, with its rich, appetite-awakening flavor and aroma. In the summer it ices well and picks up different flavor tones.

* Many restaurants and coffeeshops serve this coffee as their one, representative "Vietnamese coffee" in the Phin single-serving filter. Sometimes fans of this coffee will double it up in the small filter and drink it espresso-strength. * Culi-based coffees have an edge to them that is lost if stored in the fridge as iced coffee concentrate. Drink it fresh... and brew it right onto ice if you can. It's a sipping coffee when made strong, delightful in every taste.

Creative FIVE - Culi Arabica

* The Culi Arabica is a world-class, multi-source, peaberry blended coffee. The Creative #5 is a coffeehouse favorite here in the USA. One bakery/coffeeshop here in New England displays the Culi Arabica in a presspot along with 6-7 other world-class coffees from Jamaica, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sumatra, etc., and tells us that their patrons self-select the Culi Arabica over ANY OTHER coffee they have offered.

* This is a fragrant heirloom Arabica coffee with a complexity in the low tones one might expect from gourmet Robusta or Excelsa coffee. There is not a hint of objectionable modern hybrid licorice or barley taste. It is a favorite in winter due to its comforting dark, peaberry edge and broad flavor range. It has a haunting aftertaste that commands a second cup. In the summer it has an edge that makes it a unique and superb iced coffee.

* You can go in many directions brewing the Creative #5. It's an Arabica that can be brewed lightly to provide a superbly balanced breakfast-style coffee, but it also is a peaberry, dark coffee that can be brewed strong to provide a Full City Roast intensity with no bitterness.