Bean-to-Cup: Cầu Đất Specialty Coffee Farm, Harvesting & Roasting Masterclass
Perched along the misty high-altitude ridges of Cầu Đất and Trạm Hành at over 1,500 meters above sea level, Da Lat's basaltic volcanic plateau forms Vietnam's premier specialty Arabica terroir. This comprehensive agro-experience bypasses industrial commercial processing to immerse you inside a generational, family- owned specialty coffee estate. Here, persistent mountain cloud cover, fertile soil, and canopy shade foster coffee trees prized worldwide for delicate floral aromas, bright malic acidity, and sweet honeyed bodies.
Guided step-by-step by an estate agronomist and master roaster, you will experience every phase of specialty coffee production. Strap on a traditional woven basket to select Brix-calibrated deep-red cherries directly from heirloom trees, operate hand-crank depulpers, observe anaerobic fermentation tanks and sun-drying beds, and fire up a cast-iron drum roaster to manually develop green beans through first crack. Conclude with a rigorous SCA cupping session and comparative Phin/V60 tasting flights before taking home your freshly roasted 250g souvenir batch.
Experience Highlights
Itinerary
08:00–08:45
Mountain Scenic Drive: Pine Valleys to Cầu Đất
Hotel pick-up in Da Lat center; enjoy a scenic drive through pine-covered slopes ascending into the sweeping wind-turbine ridges of the Cầu Đất highland plateau.
08:45–09:30
Welcome & Terroir Walk: Basalt Soil & Arabica Varietals
Arrive at the private family estate; sip welcome cascara tea brewed from sun-dried cherry skins; receive an in-depth agronomic briefing on volcanic soil, elevation, and legacy varietals (Catimor, Yellow Bourbon, Typica).
09:30–10:15
Orchard Hands-on Module: Harvesting & Husbandry
In-Harvest (Oct–Jan): Strap on woven picking baskets, check sugar ripeness with Brix refractometers, and hand-pick 100% deep-red cherries. Off-Harvest (Feb–Sep): Tree canopy pruning, nursery grafting, shade-canopy ecology, and sustainable organic composting walks.
10:15–11:00
Processing & Wet Mill Analysis: Fermentation Chemistry
Water-float sorting to remove defect beans; operate a manual hand-crank depulping machine; examine greenhouse drying beds comparing washed, honey, and natural anaerobic fermentations.
11:00–11:45
Small-Batch Drum Roasting: The First Crack
Hands-on manual roasting over an open flame in a cast-iron drum roaster; monitor bean color yellowing, moisture release, and caramelization, and listen closely for the first crack.
11:45–12:30
Cupping Protocol & Brewing Flight: Tasting & Farewell
Professional SCA sensory cupping session; learn Phin drip and V60 pour-over extractions paired with sweet potato and corn snacks; receive a 250g souvenir pouch of fresh roasted beans; return transfer to Da Lat.