Drink of the Week: Copper Cow Coffee

During the summer months, I try to spend as many nights outside as possible, camping or backpacking through the wonderland of the Pacific Northwest. However, I’m not one to forgo a good cup of coffee simply because I’m in the middle of nowhere. And so the perfectly portable Vietnamese coffee pour-over kits from Copper Cow Coffee have become one of my go-tos for achieving a fresh-brewed cup in the backcountry. (Or, let’s be honest, at my desk on those mornings when the coffee grinder just feels like too much.)

As Dan Q. Dao explores in our July/August issue, Vietnamese coffee shops and roasters are opening across the country, often helmed by first-generation Vietnamese Americans who are marrying a modern, specialty approach with the history and flavors of traditional Vietnamese coffee. It’s a similar approach taken by Debbie Wei Mullin, who founded Copper Cow Coffee in Los Angeles in 2017. Each packet makes one cup of pour over–style Vietnamese coffee, with a compostable paper filter stepping in for the traditional phin brewer, and a packet of sweetened condensed milk on the side. Mullin sources her coffee from Vietnam’s Central Highlands, using a blend of robusta and arabica beans, and offers a straightforward Classic variety along with flavors like Vanilla, Mint, or even Churro (which gets a dash of cinnamon). The pocket-sized pouches brew up a delightfully strong cup that’s delicious no matter where you find yourself. $15/5-pack, coppercowcoffee.com