Coffee Adventure #5 - Shin Coffee
Shin Coffee
13 Nguyen Thiep, D.1, HCMC
78%
Coffee [9]
Atmosphere [7.5]
Service [7]
Sunday morning and an early start was just too much as I crawled back into bed and let my body catch up some much needed sleep. This was later rudely interrupted by what could only be described as horrific shrieking created by a hideous unwary creature discovering that you get more than you bargain for when you go for that sweet honey locked away in a cluster grenade of killer bees, yes, the Cambodians were at it again with the Karaoke.
It was an assault on the senses. The vibrations of preset Casio tunes and off-pitch belting was harassing every atomic molecule in its never-ending radius, and I thought the Viets were bad. [Audio sample attached, you've been warned]
A Coffee Adventure became a necessity to escape this living nightmare.
Next target? Shin Coffee! A Cafe that was recommended to me by guest blogger and coffee enthusiast Michael Popp. On my clangy scooter I hopped and away I rode, District 1 here we come!
On arrival to Shin Coffee a valet supplied me with a tag and rode my noble steed to a barn for safe keeping. Entering the cafe I was drawn to the warm color palette of the interior and the contrast of textures created by the red bricks, rendered walls and timber, it was a pleasant invitation. Upstairs is actually a beauty treatment room, so unless you feel like a makeover there's no need to wonder, this made the cafe a lot smaller than initially imagined but not so much as to be cramped.
Looking through the menu at the list of beans on offer I asked for a pourover recommendation, I opted for the sour side and decided on the Kenya AA. Photo time! As I waited for my beverage to be meticulously weighed then poured. Click! Click! Snap! Snap!
Kenya AA pourover was certainly on the sour side as promised, with traces of sour plum and a welcomed chocolaty aftertaste. Highly enjoyable and a delight. Coming in at 90000VND a hit.
As I scanned the room I noticed the Shin 2016 Catalogue sitting on the shelf behind me, flicking through it I found the amazing back story to the founder of Shin, here it is loosely translated from Vietnamese:
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""Shin is a name derived from Japan, it means "true to life"
When I was young I lived on the streets because of my family situation, on a beautiful day while I was working as a hired staff for a seafood restaurant on Nguyen Tri Phuong street, District 10, a Japanese customer came for an evening meal and told me I looked like his son. After numerous visits and getting to know me better, he asked me if I wanted to further my education or learn Japanese in which they would cover all expenses. Because of my existing difficult circumstance I agreed and accepted their offer in covering for my educational expenses. A period of time has passed and they eventually adopted me as their child, I am very fortunate to have such a good and supportive father. My father was very caring and taught me a lot in both life and business. Though we weren't blood related it was in fact more than that. After having known each other for 20 years, my father passed away. My father's name was Shintaro, his friends and close ones usually called him Shin (Shin-chan), to honor the help and love he showed me in those 20 years I took Shin as a trade name for my cafe.
Shin means true to life.
Just like that, I have been absorbed in the coffee industry day after day, month after month."
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A touching story of how an aimless street child with no foreseeable future grew to become a successful businessman with the selfless help of a man who had a lot of love to share.
Certainly a lovely sentiment to the final sip of my cup and to the conclusion of this blog entry.
Overall, Shin Coffee was a nice cafe worth revisiting for a quiet read or some R&R.
P.S.
A shout out to all my family and friends back home, I dearly miss you all. And a big thanks to Deb and Anika for visiting, enjoy the rest of your trip girls!
