A perfect cup of coffee

My first morning in Hanoi. I am determined to find a good local breakfast with some hot coffee - coffee is widely farmed in Vietnam.

I walk around in the area near my hotel practicing the little Vietnamese I already know. It is a beautiful, peaceful Sunday morning in busy Hanoi. I find a cafe, I am determined that I can handle my order in Vietnamese. I order a coffee with milk. The waitress brings me the most adorable, curious cup that has another cup on top with a lit. I open this lit and discover that the coffee is as freshly brewed as it can be - the second cup is a filter, dripping my coffee into the bottom cup. I am amazed, this is genius. I have missed great coffee for a while now, I don't do well with instant coffee.

As I wait for my coffee to filter two Vietnamese ladies come sit with me and ask for pictures with me. They were such sweethearts, and even though we didn't share a language, we understood each other perfectly.

My cup has brewed. I remove the top, but I can't find milk anywhere. I believe my order wasn't clear and continue to taste my coffee. The taste is fantastic, tho it feels like I have three strong espressos in one cup. I proceed to drink my coffee slowly. Half way through it, I place my spoon in it to give it a stir. That's when I find the milk. Not even the milk is ordinary here, it is a delicious vanilla flavored cream at the bottom of my cup. I stir the coffee properly and find out that it is actually possible for the coffee to get even better.

My first day of this adventure started of better than I thought.

Yours sincerely,

Mira
The coffee lover