CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The new Saigon's Civet Cafeis bringing delicious Vietnamese-style coffee and pastries to the Coastal Bend.
The cafe, located at 2222 Airline, celebrated its grand opening earlier this week.
It was created by Christian Hoang, a native of Saigon. He was born there in the 1990s into what he termed was "a coffee family."
His family relocated to America in 2006 and Hoang was raised in Corpus Christi.
Vietnamese coffee is mostly made of robusta beans, which have more caffeine than its American counterpart. It's also typically mixed with sweetened condensed milk, as opposed to cream and sugar.
But the cafe has other items on the menu, including espressos, Americanos, cappuccinos, latte, mochas and cold brew. Also on the menu are teas, smoothies and Vietnamese pastries.
The coffee served at the restaurant comes directly from Vietnam, Hoang said.
"From Cau Dat Vietnam," he said. "Our farmer handpicks a very high-quality Arabica, Robusta, and of course the spotlights of Vietnam Moka."
In late 2019, Hoang said he decided on this blend after talking to a friend who introduced him to this coffee farmer in Cau Dat, where his supplier has owned and operated his farm for three generations.