96B | coffee workshops / roastery / cafe

2025 was an incredible year of unprecedented growth, unexpected connection, invaluable lessons, and unforgettable milestones. Our liberica/excelsa was used in routines by @chris_sotiros and @jakubsmolka at 2025 World Barista Championship in Milan and by @tiphan_mekoffee at 2025 World Brewers Cup in Jakarta; as well as in multiple national competitions from Singapore to Hong Kong. Our green coffees reached 17 countries and roasted by some of the world’s best roasters in the US, Canada, Qatar, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Egypt, Germany, France, Switzerland, Czech republic, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, Austria, and Norway. Our roasted coffees can be found at some unexpected, but invariably cool, places like the stunning @jivahoaluretreat , the impossibly chic @joyflowerpotnyc , or one of the hottest spots in town @kaizenandcoffee . We connected with and visited coffee industry’s legends: Dr. Aaron Davis and Dr. Stuart McCook (author of Coffee is Not Forever), with @kerehaklu and @sicc.coffee , with @filterstoriespodcast and @frinjcoffee . We made appearance on @saveurmag , @mapitforward.coffee , @voguesingapore and @heytravelmag We talked and discussed the potential of Vietnamese coffee and alternative species at @worldofcoffeegeneva by @specialtycoffeeassociation , at seminars held by @bluebottle , @bluebottlejapan and @standartmag_jp . But the true heart of growth and our source of inspiration and gratitude is our partner farmers. We continued fostering our relationships with our partner farms, while exploring new opportunities and new varieties in multiple regions. 2026 promises to be another year with unexpected surprises from 96B and our partners. Thank you 96B team, and everyone who has ever visited us, loved us, supported us, criticised us. Changes happen, imperceptibly, but they do happen.

Empires, Fungus, and Wars: An Intimate History of Liberica & Excelsa - a guest post by @lacrymamosa on @christopherferan blog The first time I saw the name Chari was in this striking picture, titled “1920-1929 Phú Tho - Caféier Chari". Next to the intensely-staring Vietnamese man is the unmistakable sight of an Excelsa tree. My efforts to understand the word Chari has taken me on an unexpected journey, full of convoluted forces, colourful characters, and painful stories. After three years of trying to connect the dots to understand the rise and fall of Liberica (Coffea liberica) and Excelsa (Coffea dewevrei), I have come to learn more about this forgotten chapter of coffee. But more importantly, to know coffee history is to be faced with the history of empires, of colonialism, of forces big and small, systematic and individual, that shape the landscape we are living in today. Like cinchona, rubber, sugarcane, or tea, the story of coffee is that of colonisation, exploitation, and commoditisation. The history of Arabica and Canephora and how they spread across the globe has been told numerous times, but what is lost in the narrative is the story of other coffee species, how they were brought from their birthplace in Africa to the other side of the earth, their fleeting moments of glory in world commodities, the spark of hope they briefly lighted up, and their swift demise in planters' dreams and practice. These transient stories are more than a curiosity devoured by coffee nerds to impress other nerds at parties (me being one), but function as a tale, cautionary and inspiring in equal measures, for our modern coffee landscape. For the past few years, interest in Liberica and Excelsa has been growing, yet the pop-culture story of these species is shrouded in murky speculation and hasty copy-and-paste sources with little primary research. This piece is my attempt to help you understand these species better, and perhaps, help you embark on a journey to love and understand Coffea even more. ➡️ /2026/02/08/excelsa-history-96b/

We are incredibly proud to have two coffees from our 96B Liberica Project 2025 crop featured in the recent World Barista Champion @worldcoffeechampionships in Milan this October. Czech champion Jakub Smolka @jakubsmolka used our Anaerobic natural, while Swiss champion Christos Sotiros @chris_sotiros featured our LAB-PK Black honey Purple Liberica. Although the winning coffees are still mostly Geisha/Gesha, and most of the coffees featured in 54 competitors’ routine came from popular competition origins such as Panama or Colombia, we believe that lesser known origins like Vietnam will, step by step, gain more recognition on the world stage. Thank you so much for your unwavering support and your audacity, Christos and Jakub. Onwards and upwards! 96B rất tự hào khi 2 lot cà phê vụ 2025 của 96B Liberica Project được dùng trong phần thi World Barista Champion tại Milan tháng 10 này. Jakub Smolka, Barista champion Cộng Hòa Séc, dùng Liberica sơ chế anaerobic natural. Christos Sotiros, champion Thụy Sĩ, dùng Liberica tím sơ chế LAB-PK Black honey. Dù cà thắng cuộc vẫn hầu hết là Geisha/Gesha; và phần lớn cà dùng trong routine của 54 thí sinh đều từ những vùng đất quen thuộc như Panama hay Colombia, 96B vẫn tin rằng cái tên Việt Nam dần dần sẽ trở nên phổ biến hơn trong những cuộc thi đẳng cấp thế giới. Các bạn có thể xem performance của Christos và Jakub trên @worldcoffeechampionships youtube nhé. 2 bài thi đều là những thông điệp rất ý nghĩa về tương lai của cà phê mà chúng mình nghĩ nên được lan tỏa nhiều hơn. Photos by @coffeeteaimag

TẠP CHÍ SỐ THỨ 3 sẽ quay trở lại vào Thứ Bảy tuần sau, ngày 23 tháng 5, từ 15:00–21:00 tại @fragile.club Đồng hành cùng sự trở lại lần này là các khách mời đặc biệt: @larria__ , @phat.paris , @specialkspecialkspecialk , @champa.nmg , @shuydp Chưa dừng lại ở đó, bọn mình còn kết hợp cùng cà phê huyền thoại @96b.cafe.roastery để giới thiệu dòng blend mới — DUALITY — phục vụ miễn phí cả ngày. Đây sẽ là buổi gặp gỡ dành cho cộng đồng và những con người tại Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh đã luôn đồng hành và khiến tất cả ý tưởng trở thành hiện thực. Những người đóng góp cho tạp chí: @thankujj , @overthinker.gallery , @tredx.official , @objoff , @jun_twee , @phopho.dao_____ , @creme_boulee , @marco.undermind ————— ISSUE 3 ARRIVES NEXT SATURDAY MAY 23 FROM 3:00–9:00 PM at @fragile.club . Special guests include @larria__ , @phat.paris , @specialkspecialkspecialk , @champa.nmg , @shuydp . We also collaborated with legendary Vietnamese coffee shop @96b.cafe.roastery on a new DUALITY blend, available free all day long. A celebration of our community and the people in HCMC who continue to make all of this possible. Issue Contributors: @thankujj , @overthinker.gallery , @tredx.official , @objoff , @jun_twee , @phopho.dao_____ , @creme_boulee , @marco.undermind

Our first international drop is here. We went looking for people as crazy as us to wrestle with Excelsa & Liberica while the rest follow what they know. Found the 96B team in Vietnam climbing ladders into trees taller than houses, picking cherries. Real work. Mud on boots, hat on heads kinda coffee. Announcement soon 🇻🇳

96B Excelsa Project is coming soon ☺️ we are accepting orders and could send samples to (actually) interested parties 🎊 as usual: ripe cherries only 😤

Product spotlight: 96B Anaerobic Natural Liberica/Excelsa Coming from one of Vietnam’s oldest Liberica plantations, teardrop-shaped Excelsa and canoa-shaped Liberica seeds appear in roughly a 5:1 ratio. The trees, not shrubs, produce a seed density similar to a medium- to high-altitude Arabica, growing at only 600 masl. Our approach to roasting places this coffee between Arabica and Canephora. This is reflected in the Rate of Rise: Arabica's ROR drops more quickly, while Canephora drops low and slow. 96B Anaerobic Natural lies between these dynamics. In extraction, too, this coffee performs best with parameters between Arabica and Canephora. An extraction time of 4 min 30 s reveals body and complexity beyond the sweetness. Introducing diversity beyond Arabica and Canephora with this coffee is rewarded with a distinct and expressive profile, covering a broad range of tropical fruits, sweet herbs and spices, and a juicy body. This coffee's superpower: overwhelming and complex sweetness. Standing strong as a single origin filter, it will also marvel drinkers in a darker profile for espresso or milk-based drinks. Even in a blend, its complex sweetness will surprise you and expand your understanding of coffee excellence. Order your sample now and discover the coffee yourself. #cumpaofficial #96B #Vietnamspecialtycoffee #libericaexcelsa

〈気候変動時代における、リベリカ種の可能性〉 ベトナム産コーヒーのポテンシャルを世界へ発信する96B。 彼らが着目したのは、コーヒー農園の端で 放置されて野生化した〈リベリカ種〉だった。 収穫にはハシゴが必要なほどの高い樹高、 不揃いなチェリー、そしてコーヒー業界の固定観念。 多くの課題がありつつも、リベリカ種は気候変動に対して 非常に強靭であることが明らかになってきた。 ベトナム産リベリカの可能性を世界へ発信する96Bの活動に迫ります。 —— ベターフードVol.4、好評発売中！ プロフィールのリンクからご購入できます。 https://amzn.asia/d/0iuhOpHc #ベターフードマガジン #スペシャルティコーヒー #コーヒーの未来

96B is proud and humbled to be featured alongside titans of the industry (especially @royal.coffee.inc and @bluebottle ) on @betterfood_jp vol 4, an issue focusing on coffee future. Thank you so much for this thoughtful and beautiful article.

We were so honoured to welcome Ireland's Minister of State Charlie McConalogue and Irish Ambassador H.E Deirdre Ní Fhallúin to 96B. Our team had a great time introducing the delegation to Vietnamese coffees and discuss potentials of Vietnam-Ireland coffee and trade connection.

When @transitmagazine approached us to discuss a potential feature on Vietnamese liberica & excelsa in their monthly Vietnam-focused, we were delighted to get to know a travel magazine taking a serious interest in such a niche corner of Vietnamese coffee industry. Instead of exploring the beaten path, our co-founder @anh4na took TRANSIT’s writer and photographer to our liberica/excelsa region to meet with our partner farmers, share hearty meals, regale stories of the land, and taste fresh coffees brewed at the farm. The article and photos turn out beautifully, and we can’t be more proud to introduce to Japanese audience this wonderful coffee and its story.

Blistering barnacles, we’re off to Vietnam. Delighted to host a cupping of Kerehaklu coffees at 96B, a Saigon-based roaster + exporter of experimental Vietnamese specialty coffee. We share several parallels with 96B, and had the pleasure of hosting co-founder Thai Dang in Chikmagalur last year. Wed, March 18: our cups will be on their table, in a city that runs on coffee 🇻🇳 Anyone seen Captain Haddock?