The documentary was first aired in Australia and New Zealand on November 24. This is the first documentary by Discovery about Vietnam's coffee culture and philosophy.

After more than a year of research, Warner Bros. Discovery teamed up with Trung Nguyen Legend to produce and broadcast The Tao of Coffee on Discovery. Discovery is a renowned international television channel in the US with a global reach. Its broadcast network reaches 2.2 billion viewers in more than 230 countries and territories.

Aspirations in a new context

The culture of a nation can be divided into two basic groups, civilization building and civilization absorbing. Despite a unique, resilient, and strong national culture, Vietnam has always been in the group of countries that absorb culture and civilization.

However, coffee culture and its achievements can create an opportunity for Vietnam and its people to export its culture globally. It is similar to what has been done by many other countries with similar conditions, such as Japan and South Korea.

Discovery chose the title The Tao of Coffee after considering a series of others for this multidimensional documentary. It expresses the spirit and aspirations of the Vietnamese coffee revolution to create spillover effects around the globe.

Two strong foundations for the Vietnamese coffee revolution

Firstly, Vietnam has a unique coffee culture with filter coffee and iced milk coffee. The documentary features stories from coffee shops with vivid and emotional images, along with comments by reputable domestic and international experts and journalists.

The country is also emerging as a global coffee powerhouse, being the world's second-largest producer and exporter.

A representative from Discovery said, "Vietnam accounts for more than half of the global supply of Robusta. Set in its Central Highlands, the province of Dak Lak produces over 30 per cent of those beans. It really kicked-off in the 1980s, when the government introduced a series of coffee production programmes to boost the economy."

The power of Vietnam's coffee industry stems not only from the quantity but also from the quality of the world's best Robusta coffee beans from Buon Ma Thuot, which have been recognised by experts in the global coffee industry.

The pioneer in the Vietnamese caffeine revolution

To portray its story in the most authentic way, Discovery spent time recording the activities and strategies of Trung Nguyen Legend as the organisation leading the Vietnamese caffeine revolution.

The coffee producer appears in the first frames of the documentary in a humble and cosy setting with the in-house testing of a new product, namely G7 Gold. With its skilful art of storytelling, Discovery has presented the diverse coffee ecosystem, unique ideas, and lofty aspirations that Trung Nguyen Legend has cherished and implemented for nearly three decades.

It is the original spirit of the G7 brand, with the desire to confront and win against multinational coffee brands. Trung Nguyen Legend not only demonstrates love but also the responsibility to honour the world's best Robusta coffee beans from Vietnam, enhancing the overall value of the Vietnamese coffee industry – where Robusta output accounts for 95 per cent.

According to Trung Nguyen Legend, coffee is not merely a physical product, it is also spiritual and social. The company has led many initiatives to promote Vietnam's coffee industry, such as youth startup support schemes and a project to develop the brand of Buon Ma Thuot city into the coffee city of the world.

International audiences can also admire the landscapes, works, and projects that elevate coffee into culture and art. These are developed strongly in Buon Ma Thuot, attracting the attention of global coffee lovers. Among them, the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival is a colourful and lively event that showcases the soul of the land, the water, the people, and the coffee profession in Vietnam.

The Tao of Coffee plays a crucial role

The spirituality of coffee plays a vital role in the Vietnamese caffeine revolution with its special and unique philosophy, which Discovery introduces to global audiences.

The philosophy stems from a comprehensive and in-depth study of the history of coffee, especially its influence on the development and advancement of human civilizations.

All great human civilizations made completely different achievements before and after coffee came into existence. Trung Nguyen Legend has crystallised three coffee civilizations, namely Ottoman, Roman, and Thien.

Among them, Thien coffee is created by Trung Nguyen Legend based on the life of the Orient, combining both stillness and movement, and both martial arts and dances of coffee.

For Trung Nguyen, Thien is coffee. Coffee is Thien. Thien is a method for us to enjoy, contemplate, and savour coffee in the most profound and complete way.

The documentary features beautiful shots of the Coffee World space with the three coffee civilizations, a 3D coffee mapping show, the World Coffee Museum, and coffee culture performances.

Discovery commented, "Trung Nguyen Legend is elevating its three coffee civilizations message into an immersive historical experience."

Trung Nguyen Legend has made efforts to distil, honour, and crystallise the three coffee civilizations to promote a humane and sustainable world. From coffee and through coffee, it is the harmony and unity of human civilizations.

This is particularly poignant as the world is fraught with crises and risks. Global problems cannot be solved by any single country, organisation, or individual. Harmony - Respect - Elegance - Calmness - Responsibility and Enhancement are the principles that The Tao of Coffee aims for.

Discovery quoted a representative of Trung Nguyen Legend in the documentary, "In Vietnamese, the word 'tao' means awakened lifestyle. This is the coffee philosophy that was created by founder and chairman of Trung Nguyen Legend Group Dang Le Nguyen Vu. Trung Nguyen Legend's coffee philosophy is aimed at awareness in the present moment, realising one's purpose in relation to the community, and striving for the values of truth, goodness, and beauty."

Vu does not appear in the documentary, but his quote represents the core spirit of the philosophy, "Coffee is a treasure of the universe, a heritage of mankind, and a solution for the future."

Click here to watch the television commercial for the documentary The Tao of Coffee, which is being broadcast widely by Discovery in countries around the world.