Every country in the world makes or enjoys coffee in a particular way. In Italy, it’s all about espresso, in Turkey, Turkish coffee is king, and in the United States, iced coffee is one of the most popular drinks consumed. Now that doesn’t mean that people in these countries don’t enjoy other types of drinks, it just means that those drinks are the most popular among the populace. And we could go on and on matching particular types of coffee with the countries that enjoy them, but we have an article on Vietnamese coffee that we feel that you’re probably going to want to read.
Of all of the different coffee drinks made all over the world, why have we decided to write about Vietnamese coffee? We decided to write about this type of coffee because it’s some of the best coffee that anyone will ever have a chance to enjoy. Anyone who drinks this coffee regularly already knows this to be true, but for those of you who aren’t familiar with this type of coffee, then all we can say is that you’re in for a big treat. That’s because we’re going to divulge the secret of making truly excellent Vietnamese coffee. If that sounds like something you’ll enjoy, then feel free to follow along with us as we put it all together and brew one of the finest coffees available.
What Is Vietnamese Coffee?
Vietnamese coffee is a traditional coffee that’s made using a high-quality ground coffee, a coffee filter known as a phin, and some form of condensed milk. The condensed milk is usually added to the glass or mug and the phin filled with coffee is then set on top of it.
The user then pours hot 200-degree water through the coffee grounds. As it passes through the grounds, it drips onto the condensed milk, and this process creates a delicious drink. Some people then enjoy the coffee hot (known as cà phê sữa nóng) or made into an iced coffee known as cà phê sữa dá.
The Steps To Making Great Vietnamese Coffee
Okay, let’s get this party started and get right into making a great Vietnamese coffee. The process for making this coffee isn’t complicated, but like so many other coffees, the consumer needs to pay attention to the ingredients they use and how they make the coffee. With that said, let’s get started and find out what it takes to make this type of coffee.
Step One: Gather Your Equipment
The first step to making great Vietnamese coffee is getting together the proper equipment for making it. For the purpose of this guide, we’re going to use traditional components and ingredients, but consumers can always feel free to modify it to better fit the equipment they have or the type of ground coffee they like to use.
Equipment Needed:
- Vietnamese Phin Coffee Filters
- Vietnamese Coffee
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Hot Filtered Water
- A Coffee Cup Or Heat-Resistant Glass
Step Two: Add Coffee To Your Phin Filter
The next step is to take your ground Vietnamese coffee and add it to your phin filter. For best results, we recommend that you use either Trung Nguyen Coffee or Saigon Phin Daklak, but any dark roasted coffee should work well. You will need approximately 3-tablespoons of this ground coffee if you’re using a 6-ounce phin coffee filter.
Make sure to measure the ground coffee into the phin filter and make sure if it’s evenly distributed. if you don’t have a phin Vietnamese filter, then feel free to use a French coffee press, but we think the phin filter does the best job. When filling up the phin filter, be sure not to pack it down or shake it, because if you do, then you’ll end up clogging up the brew holes.
Step Three: Add Condensed Milk To The Coffee Mug
The next step is to add approximately 1 to 3-ounces of condensed milk to your coffee mug or heat-resistant glass. What kind of condensed milk should you use? Well, it’s all up to your personal preferences, but we suggest using condensed milk such as Longevity, La Lechera, or Black & White Condensed Milk. When that’s been done, be sure to place the phin filter on the mug or glass in preparation for the brewing process.
Step Four: Boil The Water & Bloom The Coffee
Take 6-ounces of filtered water and then bring it to a boil in a pot. Once the water has reached a rolling boil, remove it from the heat and allow it to sit for 30-seconds. This is to allow the temperature of the water to drop from boiling down to 200-degrees Fahrenheit—the perfect temperature for brewing coffee. Once that’s been done, carefully take two tablespoons of the water and add it to the grounds in the filter. Once that’s been done, wait for 5-seconds before moving to the next step. Why add only two tablespoons of water to the grounds? This is done to “bloom” the coffee. This will release CO2 from the coffee grounds and make for a richer flavor.
Step Five: Compress The Coffee Grounds
A very important step to this whole process is to compress the coffee grounds after they’ve been “bloomed.” Compressing the grounds will slow the drip rate of the phin filter and will result in the water having more contact with the coffee grounds during the brewing process. This will result in a richer flavor than if this step wasn’t followed. It will also result in the coffee brewing in just the right amount of time, which is approximately 5-minutes.
Step Six: Brew Your Coffee
Now it’s time to add the hot water to the coffee. Gentle pour the 6-ounces of hot water into the filter and then wait for the brewing process to complete. As we stated in the previous section, brewing should only take about 5-minutes, so you won’t have to wait too long to enjoy your coffee. Once the brewing process is completed, use a spoon to mix the condensed milk and the coffee together. You have now officially made Vietnamese coffee, so be sure to pat yourself on the back and enjoy it.
Don’t Be Afraid To Spice It Up
Another thing that we’d like to say before we end this article is that the beauty of Vietnamese coffee is that it makes an excellent coffee base. In Vietnam, there are variants of this coffee that are made with a variety of different ingredients, including eggs, coconut milk, cheese, and sometimes even yogurt. So you shouldn’t be afraid to spice up your Vietnamese coffee any way you want. If you do, then you might just realize that this type of coffee is your new favorite coffee to enjoy. You’re also likely to realize that this coffee is perfect for just about any time of the day.
