How To Use Vietnamese Coffee Filter

Vietnamese coffee is an intensely strong and sweet coffee, that'southward sure to dissolve your forenoon daze and perk yous upwards for the 24-hour interval. Its dark roast java and strong condensed milk, slowly dripped through a metal filter (phin) make this a unique coffee.

In Vietnam, coffee, whether information technology'due south brewed and served at dwelling house or in restaurants, is brewed leisurely (i.e. less intense than how I typically brew pour over coffee). Hot coffee (cafe nong) is preferred in the morning, while iced java (cà phê sữa đá) is saved for the estrus later in the day.

brewing Vietnamese coffee with a metal phin or filter

How exercise you drink Vietnamese coffee y'all ask? Any way yous'd drinkable any other coffee! I especially similar to sip on this stuff after a big bowl of phở, or when snacking on buttery, pipe hot pâté chaud, or crispy pandan waffles.

I was talking to my Dad about coffee and he was reminiscing about his many by cups. He's completely happy here in the States, merely has an incredibly addicted retention of his life in Vietnam. "At that place was nothing like escaping from the rain–running into a coffee shop with a lightly damp raincoat. I tin can immensely enjoy a loving cup in that kind of temper."

Vietnamese coffee edible bean brands

Vietnamese coffee cans: Cafe Du Monde and Tay Nguyen

In America there are sooo many pop brands of Vietnamese coffee you tin club and take shipped to your doorstep:

Trung Nguyen – pre-ground
Trung Nguyen – G7 instant coffee
Vinacafe – instant coffee
Chestbrew – Moon Bear whole bean
Cafe Du Monde – pre-ground (the ane I typically use)
Lang Thang – Saigon Phin Daklak

These are just to name the popular ones available in America! Lately at that place are many new roasters in America trying to hop on the Vietnamese java scene. At that place seems to be a few small companies popping up every twelvemonth starting as local roasters, selling at farmers markets, and somewhen shipping their beans nationwide and worldwide.

We saw the large name java brands like Trung Nguyen in a higher place have chains of coffee shops when visiting Vietnam in 2020. In Vietnam there are endless other brands producing, roasting, and selling Vietnamese coffee and beans though that yous just cannot buy in America.

People are passionate about their coffee, and asking which brand or type of Vietnamese coffee is best is certain to stir up some arguments!

Vietnamese metal java filter or "phin"

brewing coffee in large Vietnamese metal filters — barista brewing in massive phins at Amazing Coffee, Ho Chi Minh City

The Vietnamese java filter gives a stronger mash than that of an American drip machine and different than that of a French printing, which has a lot of factors.

But the metal coffee filter used to mash Vietnamese java is a large part of it what makes Vietnamese coffee unique. The filter is sometimes referred to as a Vietnamese press, or Vietnamese dripper, just it's all the same item, or the same phin.

two Vietnamese phins / coffee filters taken apart — three-piece screw-downwardly filter (left), 4-piece coffee filter (right)

The "phin" (pronounced like feen), is typically made of 3 or four parts:

The lid – This helps continue the coffee from losing oestrus or evaporating too much while brewing.

The body – This is the main cylindrical center where the coffee grounds go. The

A filter disk – This goes into the torso and sits on summit of the coffee. On older versions of the phin I've seen, this can screw into a threaded shaft that'southward part of the body. This added another variable to adjust while brewing–how tight this was screwed on.

However on most newer types I've seen this is a simple disk with a handle on top for removal that sits on top of the java grounds. This means the primary way you control the speed and strength of brew is reduced to h2o temperature, water volume, coffee volume (and grind size if grinding your ain.

The rim or lip – but the rim effectually the filter and then you tin residuum it on a glass while brewing.

The sweet condensed milk

Why is Vietnamese coffee so sugariness you enquire? The condensed milk!

Traditional Vietnamese java is very strong so the concentrated and very sweetness condensed milk is a natural pairing for it. When you purchase Viet coffee at stores, the default is SUPER SWEET.

When I make it myself, I like taking the carbohydrate downwards by about 50% so more coffee season comes through, so experience free to sweeten it as you like! Condensed milk usually comes in cans, considering its simple and cheap to produce.

The problem is that the milk is super thick and sticky so information technology's non fun to have to transfer to another storage container. So, you can practice like my dad does and just get out it open like that in the fridge with a spoon in it, or transfer it to a squeeze bottle.

I like using Longevity Brand equally shown below, typically available at Vietnamese or Asian supermarkets. However, I've used Hawkeye Brand, and the Trader Joe'south store make in a sqeeze bottle which is very convenient. And to be honest they taste very similar to me.

How was Vietnamese coffee invented?

Although we Vietnamese "owe" the availability of ingredients for this java to French colonization, this creation is Vietnamese. Vietnamese coffee is uniquely characterized by a combination of a night roast coffee dripped through a metal Vietnamese coffee filter mixed with condensed milk.

More ofttimes than not, you'll come across this served with lots of crushed water ice since it is so refreshing! You can order Vietnamese java hot besides, but this seems to be much less popular in comparison, at to the lowest degree in America.

Vietnamese coffee varietals and filler?

Detect that Cafe Du Monde isn't pure coffee! This grind is laced with the footing root of the chicory herb. This mixture originated in Europe during WWII when money was tight and expensive foods like java needed to concluding. Chicory root was used to stretch the coffee supply. Later the war, the preference for the chicory flavor became a trend and exists fifty-fifty today.

The new companies take more than modern marketing and branding campaigns, and source beans, often times from single family-owned farms in Vietnam for the typical Vietnamese coffee roast. The varietal commonly used for Vietnamese coffee is the robusta bean.

Where tin can you purchase ready to potable Vietnamese java?

takeout cup of Viet coffee and two banh mi sandwiches

Vietnamese sandwich and coffee shops

I typically buy Vietnamese coffee at bánh mì shops, similar our local chain Banh Mi Che Cali, or Tan Hoang Huong in Southern California.

Of course the mega-chain Lee's Sandwiches sells Vietnamese coffee as well, but we accept beter sandwich options, and their java is style sweeter than I adopt. I remember information technology's premade so you lot tin't request the coffee to be made less sugariness hither, simply it'due south fine in a pinch.

Costco

Our local Costcos stock a concentrated version of Lee's Vietnamese coffee in the freezer section besides! Each 16 fl oz canteen of this concentrate is meant to be defrosted, then poured over lots of water ice to make about 3-4 servings of Viet coffee. I must say it'due south pretty similar to what you can purchase at their store ready to drinkable! But a chip too sugariness to me.

American java shops

Some 3rd moving ridge coffee shops accept been trying to ride the wave of Vietnamese coffee popularity by offering their own takes on Vietnamese coffee. I get excited to meet information technology and e'er give it a shot, simply have been disappointed merely about every fourth dimension.

The quality ranges from decent, to outright bad. Nearly of these shops don't even try to use Vietnamese coffee beans, and don't use the intense condensed milk, but rather fly it to create a "close enough" concoction they can label every bit Vietnamese coffee–not cool.

We really take 1 local, modern, Vietnamese-owned-but-American-looking coffee shop nearby that does a good job with Vietnamese coffee. This was a rare find. I think the core of why information technology'due south traditionally on signal is information technology's more of a Vietnamese coffee store that looks modern/American.

Starbucks probably has avoided marketing a potable chosen Vietnamese coffee for these reasons. They don't normally stock right ingredients to practice it right and information technology would create unnecessary items to stock for just a unmarried drink.

Still Starbucks fans have of course found a way to hack the carte and society a redition of it. This typically involves most 3 shots of espresso (sometimes blonde), four-5 pumps of white mocha, either heavy foam or whipped cream and lots of ice.

How practise you make Vietnamese coffee?

To mash Vietnamese java y'all need French roast coffee grounds, water, condensed milk, and a phin (a Vietnamese coffee filter). Boil the water and preheat the filter and cup by calculation some water through. Remove backlog water, then add a heaping tablespoon of java into the filter.

Twist the filter on top until there is some resistance and pour some h2o inside and expect for the grounds to expand before filling the filter all the mode up. Brew for three to five minutes, then add the desired amount of condensed milk into the loving cup.

▢ 4 tsp Cafe Du Monde or Trung Nguyen coffee
▢ ii tsp condensed milk to taste
▢ ane cup boiling water

Kickoff past boiling some water. An electrical kettle makes it a lot faster. My tea-loving roommate left information technology behind when she went back to Australia. I would have never idea to buy one, merely it'due south seriously a game changer in terms of speed.
Preheat the filter and loving cup by pouring a fleck of boiling water through it.
Remove the metal filter and cascade in 1 heaping tablespoon of Buffet Du Monde (nigh 4 teaspoons). I love the scent of coffee!
Twist the filter on gently until it just starts to terminate. Then turn it little more, a fleck less than 1/eight a turn. If your filter doesn't utilize screws, simply identify the filter on acme of the coffee.
Cascade a tiny bit of water in the filter just to moisture the grind and to let the grind aggrandize a bit. This will assistance rid of some pocket-sized grinds that happen to make it through the filter. You can toss it out if you meet any.
Make full the filter all the way and allow it baste. Platonic brewing time comes to about 3 to five minutes so accommodate the filter appropriately. Too loose and you'll but take runny brown water. Too tight and nothing will baste through. The filter will be hot, so use a fork or another utensil to suit the filter. Place the cap on and scout the coffee drip!
For condensed milk, I adopt Longevity Brand – Sua Ong Tho. Any brand will do simply I similar the art on this one 🙂. Personally, I like it a piffling strong and less sweet than about folks. Most 1 teaspoon of condensed milk does it for me. If you like it sweeter add 2-three tsp.

Adding it to the cup before brewing does have a slight effect on the flavor since the humid h2o cooks it a scrap. For this recipe we'll add it afte brewing since yous can more easily adjust how much condensed milk slowly. In one case you know the amount you like you tin can add together information technology direct to the cup before brewing.
For iced coffee, let it cool off a bit and so pour the brew into a drinking glass filled with ice.