What is the golden water-to-coffee ratio to make Vietnamese coffee?
The golden water-to-coffee ratio to make Vietnamese coffee is 24:1, which means 24 ml of water per gram of ground coffee. The coffee grind size for Vietnamese coffee is medium-coarse.
What is phin coffee?
Phin coffee is Vietnamese coffee made with filtered coffee and sweetened condensed milk. Vietnamese coffee is also named phin coffee after the traditional filter and dripper tool called phin used to make it.
Vietnamese Coffee Recipe
Here is the recipe for you to make Vietnamese coffee, hot or iced, whichever you like. Go down below to learn how to make it!
Tags: Vietnamese coffee
Vietnamese coffee is a type of filtered coffee combined with sweetened condensed milk. It is served both hot and cold. The hot version, called “Ca Phe Sua Nong” in Vietnamese, is usually preferred by local people in the mornings, and the iced version, called “Ca Phe Sua Da”, is preferred during the day when the weather gets hotter.
The Vietnamese were introduced to coffee and sweetened condensed milk by the French during the colonial period, but then, they were very well succeeded in refining it into a unique coffee experience.
You need four things to make Vietnamese coffee: a phin, coffee beans, sweetened condensed milk, and a glass. You should add ice cubes to this list if you’d like to make iced coffee.
Phin is a traditional brewing tool to make Vietnamese coffee. It consists of a dripper and a reusable filter. It is small and can hold enough water to make only one glass of coffee. It is used by placing directly over the coffee mug. On the other hand, using a phin to make Vietnamese coffee is not a must, so you can use any dripper.
Coffee beans to make Vietnamese coffee are dark roast. Generally, Robusta and Arabica beans are used, but Robusta yields a stronger coffee and is preferred more than Arabica. The coffee grind size to make Vietnamese coffee is medium coarse.
Now let’s move on to the recipe below and make a glass of Vietnamese coffee!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk (2 tablespoons for a sweet taste or 3 for extra sweet)
2 tablespoons ground coffee, medium-coarse grind
1 cup (240 mL) water, filtered or bottled, if tap water is low quality
Directions
Boil the water.
Add the condensed milk into a heatproof glass.
Add the ground coffee into the phin and screw the filter over it.
Place the phin on top of the glass with condensed milk.
Pour a small amount of boiled water to wet the ground coffee.
Close the phin’s lid and wait for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, open the lid, add the remaining boiling water to the phin, and close the lid back.
Wait until the last drop falls to the glass. This will take almost 5 minutes.
Put the phin aside and stir the coffee and condensed milk.
Your Vietnamese coffee is ready. You can drink it immediately or make Vietnamese iced coffee with it by pouring it over ice cubes in another glass.
Enjoy Vietnamese coffee! Hot or cold!
Nutrition Facts
RECIPE NOTE FOR VIETNAMESE COFFEE:
You can increase the amount of condensed milk if you prefer a sweeter taste. Regular Vietnamese coffee with strong coffee taste is made with 1 tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk as in the recipe above. If you prefer a sweet taste, please add 2 tablespoons of condensed milk, and add 3 tablespoons for an extra sweet taste.
HOW TO SERVE AND DRINK VIETNAMESE COFFEE:
Vietnamese coffee is served in a heatproof glass mug with a layer of condensed milk at the bottom and the phin sitting on top. Another glass filled with ice cubes and a spoon for stirring are also brought with it. Once the dripping of coffee is over, you put the phin aside and stir the coffee and condensed milk. You can drink Vietnamese coffee at this point if you prefer it warm or pour it into the glass with ice cubes if you’d like to have an iced version.
