How To Make Vietnamese Coffee – 5 Easy Steps

Vietnamese Coffee

Having tasted dozens of variations of Vietnamese Coffee from restaurants and coffee shops, I decided to make my own.

In this post, I’m going to take you step-by-step how to make a delicious Vietnamese Coffee at home. This only serves as a guide, so feel free to tweak it to your tasting.

Minimum Equipment:

  • Vietnamese or French Roast Coffee
  • Condensed Milk
  • Vietnamese Phin
  • Water

Vietnamese Coffee Recommendations:

Steps:

  • Step 1: Prepare!
    • Begin boiling water to anywhere between 195-200°F and pour it into the filter to preheat it.
    • At the same time, place a layer of condensed milk, to taste, at the bottom of the glass or mug.
      • Some tasting guides if you can’t decide:
        • 1 tablespoon (17g) for a “regular” coffee.
        • 2 tablespoons (34g) for a “sweet” coffee.
        • 3 tablespoons (51g) for a “dessert” coffee.
A nice layer of condensed milk 🙂
  • Step 2: Place the coffee in filter
    • Place around 1 tablespoon (17g) of ground vietnamese or french roast coffee into the body (cylindrical piece) of the Vietnamese Phin.
      • Do not press or shake the grounds. Doing so may clog up the holes and prevent the coffee from dripping.
    • Place the filter disk on top of the grounds.
Coffee Grounds
  • Step 3: Bloom!
    • Pour a little bit of water (2 tablespoons or 28ml) on top of the filter disk and allow the coffee to bloom for about 30 seconds.
    • This releases the C02 that was trapped in the coffee during roasting.
  • Step 4: Brewing the Coffee
    • Fill the body all the way up with water, place the cap on, and watch the coffee slowly drip on top of the layer of condensed milk.
    • Ideal brewing time is around 3-5 minutes.
    • Adjust the filter accordingly (be careful it will be hot!):
      • Too tight = nothing or little coffee will drip.
      • Too loose = too much coffee will drip.
Brew the coffee!
  • Step 5: Mix and Enjoy
    • Once the coffee is finished dripping, pour it into the glass with condensed milk and mix.
    • Lastly, pour the mixed concoction into a glass with ice and enjoy!
Mix and enjoy!

As you can see, making Vietnamese Coffee is extremely simple. Thanks to the design of the Vietnamese Phin, you don’t need to be specific about measurements. 

If you want to get into brewing great coffee, this might be a great place to start!

To get started on making Vietnamese Coffee, check out our guide on the best Vietnamese Phins.

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