The Art Of Vietnamese Coffee – A Beginner’s Guide

Brewing Vietnamese coffee is simple — all you need is some good robusta coffee, a phin filter, and some sweetened condensed milk (or vegan alternative). Here’s how it works.

Do you crave Vietnamese coffee but hesitate to pay the often-steep café prices? We understand. After all, Vietnamese coffee is an enticing café beverage, with its rich, bold flavor and decadent consistency. 

The good news is that Vietnamese coffee is incredibly easy to make at home. The process requires few tools and is nearly impossible to mess up. With the proper guidance and a quality phin filter, you’ll be brewing Vietnamese coffee that’s far superior to any local café.

Below, we’ll discuss the process of making Vietnamese coffee at home, as well as a few tips and tricks to make sure every sip is pure bliss.

What You’ll Need to Make Vietnamese Coffee

Here’s a list of the ingredients and materials you’ll need to make traditional Vietnamese coffee. 

While these are the standard ingredients, feel free to put a spin on things by using flavor syrups or different creamers:

• Robusta Coffee Beans — This coffee is renowned for its rich, smooth, pleasantly bitter flavor. You’ll want to opt for a bold blend, such as our SaiGon OG, since Vietnamese coffee is made with a generous amount of condensed milk. You can use pre-ground coffee or whole beans.
• Coffee grinder — A burr grinder is best because it achieves proper consistency. However, you can use a blender or a blade grinder instead. Burr grinders offer a more precise grind since they’re less likely to heat the beans, which results in expansion and uneven ground sizes.
• Hot water — A ratio of 1:2 or 1:4 is recommended when using a Phin filter. The total amount of water required will depend on the filter’s size.
• Heat-resistant glass or mug — Heat-resistant cups are essential even if you’re making Vietnamese coffee in the traditional iced style. The coffee is poured into the glass directly after brewing, and pouring hot liquid into a cold cup can lead to a dangerous mess.
• Phin filter — Phin filters are the traditional tool used to make Vietnamese coffee. The size of your filter will depend on how much coffee you want to make.

What Is a Phin Filter?

Phin filters are a key tool in making Vietnamese coffee. They’re the traditional filtering method and remain popular due to their even, concentrated extraction. They’re typically made from aluminum or stainless steel, eliminating the need for paper filters, electricity, and other equipment. 

Phin filters come in various sizes ranging from 4 oz to 24 oz.

If you don’t already have a phin filter, you can pick one up in our online shop. We recommend the 4 oz for single-serving sizes, and the 6 or 8 ounce for preparing more than one cup at a time.

Phin filters have four components:

1. Drip plate
2. Brew chamber
3. Gravity or screw press
4. Lid

→ Read the Full Guide to Brewing Vietnamese Coffee Using a Traditional Phin Filter

Vietnamese Coffee: A Step-by-Step Guide

Now that you know all the basics, it’s time to brew your Vietnamese coffee. Follow these steps to achieve incredibly delicious results.

Step 1: Measure Out Your Coffee

The amount of coffee you use will depend on the size of your Phin filter and your personal preferences. For a bolder brew, use slightly more coffee; a less intense brew naturally requires slightly less. A general guideline is 3 tbsp coffee for a 6 oz filter.

Step 2: Grind Your Coffee

Grind your coffee until fine, with a consistency resembling sand. Skip this step if you’re using pre-ground coffee.

Step 3: Assemble Your Phin Filter

Place the filter plate on top of the glass in which you plan to serve your coffee. Then, add the brew chamber. Keep the other filter components close by, as you’ll need them soon.

Step 4: Add Your Coffee

Add the coffee grounds into the brew chamber.

Step 5: Add The Gravity Press

Shake your coffee grounds gently to ensure they lie evenly in the brew chamber. Then, attach the press.

Step 6: Add the Water

Add your water in two separate stages to ensure it comes out perfectly: 

• The bloom stage: Add hot water until covering 1/2 inch above the press. Let sit for about 45 seconds to allow gases to exit the coffee grounds.
• The brewing stage: After 45 seconds, add water until it sits right below the brim of the filter.

Step 7: Wait For Your Coffee To Brew

The brewing process can take 5-7 minutes, depending on the brew size and filter. Don’t worry if it doesn’t drip right away – it can take up to two minutes to start.

Step 8: Choose Your Sweetener

Vietnamese coffee is traditionally made with about two tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk. However, feel free to experiment with other types of creamers, sweeteners, and even flavored syrups. At the end of the day, it’s your coffee, and you can prepare it to your liking. 

Step 9: Add Ice (Optional)

Vietnamese coffee is usually served over ice but can also be enjoyed hot. In this case, you can skip this step and enjoy your coffee immediately.

Be sure to fill your glass to the brim if you opt for an iced Vietnamese coffee. This will ensure your coffee cools down faster. Wait one or two minutes before sipping your iced beverage to ensure an enjoyable chilled temperature.

Tips for Making Excellent Vietnamese Coffee

Brewing Vietnamese coffee is simple and doesn’t require much know-how to get a good cup. 

With that said, there are a few things you can do to really optimize the brewing process: 

• Don’t forget the bloom — One of the most frivolous-sounding steps is actually one of the most important — it leads to a perfect extraction. Without it, you may be left with an unbalanced, bitter flavor.
• Tamp using gentle pressure — Besides potentially clogging your filter, too much pressure can lead to over-extraction, another culprit of an overly bitter brew.
• Use only the best blends — The whole purpose of Vietnamese coffee is to enjoy its beautiful, bold flavor. Although you can technically use any blend, Vietnamese coffees are the best choice by far. Their depth and richness perfectly balance out the sweetened condensed milk, leaving you with an irresistible coffee.

FAQs: Vietnamese Coffee

There’s always more to learn, so here’s some more information that might come in handy.

1. How much caffeine is in a cup of Vietnamese coffee?

Vietnamese coffee is usually made with robusta beans, which can have twice as much caffeine as arabica beans. Steeping the coffee also allows for more caffeine to be extracted, and one cup can have 65-130 mg of caffeine.

2. How many calories are in a traditional Vietnamese coffee drink?

Traditional Vietnamese coffee is made with sweetened condensed milk — usually 2-3 tablespoons. One tablespoon of condensed milk has approximately 65 calories. 

The coffee itself has a negligible amount of calories. 

3. Can I use a different type of coffee bean when making a Vietnamese coffee drink?

You can certainly use whatever kind of coffee you like, but the drink’s intense and special flavor comes from Vietnamese coffee beans. However, the drink can still be delicious, even if it’s not quite the same.

Some people prefer to use a different bean to help cut back on the caffeine content. 

4. Can I make Vietnamese coffee without a Phin filter?

Absolutely! While the phin is the best way to make traditional Vietnamese coffee, there are plenty of other methods you can use, too. The goal when preparing Vietnamese coffee is to brew it as strong as possible. Methods like the French press, AeroPress, moka pot, and espresso can all be used to brew strong dark coffee. 

Mix with ice and/or condensed milk, and you’ve got a delicious cup of Vietnamese coffee.

Discover alternative methods for brewing Vietnamese coffee if you don’t have a phin filter and how these methods compare in terms of flavor and authenticity.

5. What makes robusta beans the preferred choice for Vietnamese coffee?

Robusta is the type of coffee most suitable for the growing conditions in Vietnam, so the preparation method used for brewing coffee has revolved around this particular bean. The bold, intense flavor of robusta coffee brewed with the phin filter is perfectly complimented by the intensely sweet and creamy flavor of condensed milk.

The Vietnamese have a strong culture around the morning cup of coffee. The strongly caffeinated nature of this coffee is the perfect way to energize the mind and body before heading to work for the day.

6. How do I choose the right grind size for my Vietnamese coffee?

The ideal grind size depends on the brewing system you’re using to make your coffee. The phin filter works best with a medium-fine grind. The consistency should resemble sand.

The grind sizes for French press, espresso, moka, or AeroPress are all slightly different. 

7. Can Vietnamese coffee be made vegan?

You bet! You can swap condensed milk for a thick coconut creamer or any other non-dairy, vegan-friendly sweeteners — or skip the sweetener altogether and drink it black.

Check out our favorite vegan Vietnamese coffee recipe here.

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