How to Make Vietnamese Coffee

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: September 18, 2022 References Tested

Vietnamese coffee is a strong and sweet coffee beverage that’s often served on ice. It’s traditionally made with a phin, a metal pour-over coffee filter that makes a single cup at a time. Unlike other types of coffee, Vietnamese coffee is made with sweetened condensed milk. The rich, thick, and sweet milk balances out the bitterness of the strong coffee, resulting in a refreshing and tasty beverage.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons (30 ml) sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons (10 g) ground coffee, medium grind and dark roast
1 cup (235 ml) water
5 to 10 ice cubes

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Assembling the Filter

1
Pour the milk into a clear and heat-proof glass. Sweetened condensed milk is thicker, sweeter, and stickier than regular milk. Measure it out and pour it into the bottom of a 12-ounce (355-ml) glass that’s clear and heat-proof.^{[1]
X
Research source} The clear glass will allow you to monitor the drip rate of the coffee.
- In a pinch, you can use evaporated milk, which is unsweetened condensed milk. To use evaporated milk, combine a can of evaporated milk and 1½ cups (338 g) of sugar in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, to dissolve the sugar. Remove the milk from the heat and set it aside to cool.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
2
Place the spanner and brewing chamber on the glass. A Vietnamese coffee filter is made up of four parts: the spanner, the brewing chamber, the filter insert, and the lid.^{[3]
X
Research source} Take off the lid, remove the filter insert from the brewing chamber, and remove the chamber from the spanner. Place the spanner over the mouth of the glass, and then set the brewing chamber into the recessed spanner.

Advertisement
3
Add the coffee to the brewing chamber. After adding the coffee, tap the chamber to settle the grounds. The best roasts for Vietnamese coffee are medium or dark, depending on your preference. These will yield a stronger flavor that isn't overpowered by the condensed milk. Popular grinds for Vietnamese coffee range from medium to coarse, but anything finer will result in a gritty coffee.
- No matter what brand of coffee you buy, Vietnamese coffee should be made with Robusta beans.^{[4]
  X
  Research source}
- Chicory isn't mandatory for Vietnamese coffee, but it is a popular addition.^{[5]
  X
  Research source} You can also add ½ teaspoon (1 g) of chicory root if you don’t have flavored coffee.^{[6]
  X
  Research source}
4
Place the filter insert inside the brewing chamber. Use the filter screen to tamp down the coffee. Tighten the screw in the center of the filter screen clockwise until the screen is snug against the coffee. Don’t overtighten the screw, or the coffee won’t have room to bloom.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- Some Vietnamese coffee filters don’t have a screw to tighten. Instead, they use gravity and the weight of the water to brew the coffee.^{[8]
  X
  Research source} Skip this step if your filter doesn’t have a screw.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Making the Coffee

1
Boil the water. Pour the water into an electric or stovetop kettle. Bring the water to a boil and shut off the kettle. Set the water aside to cool for 30 seconds to a minute. The ideal water temperature for brewing coffee is between 195 and 205 °F (91 and 96 °C).^{[9]
X
Research source}
- If you don’t have a kettle, boil the water over medium heat in a saucepan on the stove.
2
Add a small amount of water to the brewing chamber. Pour in enough hot water to fill the brewing chamber a quarter full. Leave the grounds to bloom, or absorb water, for 20 seconds.^{[10]
X
Research source} Monitor the drip rate during this time. When the water starts dripping through, it should drip slowly, rather than in a stream.
- If the water is draining too quickly or slowly, you can adjust the drip rate by tightening or loosening the screw.
3
Adjust the screw tension if necessary. If the water streamed through the filter instead of dripping slowly, turn the screw clockwise one full turn to tighten the filter insert. If the water didn’t drip through in the 20 seconds, turn the screw counterclockwise one full turn to loosen the filter insert.^{[11]
X
Research source}
4
Add the remaining water. When the coffee has had time to bloom and you’ve adjusted the drip rate, fill the brewing chamber with hot water. Place the lid on the brewing chamber to keep in the heat as the coffee brews.
- If the water is still dripping too slowly or quickly, adjust the drip rate by turning the screw.^{[12]
  X
  Research source}
5
Brew the coffee for 3 to 5 minutes. When the filter insert is properly tightened, it will take about 4 minutes for the coffee to brew.^{[13]
X
Research source} The coffee is ready when the dripping stops and the brewing chamber is empty. Hold the entire filter assembly by the spanner on the bottom and carefully remove it from the mouth of the glass.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Drinking Vietnamese Coffee

1
Leave the condensed milk separate on the bottom if you like. Some people like to drink Vietnamese coffee unstirred. This way, you drink the black coffee first, and then finish the beverage with the sweet, coffee-flavored condensed milk that stayed on the bottom.^{[14]
X
Research source}
- When you drink coffee like this, it’s like eating fruit on the bottom yogurt unstirred and leaving the sweet fruit until the end.
2
Stir the beverage to combine the milk and coffee if you prefer. Many people prefer to stir the coffee and milk together. This way, the bitter coffee is sweetened and doesn’t taste as strong. You can also add additional sugar, to taste, if you like.^{[15]
X
Research source}
3
Serve the coffee hot or iced. The coffee is ready to drink as soon as it’s brewed. If you don’t feel like an iced coffee, enjoy the coffee immediately while it’s still hot. Otherwise, fill the glass with ice and leave the coffee to chill for a few minutes before enjoying.^{[16]
X
Research source}