Vietnamese Iced Coffee

I drink five cups of coffee a day. Three cups in my Chemex when I wake up, and then a least two more cups in the afternoon, as I sit jittering away in the corner of a cafe. Growing up in Berkeley, home of the original Peet’s coffee and now Philz, it feels like less of a choice and more of a caffeinated birthright. Oh, and I take it black – always black. That is until Erica and Karen brought me back a pound of coffee from Vietnam last year. If you’re not familiar with Vietnamese coffee, it’s a dark (and I mean DARK) roast that is brewed using a special filter called a phin. The result is a thick, robust coffee that is subsequently mixed with sweetened condensed milk. While it’s definitely sweeter than your average cup of joe, this coffee has a certain lusciousness that makes it hard to put down – especially when poured over a tall glass of crushed ice. If you consider yourself a coffee person, you owe it to your caffeinated self to give it a try.

Gather your ingredients: Vietnamese coffee, condensed milk, and a phin filter. The phin filter is essential for making Vietnamese coffee.

Add the condensed milk to a heat proof glass or mug.

Next, add the coffee grounds to the phin filter and give it a little shake to even out the grounds. Screw on the press (the flat part with a little rod sticking out). Place the filter over the glass and boil your water. Add a small splash of boiling water to the filter. This is an important step, as it allows the grounds to bloom. Once the grounds have bloomed (about 30 seconds) fill the filter to the top with boiling water. Put the cap on the filter and wait!

The coffee will begin to drip . . . slowly. It can take about 5 minutes for a proper drip. Patience!!

Once the dripping has subsided and the filter has been emptied of water, remove the filter from the top of the glass and stir to combine.

Pour the coffee into a tall glass full of crushed ice.

It’s coffee time!!

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons Vietnamese coffee grounds (or similar dark roast)
• 2 tablespoons condensed milk (or less if you prefer less sweet)
• boiling water
• crushed ice

Directions:

• Add the condensed milk to a heat proof glass or mug.
• Add the coffee grounds to the phin filter, screw on the press, and place the filter over the glass.
• Boil water.
• Bloom the coffee grounds by adding a small splash of boiling water to the filter.
• Fill with boiling water to the top of the filter, cover with the cap and let drip into the glass (~5 minutes).
• Remove the filter from the glass and stir the coffee to combine with the condensed milk.
• Pour the coffee into a tall glass full of crushed ice and enjoy!

(images by HonestlyYUM)