Ca Phe Sua Da/Ca Phe Sua Nong (Vietnamese Iced Milk Coffee/Vietnamese Hot Milk Coffee)

There's no greater pick-me-up than watching a deeply rich brew slowly drip through a Vietnamese coffee filter. Vietnamese coffee is meant for lingering. Chat with a friend, eat your bowl of Pho Bo (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup), or watch people go by while you wait for your cup of coffee to finish brewing.

The slow drip, with no paper filters to absorb the coffee beans' essential oils, results in a thick, strong, bitter brew. Enhanced by condensed milk, more easily stored in the humid tropics, which serves as both sweetener and creamer. Poured over ice, it becomes a chilled refresher.


Coffee was introduced to the Vietnamese by the French in the 19th century. Nowadays, Vietnam is one of the world's largest exporters of coffee.

Making cà phê sữa đá (Vietnamese milk coffee iced) or cà phê sữa nóng (Vietnamese milk coffee hot) isn't difficult, but it does take very specialized ingredients and tools. Consider this a basic primer on how to brew and make the perfect cup, or I should say glass, of Vietnamese milk coffee, iced or hot.

A Vietnamese coffee filter brews one single cup of coffee. It comes in three parts, the main central brewing pot, a lid (which also doubles as a coaster), and a mini plunger. The principles are the same as a French press, except sized for one. If you plan to make this for more than yourself, plan on one filter per person. A Vietnamese coffee filter can be found at most Vietnamese, and possibly pan-Asian, grocery stores. It should cost around $3.


The other essential ingredient is condensed milk. Some people swear by certain brands, Longevity with the little old man is quite popular. Just read the ingredients list and make sure only milk and sugar are listed.


Isn't it apropos that I used my Eiffel Tower souvenir glass for this? It looks like a small glass, but trust me, a little goes a long way. Think of it as the caffeine equivalent of a tiny cup of espresso.


Vietnamese coffee is a blend of several beans with arabica and robusta the most popular. Trung Nguyen Coffee is as ubiquitous in Vietnam as Starbucks is here. (Try Vietnamese civet coffee at your own risk.) The Vietnamese American adaptation and preference is for Cafe Du Monde's French roast with chicory blend. If neither of those options are available, at least make sure your coffee is coarsely ground.

Add at least two to three coffee spoons or tablespoons to make sure your coffee is strong. Then screw on the mini-plunger and make sure it's tight. While you're waiting for your water to boil, add about 1 tablespoon of COLD water into the filter and then dump out the excess water. This makes the coffee grounds plump up and slows the dripping process. So says my daddy who drinks very, very strong Vietnamese coffee every morning. (Read the bold print above. Really! I get asked this question repeatedly because people simply do not read the bold print.)


Screw on the plunger.


Now you can pour the boiling water into the filter. Tighten the plunger more if the coffee seems to be dripping too fast. It should only be dripping one or two drops at a time. I just use the tip of a butter knife to tighten the plunger. Put the lid on top and wait.


See the coffee brew slowing dripping down?




While the coffee is dripping, fill a taller glass with ice cubes.


When the coffee is finished brewing, flip the lid over and it now serves as a coaster to hold the filter.


Stir the condensed milk and coffee and you have ca phe sua nong (Vietnamese milk coffee hot).


Pour the mixture over ice and you have ca phe sua da (Vietnamese milk coffee iced).


Unlike automatic coffee makers, where the paper filters absorb much of the essential oils and grounds of coffee beans, a Vietnamese filter is less refined so the strong taste and high caffeine quotient comes through.


Enjoy!

And if you really love the taste of Vietnamese coffee, you can try using it in a batch of tiramisu like I did.

(Also, the used coffee grounds are an excellent mulch for the garden. They're also good for exfoliating in the bath. Supposedly the caffeine helps slough off cellulite. But you'd probably want to use fresh coffee grounds for that. ;) )