“How to Make Vietnamese Iced Coffee”[Coffee Geek]:
Cà phê sữa đá, or Vietnamese Iced Coffee, is one of those drinks that earns its reputation without trying. Strong, concentrated coffee dripped slowly through a small metal filter onto a layer of sweetened condensed milk, then poured over ice. The result tastes like it took significantly more effort than it did, which is always a satisfying outcome.
Vietnamese iced coffee is a slow brew by design. Expect four to five minutes of drip time, and treat that time as part of the experience rather than a problem to solve. The sweetened condensed milk is structural to the recipe, not a garnish.
The phin filter, if you don’t already own one, is inexpensive, widely available, and worth having. It’s a four-part metal device with no paper filters, no electricity, and no moving pieces, and it produces a cup that would embarrass equipment costing ten times as much. Everything else you likely have at home alread.
And the cost:
Necessary Supplies
- Traditional: Vietnamese-style dark roast coffee. Modern: medium roast Arabica.
- Sweetened condensed milk: 30ml (2tbsp), adjust to taste
- Hot water, just off boil, 96°C: 120ml
- Ice cubes: enough to fill the glass after brewing
Necessary Tools
- Phin filter, standard 6-8oz size, 120ml brewing capacity. ($5 to $20)
- Glass, minimum 300ml (on hand)
- Electric kettle ($20 to $25)
- Kitchen scale (optional). ($15 to $25)
- Spoon
I tend to view coffee tools as inftrastructure., not expenses. Directions at the site.
NOTE Apologies for being late. I mis-set the automagic firing device again.