Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Ingredients
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- 3 tablespoons dark roast Vietnamese coffee – medium-fine ground, robusta blend preferred
- 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
- 4 ounces boiling water
- 1 1/2 cups ice cubes
Instructions
1. Place 2 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk into the bottom of a heatproof 10–12 ounce glass.
2. Set a Vietnamese phin filter on top of the glass and remove the metal press inside the phin.
3. Add 3 tablespoons of medium-fine ground dark roast Vietnamese coffee to the phin, then tap the side lightly to level the grounds.
4. Insert the metal press over the coffee grounds and press down gently until it just rests on the surface without compacting the coffee tightly.
5. Pour 1–2 tablespoons of the 4 ounces of boiling water into the phin to bloom the coffee and let it sit for 20–30 seconds until the grounds absorb the water.
6. Slowly pour the remaining boiling water into the phin, filling it nearly to the top, then cover with the phin lid.
7. Allow the coffee to drip through into the glass, 4–6 minutes, until the dripping slows to an occasional drop and all the water has passed through; the glass should now contain a dark coffee layer over the condensed milk.
8. Remove the phin and stir the brewed coffee and sweetened condensed milk together thoroughly until the mixture is smooth and uniform in color.
9. Fill a separate tall glass with 1.5 cups of ice cubes, nearly to the top.
10. Pour the sweetened coffee mixture over the ice, stirring once or twice to chill and slightly dilute.
11. Taste and adjust by adding a little more sweetened condensed milk if desired, stirring briefly before serving immediately.
Vietnamese iced coffee, known locally as cà phê sữa đá, is a bold, sweet, and aromatic drink built on strong dark-roast coffee and thick sweetened condensed milk. The coffee is traditionally brewed slowly with a metal drip filter called a phin, yielding an intense, full-bodied cup that stands up well to ice and sweetness. When poured over a tall glass of ice, the result is a layered balance of bitter, sweet, creamy, and refreshing, ideal for hot weather but beloved year-round.
The drink developed in Vietnam in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when fresh milk was scarce and canned sweetened condensed milk became the practical alternative. Over time, this pairing of concentrated milk and robusta-heavy coffee became a defining feature of Vietnamese coffee culture. Street stalls and cafés across Vietnam serve variations of cà phê sữa đá, and the method has spread worldwide, becoming an ambassador for Vietnamese flavors and the leisurely, ritualistic style of phin brewing.