How to Brew Vietnamese Coffee

How to Brew Vietnamese Coffee
Even though the French have introduced coffee to the Vietnamese, a cup of ‘caphe’ is something what the locals crave for in the morning. Vietnamese have their own style of making and drinking coffee. What make it different are the process and the blend of beans which they use to make their coffee grinds. If you have the opportunity to visit Vietnam and enjoy the true local flavours of coffee visit Trieu Viet Vuong – the Coffee Street.

Coffee is refreshing and possesses the quality to lift ones mood instantly. A cup of Vietnamese coffee is the perfect way to enjoy and feel the exotic taste of coffee. If you are using Vietnamese coffee grinds then they are usually medium coarse grind. V-filter machines are the best for brewing Vietnamese coffee.

The Vietnamese traditionally brew their coffee in small filters known as ‘Phin’. In the Vietnamese brewing one cup is brewed at a time yielding a very strong concoction. The Vietnamese coffee uses this strong potion and condensed milk to make a sweet coffee with an enduring taste.

Phin: There are several different grind settings which can be used to brew coffee but fine grind will give you the best concoction. The result of fine grind is a slow-dripped concentrated brew carrying all the savours and zests of coffee. Phin’s are easily available in Oriental stores and can be bought online too. A phin comprises of the cap, cup spanner, filter chamber and a filter press. The process of brewing is completed in just about 5 to 6 minutes.

Process of Brewing:
1 tablespoon coffee is an appropriate measure for brewing. You can enjoy the flavours of coffee with this amount of coffee grind. If you find the dripping process too slow then reduce the quantity of coffee or make the grind coarse. If the dripping is too fast then the grind should be made finer or more coffee should be added.

The cup should be pre-heated with some water as much of the heat is lost in the small filter. You can either use condensed milk which is the traditional Vietnamese way of making coffee or milk to the cup before the process of brewing starts – the result is a delightfully tasty coffee. It is wise to keep the heat of the coffee from escaping into the heating cup. The coffee grind should be put in one of the chambers in the filter. Tap it gently so the coffee grind settles and it is drained consistently. The chamber and wide sauce spanner part needs to be put over the cup you wish to brew in.

The insert side should be put above the coffee and then spun twice so the coffee is evened out. Put two tablespoons of water to swell and dampen the coffee. After 20 seconds top up the chamber hot water. Keep the temperature of water between 185° to 190°. Cover it with the lid and wait for 3 minutes till the water starts dripping from the grinds. Check the progress regularly.
Even when the water drips, the flavours of the coffee may not have been squeezed out completely. It is best that you wait for 4 minutes before you stop the process. Once the chamber is empty the filter assembly can be removed and from the cup. The lid should be overturned and the filter assembly should be placed over it. Whatever is left will be collected on lid. If you are in hurry start drinking your coffee and add this dripped concoction later to your coffee.

The brewed concoction can also be used in many other recipes.