Food

Cà Phê Sữa Đá (Vietnamese Iced Coffee with Condensed Milk)

Drink · Vietnamese · Asian

Cà Phê Sữa Đá (Vietnamese Iced Coffee with Condensed Milk)
Prep 10 minutes
Serves 1
Level Easy

Vietnam’s everyday coffee: strong coffee dripped slowly through a phin onto sweetened condensed milk, stirred, then poured over ice.

Untested: not yet made in this kitchen to this exact method. It is here for the Vietnamese Coffee page.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons (about 12 to 14 g) medium-ground dark-roast coffee, robusta or a robusta blend
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (the original uses 14 g, about 2 teaspoons; Vietnamese cafés often use more)
  • 3 oz (90 ml) water just off the boil, plus more to preheat
  • 1 cup ice, or 1 large ice cube

Directions

Key ingredients

Sweetened Condensed Milk

  1. Boil the water. Pour a little through the empty phin into the glass to warm both, then empty the glass.
  2. Put the condensed milk in the glass. Put the coffee in the phin, tap the sides to level it, and do not pack it.
  3. Seat the press: a drop-in press is dropped twice from the rim; a screw press is turned until it stops.
  4. Set the phin on the glass. Pour about ½ oz (15 ml) of water over the grounds and let them bloom for 30 seconds.
  5. Pour in the remaining 2½ oz (75 ml) of water, put the lid on, and let it drip. The first drops should appear after 2 to 3 minutes and the dripping should end by about 7 minutes.
  6. Lift off the phin, stir the coffee into the condensed milk until smooth, then pour it over ice in a tall glass, or add the ice to the glass.

Notes

Where this comes from After the timed method by Sahra Nguyen of Nguyen Coffee Supply, published by StarChefs. Its ingredient list gives 1½ oz of water in total, but its steps add up to 3 oz (½ oz to bloom, then 2½ oz); the steps are followed here. Adjusting it If the coffee runs through in under 3 minutes, grind finer or tighten the press; if it is still dripping at 8 minutes, grind coarser. Hungry Huy and Vicky Pham use more water and get a longer, weaker drink; see the comparison table on the Vietnamese Coffee page. The photo A glass of iced coffee with condensed milk in Vietnam; it is not this recipe’s cup.