Phin Coffee: Brewing With Some Backstory
by Darren Oliver
The first time you try Vietnam’s phin coffee, you won’t be ready for the flavor. You’ll quickly find out that the Vietnamese brewing style produces a much bolder cup of coffee. Not many coffee drinkers get the chance to try it, but you’re about to hear firsthand details about Vietnam’s phin coffee.
The Phin’s Homeland
Starbucks is a fairly rare sight in Vietnamese cities. There are franchise cafes throughout major hubs like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, but they’re outnumbered by the stalls and quirky coffee shops. If you walk down one block in these cities, you’re guaranteed to pass several coffee options.
Instead of arabica, you’ll usually find robusta coffee on your journey through the streets. Most of the coffee in Vietnam comes from the robusta species, known for its bold, nutty, and rich flavors. This species also has twice as much caffeine, something that tourists notice quickly.
Serving Styles of Vietnamese Coffee
When you ask for coffee in Vietnam, it’s going to be brewed with a phin device and served with ice. If you’re not a local, it’s still easy to order. The Vietnamese words for coffee are Cà phê, which sounds very similar to cafe. When you aren’t getting takeaway, you’ll always get a glass of mild iced tea.
Lattes, mochas, and espressos are more popular than ever in modern cafes, but the phin device still makes the majority of coffee in Vietnam.
Black coffee with a dash of sugar (cà phê đen đá) or coffee with sweet condensed milk (cà phê sữa đá) are the two most loved styles.
Some of the cheapest coffees cost just $0.50, but the average cafe usually charges around $1 for a black iced coffee.
Making Phin Coffee From Start to Finish
You’ll need to get your hands on a phin. These usually come in four pieces, including a base, the main container, the press, and a simple lid. Metal is the most common material, but there are some other options, like porcelain or ceramic.
Start by filling the container with about 2 tablespoons of medium-coarse grind coffee, preferably robusta or other medium to dark roasts. Adjust this amount, depending on how strong you’d like your coffee to be.
Take the press pad and compress the coffee grinds, but not too much. They should be firmly snuggling, not squeezed into a solid hockey puck of coffee. Leave the press on top of the coffee and set it aside.
Bring your water to a boil, then let it settle for around 10 seconds. Here’s a bit of insider knowledge; take the lid of the phin device and flip it over. Pour a few milliliters of your boiled water into the lid, and place the compartment in the water. While that’s soaking, pour a generous tablespoon of boiled water into the compartment.
We’re not trying to brew coffee at this point, only introduce moisture into the coffee grinds. It’s time to bring the water back up to a boil.
Assemble your phin device on top of your coffee cup, starting with the base plate. On top of that goes the main reservoir and the press inside of that.
After your boiled water has rested for 10-20 seconds, gently and slowly fill the reservoir. To hold in the heat, don’t forget the lid.
Properly Icing Your Phin Coffee
If you’re lucky enough to be using a glass, you’ll get to watch your Vietnamese coffee drip down into your coffee cup. Don’t expect to get much volume; the phin is usually a single-serving size. The old saying “less is more” applies to Vietnamese coffee, we assure you.
Phin coffee is best over ice, but don’t mix the two right away. Too much water dilutes the flavor, so we’ve got to minimize that. Give your freshly brewed coffee a resting period, for no more than a minute.
Many cafes will drip the coffee right into a cup full of ice. That style is totally fine, but mixing everything after a cooling period stops the coffee from getting watery.
Adding Sugar and Condensed Milk
If you order a black coffee in Vietnam, it’s a near certainty that it will come with a teaspoon of sugar under the ice. It’s a great way to take the edge off the bold tones, honey is a good alternative too.
The strong flavors of the robusta beans and sweetened condensed milk are the perfect combinations, as long as your dentist doesn’t hear about it. Like salted chocolate, the opposites of bold coffee and sweet sugary milk are fantastic together.
The Coffee Experience in the Streets of Vietnam
Coffee is never more than a few steps away in Vietnam. If you stay long enough, you’ll notice some routines.
Cafes open early here because the morning is an extremely busy time of day. The hum of motorbikes picks up around 6 am, so the cafes have to be ready. Roadside stalls move as quickly as Formula One pit crews, swapping coffee for cash in the blink of an eye. For those with a little more time, there are seats with a view of the hustle and bustle.
Another thing you’ll notice is that small businesses are thriving all around. At first, the options are overwhelming and you might feel surrounded by cafes – because you are.
Roadside coffee stalls in Vietnam serve anyone looking for an affordable takeaway option. The coffee is usually brewed in the morning or the night before, then bottled for convenience. The stalls with more space have lovely plastic chairs, but sitting down too quickly might be dangerous. This miniature plastic furniture is a signature of coffee stalls and other roadside eateries.
We hope that you can make it to Vietnam one day and taste this coffee for yourself.
If you can’t go all the way to Vietnam for it though, it’s also possible to make it yourself here in the US, as Phin coffee making devices are also available online and on Amazon.