For true coffee lovers, Vietnam will be just an ideal destination. One of the first things I noticed was the way Vietnamese respect their coffee breaks. Their culture is so strong as well as their coffee and they have so many different coffees to try! Such an amazing country if you love your coffee strong and diverse! One of the easiest, but very tasty and strong coffee to prepare is a Vietnamese drip coffee. When you walk around the city, you can see people sitting on their tiny chairs and sipping their coffee. Almost every home has the equipment for making a tasty drip coffee.
When I tried it the first time, I immediately got hooked and now I'm the part of their coffee culture - drinking a few strong coffees per day, no matter the time. No matter where you're in the world, you should get ingredients and equipment, so you could be always ready for one shot of Vietnamese coffee! Also, it's easy to get your hands on the filter and it's highly portable as dimensions are very small.
It makes a coffee filter and coffee the portable and delicious Vietnamese souvenir you should bring home.
Vietnamese Coffee Culture Is So Strong!
You may ask why Vietnamese people have such a strong culture and variety when it comes to coffee. Well, if we look a bit in the history, it's not a strange thing why Vietnamese culture is revolving around the coffee. The country is the second producer of coffee in the world! As the country was a French colony, it was brought to Vietnam during the 19th century and since then, the government focuses so much effort on producing more and more.
Right now, Vietnam is producing a whopping 2 million tons annually and the number is growing with each year. Vietnamese people usually lead a laid-back lifestyle which means many coffee breaks. It's not a coincidence to see them on the street or coffee shops enjoying their coffee, no matter of the time.
Expand your knowledge: Learn about Vietnamese culture!
It was a really funny experience when I saw many small chairs set up on the street with Vietnamese people sitting on them while enjoying their coffee. And yeah, it was night time already. They have so many different options when it comes to coffee and it's really hard to choose. I rarely drank bad coffee there. I tried a regular drip coffee (iced and hot), coffee with condensed milk (their regular one), coconut coffee, yogurt coffee and strongest black coffee I've ever had.
Each one of these blew me away, but still, I really stick to drip coffee for various reasons:
- our host family has the equipment at home, so it's easy and convenient to brew it.
- the whole process takes around 10 minutes (they really love to take your time on every action they do).
- it's tasty, strong and keeps you alert and awake!
How to Brew Vietnamese Drip Coffee At Home?
Maybe it sounds complicated as there is a whole process behind it, but believe me, once you get used to it, it just becomes a nice routine! So, I will share with you the process of making a Vietnamese black coffee with condensed milk. You could add ice or leave it black. Anyway, if you're a coffee addict, you will definitely fall in love with this coffee and the whole process of preparation.
Let's start!
1. Pick the right coffee beans and brand of coffee
I'm not sure about the coffee around the world, but in Vietnam, I'm using Trung Nguyen coffee. Many people tell amazing things about this coffee and I think it's not a coincidence that you can find a bag of these beans in every household. If you're not in Vietnam, then my advice is to try to get that coffee brand online.
Don't worry if you can't get it as there are many alternatives:
- use any dark roast coffee
- medium coarse ground coffee will do just fine
- any Robusta brand will make the work
2. Make sure that you have the equipment (Phins)
Once you get your hands on the perfect coffee, it's time to find the right equipment that will help you in brewing the ideal coffee. In Vietnam, it's called a Phin and it refers to a small metal cup, filter and lid. You put these three on the top of the cup and simply wait. You can literally see each drip dropping down in your cup while enjoying your time. It's very easy to get Vietnamese coffee filter and I recommend you to check this one!
3. Preparation process
Once you have a coffee, Phin and filter, you're ready to brew your first Vietnamese coffee at home! It will take around 10 minutes, but don't worry, Vietnamese love to do everything slowly. Just enjoy and relax a bit, it's good for your health! First, fill the Phin with a desired amount of coffee. I usually put around 4 small spoons, but you can do even more. Vietnamese people usually fill more than half of the Phin!
Put the Phin at the top of the glass/cup. Once you put a desired amount of coffee inside a Phin, just put the filter on top. You're ready for the showtime now! Fill the Phin with boiled water, sit back and relax while every drop of tasty coffee is dropping down to your cup. It will take some time, but it's enjoyable, especially when you're surrounded by nice people!
Once all the water is gone, simply press the filter to get the last drips into your cup and you're almost ready!
4. Iced, hot or coffee with condensed milk?
Now, it's time to choose the way you'd like to drink your coffee. You can easily add ice or leave it just as it is. I usually put some condensed milk (it's very sweet!) and sometimes ice when it's hot outside. I found out that my favorite is iced coffee with condensed milk! Try out different coffees to find out your favorite! Enjoy your coffee!
What's your favorite coffee you tried in Vietnam?
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