How does Vietnamese coffee brewing with a phin work?

Vietnamese coffee is a drink culture, not just a bean origin. The French brought coffee to Vietnam, and today the cup is dark-roasted Robusta plus condensed milk, extracted through a metal phin. The phin has three parts: body, press plate and lid. Tamping, extraction time and condensed milk amount decide whether the result is harsh or balanced.

Vietnam grows nearly 97 percent Robusta, so where are robusta coffee beans grown there is mostly the Central Highlands. Dark roasting creates the strong bitterness, and condensed milk offsets it for a sweet, rich cup. This coffee brewing method works as a drip device like any dripper, and a layered tasting from strong to sweet shows the full range.

Vietnamese coffee is not simply about coffee beans grown in Vietnam; it represents a unique local beverage culture. After the French introduced coffee to Vietnam, it gradually became part of daily life. Vietnamese coffee is typically made from dark-roasted Robusta, paired with condensed milk to neutralize the intense bitterness, and extracted using a metal drip filter known as a "phin." Starting from Front Street's hands-on experience, this article explains in detail the structure of the phin, key points for tamping, extraction parameters, and recommended condensed milk amounts, guiding you through the complete process of recreating an authentic cup of Vietnamese drip coffee, and sharing a layered tasting approach from strong to sweet.

Coffee was not originally a native Vietnamese beverage; it was the French who brought it to this land, and only afterward did it gradually become part of daily life for the Vietnamese. When people mention "Vietnamese coffee," the first thing that comes to most minds is Robusta. Of the coffee beans Vietnam produces each year, Robusta accounts for nearly 97%. Although its total output still lags behind Brazil's, when it comes to Robusta alone, Vietnam firmly holds the global number one spot.

However, one point needs to be clarified: "Vietnamese coffee" does not only refer to coffee beans grown and exported by Vietnam; it is also synonymous with Vietnam's distinctive coffee beverage. In Vietnam, whether at a café in a high-end hotel or an unremarkable open-air stall on the street, you can buy this cup of coffee with local character.

This beverage is mainly composed of condensed milk and black coffee. The black coffee is made from dark-roasted Robusta, and dark roasting gives it a strong, pungent bitterness. To balance this intense bitterness, people add condensed milk. The combination of these two extremes—condensed milk and Robusta—ultimately produces a sweet and rich flavor.

However, simply adding condensed milk is not enough to make Vietnamese coffee unique. Here we must mention the tool Vietnamese people use to extract coffee—the "phin." This metal device, shaped much like a cup, is the very soul of Vietnamese coffee.

In principle, the phin can also be considered a kind of dripper, because it likewise belongs to the category of drip extraction devices. It mainly consists of three parts: the body, the press plate, and the lid. The operation is not complicated: first put the coffee grounds into the body, then tamp them down with the press plate, finally pour in hot water, and wait for the coffee liquid to drip out.

Since the holes in the phin are not especially small, some finer coffee particles will "slip away" through the holes. But there is no need to worry—as long as the coffee grounds are tamped down, the amount that escapes is very limited. Not only does this not bring a negative taste, it can actually enhance the coffee's body to some extent; the coffee liquid will simply look slightly cloudy. Next, Front Street will demonstrate the traditional method for making Vietnamese coffee. Vietnamese Coffee First, the extraction parameters need to be determined. The phin is a typical drip-style device, but compared with other drip methods, its operation is simpler and more direct. So we only need to appropriately increase extraction efficiency; after all, its water flow does not disturb the coffee grounds, so there is no stirring effect. The parameters used by Front Street are as follows: Bean used: Sumatra·Golden Mandheling Grind setting: 10.5 on the Ek43, coarse sugar grind, 70% passing rate through a No. 20 sieve Dose: 15g Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:10

Brewing water temperature: 94°C Then prepare a container to catch the coffee liquid, and you can put the condensed milk into the container in advance. Here Front Street uses 10ml of condensed milk, giving a moderately sweet finished cup; everyone can increase or decrease according to personal preference. Once everything is ready, set the phin on the container and pour in the coffee grounds.

Then gently tap the coffee bed level and place the press plate horizontally into the filter and press it down firmly, which ensures the coffee grounds will not leak out in large amounts. At the same time, the force used for tamping affects how tightly packed the coffee bed is: the tighter the tamp, the slower the water flow. Front Street usually tamps it down as firmly as possible, so there is basically no need to worry about under-extraction. After that, pour in hot water.

Finally, put on the top lid. The lid is not for keeping the hot water warm, but for preventing the press plate from floating up. After hot water is poured in, the press plate will float upward; if the top lid is not holding it down, the coffee grounds can easily be stirred up everywhere.

Once the lid is on, simply wait for the coffee liquid to finish dripping, and a cup of Vietnamese coffee is complete.

When drinking, you can skip stirring and slowly drink from top to bottom to experience the layered changes in coffee strength and sweetness from light to deep. If you are really afraid of bitterness, it is recommended to stir it evenly with a spoon before drinking.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.