Phin drip · Iced
How to make Vietnamese coffee with a phin
Vietnamese iced coffee with milk, cà phê sữa đá, is strong coffee dripped slowly through a small metal filter called a phin, onto sweetened condensed milk, then poured over ice.
- Coffee
- 18 g
- Cup
- 160 ml
- Temp
- 95 °C
- Time
- 5:40
This page gives a home version in grams, with a timed sequence of about five and a half minutes. The phin is a traditional Vietnamese tool. The measurements here are CupTune's own home adaptation, and in Vietnam the drink is made in many ways, so treat this as one workable build and not the only correct one. The page does not cover egg coffee or coconut coffee.
The spec
| Part | Amount |
|---|---|
| Ground coffee | 18 g, medium-coarse, dark roast |
| Hot water | 70 g at 95 °C (20 g bloom, then 50 g) |
| Sweetened condensed milk | 30 g |
| Ice | 100 g |
| Cup | 250 ml rocks glass |
| Drip time | about 4 minutes |
| Total time | 5 minutes 40 seconds |
Using the calculator's planning assumption of 2 g of water held per gram of coffee, 18 g of grounds hold back about 36 g of water, so the 70 g poured gives roughly 34 g of coffee. The glass then holds about 25 ml of condensed milk (30 g), 35 ml of coffee and 100 g of ice, about 160 ml, or 64 percent of the glass. The retention figure is authored and a phin may differ.
You need
- A phin: chamber, perforated insert (filter plate), screw-down press and lid.
- A scale and a kettle.
- Sweetened condensed milk and ice.
- A glass that the phin sits on, with a spoon.
Ratio 1:3.9 · Grind: medium-coarse · grind chart
Starting ranges come from your grinder maker’s own guide. Burrs, beans and calibration vary, so treat them as where to begin.
Steps
- 0:00, 30 g condensed milk in glass, phin on top.
Weigh 30 g of condensed milk into the glass. Set the phin on top.
- 0:20, Add 18 g coffee, pour 20 g bloom.
Put 18 g of coffee in the chamber, level it and press the insert on top lightly. Pour 20 g of water at 95 °C.
- 0:35, Let the grounds swell.
Wait. The coffee puffs up and begins to wet evenly.
- 1:00, Pour 50 g more and lid on.
Pour another 50 g of water and put the lid on to hold the heat.
- 1:10, Drip slowly, about four minutes.
Leave it alone. A drip rate of one drop every second or two is a good sign.
- 5:10, Stir coffee into the milk.
Take the phin off and stir the coffee into the milk until it is one colour.
- 5:30, Add 100 g ice and stir.
Add 100 g of ice and stir again.
My notes for this recipe
Why these numbers
18 g and 70 g. This is a dense recipe, close to 1:3.9 by weight, so the coffee is strong and meant to be sweetened and diluted by ice. The ratio and dose are authored. Phin sizes vary, so scale the dose to your chamber and keep the ratio.
Medium-coarse grind. A phin drips by gravity without pressure, so a fine grind would clog it. We aim near the AeroPress band of 400 to 800 microns used in CupTune's grind guide, and then adjust by drip speed. That mapping is authored, since phin guidance varies.
Dark roast. Many Vietnamese blends are dark roasted and some include robusta, which is commonly said to give a heavier, more bitter cup. We did not verify that with a primary source. Any dark roast works here, and a lighter roast will taste sharper against the sweet milk.
30 g of condensed milk. About two tablespoons. It is authored. Condensed milk is the usual sweetener and creamer in this drink, and it dissolves into hot coffee more easily than plain sugar does into cold milk.
Drip time near four minutes. That is a target, not a rule. If the drip is under three minutes, grind finer or press the insert a touch tighter. If it is over six, go coarser or loosen it.
If it looks or tastes wrong
- Drips for ten minutes or stops. Too fine or pressed too hard. Grind coarser and loosen the insert.
- Runs through in two minutes. Too coarse or the screw was too loose. Grind finer and press lightly.
- Weak and sweet. Add 5 g more coffee, or cut the ice to 80 g.
- Bitter even with the milk. A very dark roast with water that was too hot. Lower the water to 92 °C.
- Milk sits in a lump at the bottom. Stir for the full twenty seconds before the ice.
The drip-speed fixes are CupTune's judgement, not measurements of any phin.
Evidence and limits
No primary source is cited here. The ratio, dose, drip time, grind mapping and milk amount are authored from general practice, and phin sizes and traditions vary across Vietnam. The remark about robusta comes from common coffee guidance and was not checked here. This is a home adaptation: we use a scale, a measured kettle and a rocks glass, which the traditional method does not need.
Questions
Can I make it hot?
Yes. Skip the ice, and use a small cup for the glass. The milk and coffee mix just the same.
Can I use sugar and milk instead of condensed milk?
You can, but it is a different drink. Condensed milk gives sweetness and body at once.
Do I need a phin?
A phin is what makes this drink what it is. A moka pot or small French press can make strong coffee for the same build, but the result is a substitute.