Drinking coffee is one vital part of the culture in Vietnam. You will see cafe shops in most corners of the streets. So, it is easy to buy and taste a delicious Vietnamese coffee cup when you travel to Vietnam.
But, if you do not have chances to visit this country, how can you make a few cups of Vietnamese coffee at home?
These are the simple steps that we guide you to make the great cups of ca phe with filters.
Steps to learn how to make Vietnamese coffee with filter
If you want to see details of the Vietnamese coffee recipe in writing, please read it below.
Ingredients:
- Coffee powder. You can use Trung Nguyen Coffee in a bag, or you grind roasted coffee beans by yourself.
- Sugar for back coffee.
- Sweet condensed milk. Choose a kind of milk specializing for coffee. To recognize it, you check on the can or box having a coffee cup or filter.
- Boil water.
- Ice.
Tools:
- 2 coffee filters (Phin ca phe in Vietnamese, we introduce 1 for back coffee, and 1 for milk coffee. If you do one per time, just use one filter.)
- 2 glasses.
Instructions:
Step 1: Add 2 to 3 teaspoons of coffee powder to each filter. If you want a strong taste, you can add more to ensure the thickness of the coffee cup. After you put in the maker, you shake gently to spread the coffee evenly, then use the inside filters to compress them, not too strong press.
Step 2: Pour 3 teaspoons of the condensed milk into a cup with the amount that suits your taste. If you like to drink a sweeter cup of coffee, give more milk. But, if you want a bitter taste, you can reduce the milk in the way of making delicious coffee.
Another cup to make back coffee, you do not need to add any things. Just leave it empty!
Step 3: Put these filters on the glasses. Add a little boil water to make it wet. Just enough to make all wet!!! This step is to warm up the coffee powder, creating a better flavor. And, close the top and you keep it 30 minutes.
Step 4: Add boil water into two filters, nearly full of the filters. Close the top and wait for them to drip into the glasses.
From 10 – 15 minutes later, you will have delicious coffee cups to taste.
Step 5: For back coffee, you add sugar, stir it well, and add the ice to make it become a cup of iced coffee (ca phe den da).
For milk coffee, you stir the condensed milk at the bottom of the glass that you have added in advance.
If you want to have ca phe sua da (Vietnamese condensed milk with ice), add more ice into this glass.
All done! Now it’s time to relax and enjoy the flavor of the coffee.
Please note that when you enjoy Vietnamese coffee, you should taste a little and slowly, not fast. This is lazy coffee. -:)
How is coffee taste in different areas in Vietnam?
Coffee in North, Middle, and South Vietnam has different tastes.
The North people (typically in Hanoi) preferred tea to coffee because many kinds of famous and tasty teas in Vietnam are planted in this region. Nowadays, they like coffee, especially ca phe trung (egg coffee); that is coffee and egg yolk with condensed milk. The taste is not bad.
In the South (especially in Saigon), people here like condensed milk coffee with ice, because of the weather here is hot all year round and they call it as ca phe sua da.
And in Middle Vietnam, they’d rather enjoy black coffee made with filter (in Vietnamese is phin). Sometimes they add condensed milk to make ca phe sua but it’s different from the southern style, strong coffee, milk and a little of ice.
How do the Vietnamese people drink coffee?
The way you enjoy Vietnamese coffee is very important. You should take the cup of coffee, and then sip a little and swallow slowly.
So why do Vietnamese people sip coffee slowly instead of drinking quickly? This thing is based on culture and slow life.
Vietnamese people have the habit of enjoying coffee in the morning (usually after breakfast), in the evening (after dinner)…maybe in all day, aha..!!!
In the morning, you can see a lot of men in coffee shops although it’s time they have to work in the office.
Are they lazy?
They will take a short rest before working to open their mind, chat and meet friends. They also can discuss their business and create new ideas while tasting a cup of coffee.
And in the evening, you can see more women and children in the coffee shops. It is because in the morning most of the women have to go to the market, prepare the meal; not fair, isn’t it? And, they have more free time at night. So, the husbands have to give them time to take them to relax at the coffee shops.
A special point is that you can be served a cup of tea next to the cup of coffee. When you swallow the coffee, its flavor is strongly bitter and sweet, creating you feel thick. Therefore, using tea to make your taste balance, to avoid being dry for your mouth and throat, and to clean its heavy taste of coffee for someone.
In general, most of the Vietnamese people drink coffee very slowly. They can spend 1 to 3 hours at the coffee stores because they like to chat, look at the life going up and down, and enjoy the fresh air. That also shows the community cohesion in the culture of Vietnam.
Will you make and taste a cup of coffee at home or travel to Vietnam to enjoy it?
>>> You may like to see the mooncake Vietnam and its recipe.