How to Make Vietnamese Coffee (Ca Phe Sua Da)

Ca Phe Sua Da is the vietnamese iced coffee you have probably seen in every Hanoi street-side cafe: a small glass, dark coffee dripping slowly through a metal filter, condensed milk pooling at the bottom, and ice waiting below. This vietnamese coffee recipe requires only four ingredients, one piece of equipment, and about ten minutes. What trips most people up is grind size, water temperature, and the specific brewing rhythm of the phin filter. This guide covers all three.

What Makes Ca Phe Sua Da Different from Other Iced Coffee

Almost every other iced coffee recipe works by brewing a strong base and cooling it down. Ca Phe Sua Da does not work that way. The condensed milk goes into the glass first, before the coffee even starts dripping, which means the two elements meet and combine gradually as the phin filter does its work. By the time you stir and pour over ice, the coffee has already absorbed some sweetness from below.

The phin filter is a gravity-fed immersion-drip hybrid that sits directly on the glass. Coffee sits in a small chamber above a perforated plate, hot water is poured over, and the coffee drips through at whatever speed the grind allows. No pressure, no paper filter, and no electricity. The result is a cup with more body than pour-over and less sediment than a French press, which is exactly what you need to stand up to condensed milk coffee and ice.

What You Need

Equipment

The phin filter is the only piece of equipment specific to this recipe. It is a vietnamese coffee brewing method that requires no electricity, no paper filters, and no pressure. It comes in sizes from 3 to 10 cups; a single-serving phin is the most common for home use. Everything else, a kettle, a glass, and a spoon, you almost certainly already own.

A temperature-controlled kettle makes this noticeably easier. The ideal water temperature for phin brewing is 92 to 95 degrees C, and overheated water is the single most common cause of bitterness. The Fellow Stagg EKG holds water at a precise temperature throughout the brew, which matters more here than in faster methods because the drip time can stretch to 6 or 7 minutes.

A small kitchen scale and a set of barista tools help with consistency, particularly when dialling in the condensed milk ratio for the first time. Weighing both the coffee and condensed milk removes guesswork across repeat brews.

Ingredients per Serving

Coffee: 18 to 20g dark roast Robusta, medium-fine grind Condensed milk: 25 to 30ml sweetened condensed milk Water: 90 to 110ml hot water at 92 to 95 degrees C Ice: A full glass (for Ca Phe Sua Da; skip for the hot version)

How to Make Vietnamese Coffee: Step by Step

These steps assume a standard single-serve phin filter placed directly over a glass. This is the core how to make vietnamese coffee method used across Vietnam and easily replicated at home.

Step 1: Add the condensed milk

Add 25 to 30ml of sweetened condensed milk to the bottom of the glass.

Step 2: Set up the phin filter

Place the phin filter on top of the glass. Make sure it sits securely and flat.

Step 3: Add the coffee

Add 18 to 20g of medium-fine ground coffee to the phin chamber. Give it a gentle tap to level the grounds.

Step 4: Press the gravity filter

Press the gravity filter (the inner press) down lightly over the grounds, firm enough to level them but not so hard that you compact them into a dense puck.

Step 5: Bloom the grounds

Pour about 20 to 25ml of hot water over the grounds. Wait 20 to 25 seconds for the bloom. You will see the grounds swell slightly and the first drops begin to fall through.

Step 6: Fill the chamber

Fill the chamber with the remaining water (around 80 to 90ml). Place the lid on top to retain heat during the brew.

Step 7: Let it drip

A well-calibrated phin takes 4 to 6 minutes to complete the brew. Do not press down on the filter or try to speed it up. Patience here is what separates a good cup from a flat one.

Step 8: Stir

Remove the phin. Stir the coffee and condensed milk together in the glass until fully combined.

Step 9: Pour over ice and serve

Pour the combined ca phe sua da over a separate glass filled with ice. Drink immediately, or let it sit for two minutes if you prefer the ice to melt slightly and soften the intensity.

Grind consistency plays a bigger role in this recipe than most people expect. Uneven grounds have particles that over-extract while others under-extract, making the cup taste muddy even when the ratio is correct. A burr coffee grinder with even output solves this quickly. The difference in phin cup quality between a burr grinder and a blade grinder is significant and noticeable from the very first brew.

Getting the Ratio Right

The standard ca phe sua da ratio is roughly 18 to 20g of coffee to 90 to 110ml of water, producing a brew concentrated enough to hold its character after condensed milk and ice are factored in. Unlike pour-over or drip coffee, the phin brew is not a finished cup on its own. It is designed to be diluted.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

If the drip finishes in under 3 minutes, the grind is likely too coarse and the cup will taste sour and thin. If it takes more than 7 minutes, the grind is too fine and bitterness will dominate. The sweet spot for most dark roast Robusta coffee at a medium-fine grind is 4 to 6 minutes from the first drop to the last. Adjusting grind size is always the first fix to try before changing anything else.

Ca Phe Sua Nong: The Hot Version

Ca Phe Sua Nong follows the exact same recipe. Skip the ice and use a preheated mug instead of a glass. The condensed milk goes in first, the phin sits on the mug, and the brew runs straight into it below. The ratio stays the same; the result is richer and sweeter than the iced version because nothing dilutes it.

This is the version most commonly drunk in the mornings across Vietnam, particularly in cooler regions. For the vietnamese iced coffee version to taste the same as the hot version, the condensed milk coffee base needs to be slightly stronger to compensate for the ice melt, which is why some recipes use slightly more coffee for ca phe sua da than for ca phe sua nong.

Ca Phe Sua Da vs Other Vietnamese Iced Coffee Methods

The phin filter is the right tool for a traditional vietnamese coffee recipe. For those who want to explore cold brewing as an alternative, dedicated cold brew coffee makers handle the setup, filtration, and steep container in a single system, producing a smooth, low-acid concentrate that works well over ice with or without condensed milk.