Vietnamese Iced Coffee

Cà phê sữa đá is Vietnam's answer to the perfect refreshment in the heat: a pitch-black, intensely strong coffee, slowly dripping through a small metal filter, a "phin," into a layer of sweetened condensed milk. When you stir the two together and pour it all over crushed ice, you get a sweet, rich, and deeply aromatic iced coffee with the distinctive, almost chocolate-like bitterness from dark-roasted robusta beans. It's traditionally brewed one cup at a time, but the technique is the same whether you use a phin, a French press, or a moka pot. You can have a glass ready in minutes, and it beats any café iced coffee.

• Cuisine: Vietnamese
• Time: 10 minutes
• Servings: 2 glasses
• Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Add 2 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk to the bottom of each glass - adjust the amount according to how sweet you want your coffee.
2. Unscrew the bottom part of your phin, fill it with the dark-roasted, coarse-ground coffee, and shake it lightly so the powder lies evenly.
3. Place the perforated press on top of the coffee and screw it on gently, so the powder is lightly compressed.
4. Place the phin on top of a heat-resistant glass or cup. Pour a small amount of boiled water (about 2 tablespoons) over it, and let the coffee "bloom" for 30 seconds, so the powder absorbs the water and expands.
5. Fill with the rest of the boiled water - estimate about 100 ml per cup - put the lid on, and let the coffee drip slowly for 3-5 minutes, until all the liquid has passed through.
6. Stir the hot, strong coffee together with the condensed milk at the bottom until the milk is completely dissolved.
7. Fill a tall glass completely with crushed ice or ice cubes, and pour the sweet coffee over it.
8. Stir thoroughly with a spoon or straw so the coffee becomes ice cold immediately, and serve at once.

Tips

• The secret is to brew the coffee much stronger than usual - the ice melts and quickly dilutes it, so a weak coffee will disappear completely.
• Dark-roasted robusta beans give the most authentic, strong, and slightly chocolatey taste. If you only have arabica, grind it extra coarsely and use plenty.
• If you don't have a phin, you can brew a very strong cup in a French press or moka pot and simply stir it with condensed milk over ice.
• If you want to make cà phê đen đá (black iced coffee), omit the milk and sweeten the coffee with a little sugar to taste instead.