Ca Phe Sua Da

Ingredients

Coffee

• 25 gdark-roast Vietnamese robusta, ground medium-coarse
• 100 mlboiling water
• 3 tbspsweetened condensed milk

To serve

• a tall glass of ice

Equipment

• a phin filter

Directions

1. Spoon the condensed milk into the bottom of a small heatproof glass, so that the coffee drips straight down onto it.
2. Set the phin on top of the glass, add the ground coffee, shake it level, and press or screw the gravity insert down onto it firmly, though not so hard that nothing can pass through.
3. Pour about 20 ml of boiling water over the grounds and wait 30 seconds for the bloom. Skipping this gives a thin, sour cup.
4. Fill the phin with the rest of the water and put the lid on to hold the heat in.
5. Let it drip. A correctly packed phin passes 100 ml in 4 to 5 minutes. Much faster than that and the press is too loose; a slow trickle or a complete stall means it is screwed down too hard.
6. Lift the phin off and set it on its upturned lid, then stir the coffee and condensed milk together until the whole glass is an even pale brown with no dark layer left at the bottom.
7. Fill a tall glass to the brim with ice and pour the sweet coffee over it.
8. Drink it fairly quickly, while the ice still holds. The whole thing is designed around melting ice, which is exactly why it starts out so concentrated and so sweet.

Technique

• Robusta rather than arabica. It is roughly twice as strong and bitter enough to stand up to three tablespoons of condensed milk, whereas arabica simply disappears underneath it.
• Condensed milk is not a stand-in for fresh. The French planted coffee here from the 1850s, and tinned milk took over because fresh milk would not keep in the climate.
• Grind coarser than you would for espresso. Fine grounds clog the phin and stall it completely.

Substitutions

• Any dark-roast coffee ground coarse and brewed in a small French press, using half the usual water.
• Evaporated milk with sugar if you have no condensed milk, though the texture is thinner.

Variations

• Cà phê đen đá, black with sugar over ice.
• Cà phê trứng, the Hanoi egg coffee, with a whipped yolk and condensed milk cap.
• Cà phê muối, salt coffee from Huế, with a lightly salted cream on top.

History

Iced coffee with condensed milk; the French planted coffee from the 1850s, and tinned milk replaced fresh milk in the tropical climate.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ca Phe Sua Da?

Ca Phe Sua Da is a drink from Vietnam: strong drip robusta coffee over condensed milk and ice. Iced coffee with condensed milk; the French planted coffee from the 1850s, and tinned milk replaced fresh milk in the tropical climate.

How long does Ca Phe Sua Da take to make?

Ca Phe Sua Da takes 2 min of preparation and 5 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 glass. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Ca Phe Sua Da?

Yes, within limits. Any dark-roast coffee ground coarse and brewed in a small French press, using half the usual water. Evaporated milk with sugar if you have no condensed milk, though the texture is thinner.

What is the most important thing to get right in Ca Phe Sua Da?

Lift the phin off and set it on its upturned lid, then stir the coffee and condensed milk together until the whole glass is an even pale brown with no dark layer left at the bottom.