Updated: Sep 20, 2018
Origin - Vietnam
Vietnamese Iced Coffee (cà phê đá) is a popular coffee recipe in Vietnam. It is made using medium to coarse, ground dark roast Vietnamese-grown coffee with a small Vietnamese drip filter (phin cà phê). Drip coffee is very thick, and the coffee bean is usually intentionally over-roasted, making it quite bitter. That is why sweetened condensed milk is added to the coffee to counterbalance the bitterness to make a refreshing drink!
This coffee has no place in a life where you chug down a strong coffee as you rush your way to work at 8 am. Its preparation is a slow affair. The Vietnamese like their coffee nice and slow. Setting up the filter, and choosing the right time to drink is considered an art. Drip coffee is the way Vietnamese people create and enjoy conversations!
[ History ]
Coffee was first introduced in 1857 by a French Catholic priest who brought a Coffea Arabica tree to Vietnam. Fast forward a hundred years later, coffee production rapidly increased and in fact, coffee became Vietnam’s major economic contributor. Because of the low production of milk back then, the Vietnamese people used sweetened condensed milk for their dark roast coffee and still use it for their coffees today!
[ Fun Fact ]
In addition to condensed milk, you may also find eggs, yogurt, cheese, or even butter in your Vietnamese coffee. Giang Café in Hanoi, Vietnam, is famous for their egg coffee, which includes whisked egg yolk.
While sweetened condensed milk is a big favorite for Vietnamese coffee, there are so many ways to enjoy the drink.
What are you waiting for? Treat yourself to a cold, rich, and bittersweet Vietnamese Iced Coffee to start the day!
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