Cà phê sữa đá, or Vietnamese Iced Espresso, is a type of drinks that earns its status with out making an attempt. Robust, concentrated espresso dripped slowly by means of a small steel filter onto a layer of sweetened condensed milk, then poured over ice. The consequence tastes prefer it took considerably extra effort than it did, which is all the time a satisfying consequence.
It’s additionally a drink that constantly brings readers again with questions, new variations, and the occasional sturdy opinion about condensed milk manufacturers. We noticed a number of that debate in our outdated Boards part, to make certain
We first printed a How To on this drink again in 2007 in our outdated Boards, and a formal step-by-step in 2013 which was up to date in 2017. It was carried over to our 2020 design, however sadly was omitted within the 2023 overhaul. Time to appropriate that. The core recipe hasn’t modified, as a result of the drink itself hasn’t modified. What has modified is the third part: I’ve gone significantly deeper into the historical past of this drink, and it seems to be a extra attention-grabbing story than most individuals count on
Vietnamese iced espresso is a sluggish brew by design. Count on 4 to 5 minutes of drip time, and deal with that point as a part of the expertise reasonably than an issue to resolve. The sweetened condensed milk is structural to the recipe, not a garnish. In case you’re working round dairy, alternate options exist and I’ll cowl them after the steps, however with out the condensed milk you’re making a unique drink fully, and possibly a lesser one.
The phin filter, in case you don’t already personal one, is cheap, broadly out there, and price having. It’s a four-part steel system with no paper filters, no electrical energy, and no transferring items, and it produces a cup that might embarrass gear costing ten occasions as a lot. Every thing else you probably have at house already
Like all our How Tos, after the steps we go deeper into the phin filter and the way it really works, the espresso greatest suited to this drink, the colonial-era historical past behind cà phê sữa đá and the way condensed milk grew to become its defining ingredient, scorching preparation, and the regional variations price understanding.
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