Some days, we like our coffee black and low-calorie. Other days, we want to douse our coffee in sweetened condensed milk and ice. Today is one of the latter days, which is why we're showing you how to make a Vietnamese iced coffee (ca phe sua da or cà phê sữa đá). This iced coffee is both strong and syrupy sweet, which is a perfect combo for those days when you need a little extra "oomph".
How to Make Vietnamese Iced Coffee
There are two ways to make Vietnamese coffee -- the authentic way, and the more Americanized way. We'll show you how to do both. For this recipe we suggest using a dark roast coffee like our H.C. Valentine Signature Blend (buy it here).
If you want to make Vietnamese coffee the authentic way, first pour a bit of sweetened condensed milk (About 2 tablespoons) into a tall glass. To make your coffee, you can use one of these little brewing systems (buy one here for about $7). To use this brewing system, simply grind your coffee beans to a medium grind; scoop a heaping tablespoon of grounds into the brewer; cover the system with the top filter; place the brewer over the top of your glass; and pour one cup of boiling water over the top.
The water should take roughly five minutes to pass through the system. If it's too fast or slow, adjust the top filter to be more or less snug. Once the coffee is finished brewing into your glass, add ice cubes and quickly stir the mixture together until the coffee is completely chilled. Enjoy!
The other, easier way to make Vietnamese iced coffee is to use a French Press. Grind your coffee to a medium-coarse grind and place 2 heaping tablespoons into your French Press. Then, add 2/3 cup boiling water over the top, stirring gently. Place the top back on your French Press and steep the mixture for 4 minutes.
While the coffee is brewing, add 2 tablespoons of sweetened, condensed milk into a heatproof glass. Press, strain, and pour coffee from French Press into glass. Add several ice cubes, and stir vigorously until coffee mixture is cold. Enjoy!
