Gear
Best Vietnamese Coffee Filter (Phin): How to Choose
A phin has four metal parts and nothing to replace. One phin differs from the next in its size, its metal and its press, and all three are easy to get right.
The short answer
- Material
- Stainless steel
- Size
- Single serve, for 20–25 g of coffee
- Press
- Gravity or screw-down; both work
- Price
- About US$7–17 for stainless
For most people, a small stainless steel phin is the sensible start. Choose a single-serve size that takes about 20–25 g of ground coffee, and check that the base plate sits securely on the glass you will use. Gravity and screw-down presses both work: a gravity press cannot be over-tightened, while a screw-down press lets you adjust the drip but adds one more thing to get wrong.
Which phin is right for you
Three choices matter: the metal, the press and the size.
| Option | Choose it if | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Material | ||
| Stainless steel | You want one phin for daily use. It resists rust and cleans easily, and every US specialist listing we checked uses it. | Weight and price. One Vietnamese seller’s stainless phin weighs 170–190 g and costs over twice its aluminium one. |
| Aluminium | You want the lightest, cheapest phin. The same seller’s aluminium phin weighs 52 g and costs 86,900 đồng, against 229,000 for stainless. | Thin listings. Of the aluminium phins we checked, two were sold out and most gave no size. |
| Press | ||
| Gravity press | You want the simplest brew. The disc rests on the coffee under its own weight, so it cannot be over-tightened. | No adjustment. If the drip is too fast or too slow, you change the grind or the dose instead. |
| Screw-down press | You like to adjust. A threaded post lets you press the coffee harder or more lightly. | Turn it too far and the drip slows to a stop. It is one more variable while you learn. |
| Size | ||
| Single serve | You make one drink at a time, which is what the recipes on this site assume. Look for a phin that takes 20–25 g of ground coffee. | Labels. The same one-cup phin can be sold as “6 ounce” in the US and “170 ml” in Vietnam. |
| Large | You brew for several people at once. Nguyen Coffee Supply says its 24 oz phin makes 6–12 servings. | Underfilled, a big phin drips too fast. Buy one for batches, not for one bigger glass. |
Size labels do not agree
Sellers describe size in three ways: the finished cup, the chamber volume, or the weight of coffee it takes. Len’s Coffee calls its single-cup phin 6 ounce and says it makes 6–7 ounces. A Vietnamese listing states a 170 ml chamber for 25 g. SaigonMade gives ounces without saying whether of volume or weight, plus a width in inches.
None of these converts cleanly into the others, so buy on dose. If the listing gives grams, look for 20–25 g. If it only gives ounces, check the width against your glass and how many cups it says it makes.
Phins worth buying
For most people · US and Canada
Vietnamese Traditional (Phin) Filter/Brewer, 6 ounce
Len's Coffee
- Material
- Stainless steel, AISI 316L
- Size
- 6 ounce; 8, 11 and 15 also listed
- Press
- Gravity or screw-down (6 ounce)
- Parts
- 4, with instructions
Who it suits: Anyone in the US or Canada buying a first phin.
- States the steel grade, which most listings do not
- Gravity or screw-down at the same size and price, so you choose the press
- The lowest-priced stainless phin we found from a specialist seller
Know before you buy: Stock is thin. The seller says inventory is very limited while it relocates, caps quantities per order, and listed the 11 ounce as unavailable. Its shipping page covers the US and Canada only.
A second US seller
Vietnamese Phin Coffee Filter, 4-piece stainless steel
M&R Trading (M&R Coffee Shop)
- Material
- Stainless steel, grade not stated
- Size
- 5 oz or 6 oz
- Press
- Not stated
- Parts
- 4: plate, body, press, lid
Who it suits: US buyers who want a single-serve stainless phin when Len's is out of stock.
- Both sizes were listed as available when we checked
- Priced in the same range as Len’s
Know before you buy: The listing does not state the steel grade or the press type. If you want a screw-down press, check the photographs or ask the seller first.
For the UK, Australia and Canada
Vietnamese Coffee Filter, Stainless Steel, Sizes S to XL Jumbo
SaigonMade
- Material
- Stainless steel, grade not stated
- Size
- Five, 89–152 mm (3.5–6 in) wide
- Press
- Unclear from the listing
- Ships to
- US, UK, Europe, Canada, Australia
Who it suits: Readers outside the US, and anyone who wants to match the phin to a particular glass by width.
- Gives the height and width of every size, so you can check the fit before you buy
- Ships to the UK, Europe, Canada and Australia, in 10–20 days according to the listing
- Lifetime warranty, according to the listing
Know before you buy: It costs more than the US options, and the listing describes the press both as easier than a screw-down and as turned to compress. Ask before buying if the press type matters to you.
For several cups at once, Len’s lists the same phin at 15 ounce and SaigonMade goes up to its XL Jumbo. Nguyen Coffee Supply’s 12 oz and 24 oz batch phins are the best specified large ones we found, but both were sold out when we checked.
What to check before you buy
- A stable fit. The base plate has to be wider than the rim of your glass and sit flat on it. Measure the rim, then check the plate width in the listing. A phin that rocks can tip when you pour.
- Neat holes and a press that fits. Look at a photograph of the floor. You want many small, evenly spaced holes and a press disc that sits flat inside the chamber. Neat holes show care in the making; they do not guarantee a better cup.
- A size that matches your dose. Find the grams, or the number of cups it makes. A phin much bigger than your dose drips too fast, which is why Nguyen Coffee Supply warns against putting under 2 tablespoons in its 4 oz phin. If you already own one that races through in two minutes, that is a brewing problem rather than a buying one: see how long a phin should take to drip.
The four parts of a phin
- LidKeeps the heat in while the coffee drips.
- Press insertA perforated disc that sits on the grounds. It rests by its own weight or screws down.
- Brewing chamberHolds the coffee and the water. Coffee drips out through the holes in the floor.
- Base plateThe wide rim that rests on your glass or cup.
On a stainless phin, a listing that names the grade usually says 304 or 316. Both are standard food-contact stainless steels, and 316 is generally treated as the higher grade. Either is fine for a phin.
Where to buy one
Vietnamese and Asian grocery stores. Good for inexpensive traditional phins, often aluminium, and the only place you can check the fit and the holes in your hand before you pay.
Vietnamese coffee specialists. Narrower range, better descriptions: the seller usually states the metal, the size and the press. All three phins above come from specialists. In Australia, Griffiths Bros. Coffee Roasters lists a small aluminium phin with a gravity press at A$10.
Online marketplaces. The widest range and the most variable listings. Before you buy, check the seller, the stated dimensions and the press type, and find a clear photograph of the perforated floor.
Next: how to use your phin
Questions people ask
- What else is a phin called?
- Shops outside Vietnam often sell it as a Vietnamese coffee filter, a Vietnamese coffee maker or a Vietnamese coffee press. It is the same four-piece metal brewer. Search for whichever name the shop uses.
- Do I need paper filters?
- No. The perforated metal floor is the filter. Some sellers bundle round paper filters cut to fit, and you can use them, but a phin works without them.
- Will a phin fit my cup?
- It will if the base plate is wider than the rim and sits flat on it, and the cup can take boiling water. Measure the rim, then compare it with the plate width in the listing.
- How long does a phin last?
- A metal phin has no paper, gasket or pump, so there is nothing that needs replacing. Len's Coffee and SaigonMade both list a lifetime warranty on theirs.
Sources
Figures on this page come from the following. Where a claim is an estimate or a common description rather than a measurement, the text says so.
- Vietnamese Traditional (Phin) Filter/BrewersLen's Coffee LLC · accessed 2026-10-18A four-piece stainless phin stated as AISI 316L, described as brewing a single cup of 6–7 ounces, in 6, 8, 11 and 15 ounce gravity-insert sizes and a 6 ounce screw-down version; US$6.95 for the 6 ounce, rising to US$12.95 for the 15 ounce, with the 11 ounce unavailable; very limited inventory and a per-order limit while the company relocates; a lifetime warranty.
- Shipping InfoLen's Coffee LLC · accessed 2026-10-18Orders ship from Boston, Massachusetts, to the US and to Canada; Australia and the UK are not mentioned.
- Vietnamese Phin Coffee Filter – Traditional 4-Piece Stainless Steel BrewerM&R Trading (M&R Coffee Shop) · accessed 2026-10-18Four stainless steel parts named as plate, body, press disk and lid; 5 oz at US$8.95 and 6 oz at US$9.95, both listed as available; no steel grade or press type stated.
- Vietnamese Coffee Filter – Stainless Steel Coffee Filter Brewer Sizes (S to XL) JumboSaigonMade · accessed 2026-10-18Stainless steel stated as 'INOX II' with no grade; five sizes from 3.8 oz (3.5 in wide) to 10.5 oz (6 in wide); one tablespoon of coffee per cup; US$16.99 for the small to US$49.99 for the jumbo; a lifetime warranty; shipping to the US, the UK and Europe, Canada and Australia; the press described both as easier than screw-down types and as compressed by turning.
- Phin Filter FAQ: Every Question AnsweredNguyen Coffee Supply · accessed 2026-10-18Phins made of stainless steel or aluminium; the four parts named cap, filter plate, gravity press and brew chamber; less than 2 tablespoons of coffee in a 4 oz phin may cause a fast drip; the object also called a Vietnamese coffee press and a Vietnamese coffee maker.
- 24 oz Phin FilterNguyen Coffee Supply · accessed 2026-10-18A stainless steel 24 oz chamber with a 6 inch plate, stated to make 6–12 servings; sold out when checked.
- Phin cà phê inox 304 nắp gài xoáy pha 1 ngườiVolcano Vietnam · accessed 2026-10-18A single-serve phin in inox 304, taking 20–25 g of medium-ground coffee, with a threaded screw-down press that adjusts the pressure on the bed; about 170–190 g in weight; 229,000 đồng; bundled with paper filters; made in China.
- Phin pha cà phê nhôm màuVolcano Vietnam · accessed 2026-10-18An anodised aluminium phin of about 170 ml for one person, taking 18–25 g of coffee, weighing 52 g as a set, with a plain press that does not screw down; four parts named body, base plate, press and lid; 86,900 đồng; sold out when checked.
- Phin cà phê inox mạ vàngCentury Coffee (Vietnam) · accessed 2026-10-18A single-serve phin stated as a 170 ml chamber for 25 g of coffee, in inox 304.
- Phin Filter - smallGriffiths Bros. Coffee Roasters (Australia) · accessed 2026-10-18An aluminium phin that makes one cup with a gravity press, at A$10.00; stock status unclear on the page.
- Aluminum Traditional Vietnamese Coffee FilterWeee! (US Asian grocery) · accessed 2026-10-18An aluminium phin at US$6.49, out of stock, with no brand, size or press type stated.
- Characteristics of Food Contact Surface Materials: Stainless SteelFood Protection Trends (International Association for Food Protection) · accessed 2026-09-19Stainless steel's corrosion resistance; types 304 and 316 as standard food-contact grades, with 316 generally considered the higher grade.
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