vietnameseiced.coffee

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Vietnamese coffee drinks, compared

The coffee underneath these drinks is nearly always identical — phin-brewed robusta at about 1:5. What separates them is everything else in the glass.

DrinkCoffeeHow much coffee flavour reaches youDairyCondensed milk, fresh milk or creamSweetnessAs normally servedAlso in the glassUsually served
Cà phê sữa đáVietnamese iced coffee with condensed milkSweetened condensed milkIced, tall glass
Cà phê đen đáVietnamese black iced coffeeNothing, or a little sugarIced, short glass
Cà phê trứngVietnamese egg coffeeWhipped egg yolk and condensed milkHot, in a water bath
Bạc xỉuVietnamese milk coffee, milk-forwardCondensed milk and fresh or evaporated milkIced or hot
Cà phê dừaVietnamese coconut coffeeBlended frozen coconut creamIced, blended
Cà phê muốiVietnamese salt coffeeSalted whipped cream foamIced, layered
Cà phê sữa nóngHot Vietnamese milk coffeeSweetened condensed milkHot, small glass
Sữa chua cà phêVietnamese yogurt coffeeSet yogurtIced, layered

The scales describe how these drinks are normally made in Vietnam, not a fixed recipe. Every café sweetens differently, and most will adjust if you ask.

If you only make one

All eight recipes

A glass of iced coffee with a pale layer of condensed milk still settled at the bottom, on a wooden tray beside a glass of water and a dish of ground coffee.Photo: ePi.Longo · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Cà phê sữa đá

Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk

8 minEasy
A phin standing on a white cup at a sidewalk café in Hồ Chí Minh City, with a glass of tea served alongside it.Photo: Takeaway · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Cà phê đen đá

Vietnamese black iced coffee

6 minEasy
A cup of egg coffee with a thick pale-yellow foam cap, sitting in a saucer printed with the name of Cà Phê Giảng in Hà Nội.Photo: travel oriented · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Cà phê trứng

Vietnamese egg coffee

15 minMedium
A tall glass of bạc xỉu on a café table, white condensed milk at the bottom, dark coffee above it and a brown foam cap on top.Photo: Klientos · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Bạc xỉu

Vietnamese milk coffee, milk-forward

8 minEasy
Dark coffee being poured into a glass of thick white coconut slush and running down through it in streaks, with half a coconut behind.

Cà phê dừa

Vietnamese coconut coffee

10 minEasy
A short glass of salt coffee with a thick beige salted-cream layer floating on dark coffee, a spoon resting in it, on a patterned café table.Photo: Phương Huy · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Cà phê muối

Vietnamese salt coffee

12 minMedium
A glass of hot milk coffee on a dark wooden table, condensed milk pooled at the bottom beneath dark coffee and a pale foam on top.Photo: Clarin · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Cà phê sữa nóng

Hot Vietnamese milk coffee

7 minEasy
A glass layered with thick white set yogurt, crushed ice and dark coffee poured over the top.

Sữa chua cà phê

Vietnamese yogurt coffee

9 minEasy