What Is Vietnamese Coffee?

Although Vietnam is the second largest coffee producing country, there are still a lot of misconceptions about our coffee. At Nam Coffee, we want to demonstrate why Vietnam belongs in the same conversation as the other heavyweights around the globe. Here’s what you need to know about Vietnamese coffee.

What Is Vietnamese Coffee?

Vietnamese coffee can refer to a cup of coffee brewed with Vietnamese beans (and using a phin filter) and combined with condensed milk. On the other hand, it can also refer to the coffee that’s grown in Vietnam (more on that later). Around the middle of the 19th century, the French brought the first coffee plant to Vietnam. But since then, we’ve added our own unique spin by using condensed milk and brewing with a phin filter (stay tuned for instructions on how to use it!). 

How Do You Make Vietnamese Coffee?

We want you to use our coffee to express your creativity. So, there’s no one-size-fit all approach to brewing our coffee. If you want to brew the traditional Vietnamese way, however, you can use one of our Phin Filters.  Here’s how:

• Grind up a few tablespoons of our premium grade A robusta coffee.
• You place a couple of tablespoons of ground coffee on the plate of your phin filter. 
• Put your phin filter over a glass, mug, or whatever you use to drink coffee. 
• Afterwards, you pour four ounces of boiling water into the brewing chamber and then wait for thirty seconds. 
• Following that initial pour, pour some more water and wait for four minutes for it to finish brewing.  
• If you’re in the mood for something sweet, you can coat the bottom of your cup with some condensed milk. 
• After the coffee is done brewing, you can drop a few ice cubes and pour some milk and sugar if you want. We recommend stirring your cup with a spoon to make sure the condensed milk fully dissolves into the liquid.

What Region In Vietnam Grows Coffee? 

The vast majority of coffee is grown in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region which serves as the country’s agricultural epicenter.  If you ever visit, you should really take it all in — the silk, rubber, and tea farms, all wrapped in a dreamy blanket of fog; it’s pretty extraordinary!

We’re proud to be partnering with a third generation farmer from Đà Lạt. There are two different kinds of coffee — Robusta (which pack a bold flavor) and Arabica (which have less caffeine and contain fruity and lighter tasting notes). 

Though Vietnam grows a lot of Robusta, it does have some Arabica farms as well and it's lately become more popular with the expansion of the craft coffee movement. There’s a misconception that Vietnam solely grows low-grade, cheap robusta coffee. However, that’s far from the truth. At Nam Coffee, we're proud to be importing Grade A Robusta beans that are free of any harmful additives. To maximize quality, we utilize a slow-roasting technique which creates a strong, unique taste and long-lasting aroma.  

Please feel free to reach out with any questions about Vietnamese coffee. Nam Coffee is building a community of folks who want to bring creativity into your morning routine. Join us and embark on a journey spanning from Vietnam to California.