 I had Vietnamese coffee at lunch a couple Sundays ago. "Big deal," you might say. Well, it is a big deal, for me. You see, living in Taiwan, I've been deprived of conveniently accessible truly gourmet coffee for over three years now, and it's time for me to fight for my rights to again be obsessed with all things coffee bean along with any of it's aromatic byproducts. Lunch was not the first time I had ever tasted Vietnamese coffee. I can still think back now when my friend Scott got back from his trip through Southeast Asia, and one of the things he'd unpacked from his travels was a small tin contraption made up of several parts. I hadn't understood it at the time, but this filter would eventually TURN MY WORLD UPSIDE DOWN! "Thirsty For" demonstrates how to do it! Alright, so I'm being sarcastic, but seriously, after three years of drinking packets of powdered 3-in-1 "coffee" dissolved in hot water that left a bitter, metallic after taste on my tongue, I was completely bowled over at my first taste of Vietnamese coffee after a long time. I couldn't stop myself. I went out to the nearest Southeast Asian goods store and bought the whole setup. It's a pretty simple ordeal, this brewing a cup of my latest obsession. Let me walk you through step-by-step of my daily morning ritual. How to Brew Vietnamese Coffee
STEP 4: Insert filter press and screw or push down tightly. Place filter chamber onto glass/mug. STEP 5: Add a dash of hot water, and let it set for a few seconds to allow the grains to expand. STEP 6: Pour hot water into filter, filling the chamber to the top. STEP 7: Sit back and enjoy as the dark, thick liquid seeps through the filter and drips down onto the sweet, creamy milk. Let all the water filter through before stirring. (OPTIONAL) STEP 8: On especially hot and humid days, you can pour your freshly brewed coffee into a glass of crushed ice. Buying the whole setup can be very simple and straightforward. If you go to a traditional Asian market selling Asian goods, the filter and coffee can be found somewhere in the Vietnamese section. A Cup of Drifter Inspiration Travel is so much more than seeing a destination, the food and drink of a place makes as much of an imprint on my travel memory. A taste of crispy nori on a bed of hot rice takes me home to Hawai'i, a bite of coconut cream and lemongrass reminds me of Thailand, and a scent of bagoong paste being sauteed transports me back to the Philippines. The same rule of mental teleportation through taste buds applies with Vietnamese coffee. Not only does a hot cup of this Vietnamese caffeine goodness get my day off to a good start, it also continuously inspires me to think about the wonders of Southeast Asia that surround me, and the things that await me as I slowly travel my way across it's landscape.
27 Comments
Kalei
4/25/2013 02:21:54 pm
I lovingly hate you right now JR! The video demo makes it look SO AWESOME!
Kalei
6/25/2013 01:20:50 am
Hey Cuz! I finally got to try this & Pho at a restaurant in Wailuku. SO delicious, there's enough caffeine to keep you going for the whole day. 4/25/2013 02:42:32 pm
Hi. So you unscrew the filter before adding coffee, and then screw the filter back on? I used the filter as a double bottom layer with equally impressive results. I was told to upturn the lid, add a touch of boiling water to it and sit the drip cup on it for two minutes to steam the coffee first. I just posted about it yesterday. Great minds! Here's to a lifetime of good coffee!
My filter press has no screw, you just insert it over the ground coffee and press it down. I'm sure the screw version would make it more secure though. Being a coffee snob is one of those admirable things that most people should embrace and exalt rather than shun. I love brewing at home, especially French press, and now Vietnamese drip style. The best thing about the Vietnamese technique is that it is very traveler friendly, light, cheap and can be packed anywhere.
1 in about 8 million
4/26/2013 03:10:44 pm
Street vendors in Thailand do a similar thing, condensed milk and all. Maybe they learned it from the Vietnamese? It's absolutely delicious! Curiously, it doesn't come in a cup... pour the coffee over plastic-bagful of ice, stick a straw in, 15 Baht (AU$0.50), and off you go. Built in handles! Great memories :) Interesting you mention the plastic bag technique, that's something they do for their beverages in Central America as well. And I LOVE Vietnamese coffee poured over ice! I believe that is the traditional way of serving it. Crushed ice seems to work best, as cubes tend to get all watery for some reason.
EstefanÃa Garcia
4/30/2013 02:14:27 am
I grew up drinking coke in plastic bags with a straw, hahah I guess thats not only done in mexico! hahah
Khia
4/28/2013 12:43:47 am
I'm so glad you wrote this article. Finally we are getting the recognition we deserve for our coffee. Best coffee ever and even better over ice on a hot day, that's how the viet do it anyway. Getting in touch with me heritage :)
It definitely is worth getting obsessed over. Funny, I just commented above that I thought it was traditionally over ice, at least from I've heard. Thanks for the confirmation. I had a flatmate who introduced Vietnam coffee to us saying it has good taste. He travels often in Vietnam meeting their clients. At that time, he used another device. He poured the hot water into a glass container, put the coffee, then pressed down a pump with a filter. After the pump was totally pushed down and the coffee powder compressed at the bottom, he then poured the coffee into his mug.
EstefanÃa Garcia
4/30/2013 02:08:12 am
so I used to see those filters at vietnamese restaurants whenever I visited my friends in Portland and we went there to have an amazing bowl of supreme deliciousness called Pho! I have to say Im guilty of never trying it because I was like, pfff.. coffee and soup? no thanks! but after reading this my mouth watering and my nose almost smelling the coffe, my stomach is begging me to go and try to find that deliciousness in Tampico if I can! lol Yes, those little tin contraptions look deceptively simple and unimportant. Who knew the treasure trove of caffeine goodness they contained! Those clever Vietnamese! But seriously, you need to dig up one of the filters and make a cup of this yourself. Mark my words, if you are a coffee lover, you will be obsessed. 5/6/2013 04:06:06 pm
I don't even drink coffee, but for some reason I really want to try this. I think I will have to pick up the whole setup, too. I can't wait and I know my husband is going to be thrilled when I make him one since I never make him coffee. I was never a coffee lover. What's more, I hated it and never drunk. Everything changed when I went to Hanoi. I was made by one of my friends to drink it when we were both having a lunch and I couldn't stop drinking it. It was cold, refreshing, sweet and so delicious. I fell in love. Now it's been more than a year since I drank that coffee and guess what... I'm a latte lover! Can't imagine my day without a coffee. Insane! Leave a Reply. |
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 ABOUT ME
I'm JR. I come from a long line of adventurers, some were nomadic explorers of the sea and others wandering cultivators of the earth. Ultimately, this legacy of drifters has deeply affected my view of travel. Read more...
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