Latest Obsession: Vietnamese Coffee

What’s you relationship with coffee? Is it purely utilitarian, providing you with a means to an end or is it something more? For me, it is so much more and as much as I adore visiting coffee shops, I also really enjoy experimenting with bean varietals, added flavors, and preparation methods at home.

Recently, I purchased a Vietnamese Coffee Filter, which I learned about while watching a coffee recipe video on one of my favorite YouTube cooking channels. It arrived in the mail a few weeks ago and I have been really enjoying the beverages I’ve made with this compact coffee maker. I celebrated with a new bag of Ethiopian beans from a local roaster, which gave my coffee a bright, fruity flavor. Traditionally, Vietnamese coffee is made with condensed milk, which adds a sweet caramel-like flavor to the beverage, but when I am brewing my coffee with beans that have such strong fruit notes like those from the Sidamo or Amaro regions of Ethiopia, I like to keep my add-ins simple and I usually opt for some basic sugar if any sweetener at all.

The brewing process is really simple too. All you need is about 2-3 tablespoons of medium ground coffee (I set my Burr grinder on the middle setting). Place those grounds into the filter, which sits on a platter on top of your cup. Then, tap the coffee with the top filter, turning it to pack the grounds. Bloom your grounds with a tiny bit of boiling water and let sit for 30 seconds. Then, fill with water all the way to the rim and cover with the lid. I prepare this coffee in a clear cup so that I could watch the coffee filter through and I can tell when it is done brewing. When it’s done, I simply add a sugar cube, some more hot water, and finish off with some cream. Delicious and a perfect single-serving when I’m drinking alone.

A few reasons I prefer this coffee maker to my french press are: 1) it’s easier to clean, 2) I don’t have to time the brewing process, and 3) I can make a variety of lattes by treating my concentrated brew as espresso. You can find this inexpensive coffee maker here and choose from a variety of sizes. I have the 8 oz. version. Cheers!