How to Brew: Phin Filter
Long before espresso machines and pour-over kits, Vietnam had the phin: a small metal filter that turns hot water and ground coffee into something rich, slow and completely its own. Our Vietnamese coffee is grown in the Central Highlands, the heart of Vietnam's coffee country, so a phin brew is the truest way to taste where Highest Good comes from.
It looks fussy the first time. It isn't. Once you've done it twice, it's just part of the morning.
A little history
Coffee arrived in Vietnam with French missionaries in the mid-1800s, and the phin is Vietnam's own take on the French drip filter: small, cheap, made of metal and built for one cup at a time. It became the brewer on every street corner, and today Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee producer, with most of its Robusta grown in the Central Highlands.
Ask for a coffee in Vietnam and you won't get an espresso. You'll get a phin, dripping slowly over your glass.
Why the coffee matters
A phin uses gravity rather than pressure, so the water sits on the grounds for several minutes and drips through slowly. The result is a small, concentrated, full-bodied cup, somewhere between an espresso and a strong filter coffee. That's why it suits bold, Robusta-forward coffee so well: it brings out dark chocolate, roasted nuts and a thick, syrupy body.
Use our Phin Grind, which is ground specifically for this brewer. For the classic strong, sweet Vietnamese cup, try The True or the 100% Robusta The Mighty. For something smoother, The Vital is a great place to start.
What you'll need
Equipment
- A Vietnamese phin filter (a standard single-cup size)
- A heatproof glass or cup
- A kettle
- Kitchen scales, or a tablespoon if you don't have scales
Ingredients (1 serve)
- 20g Highest Good coffee, Phin Grind (about 2 tablespoons)
- About 80ml water at around 95°C (boil the kettle and let it sit for 30 seconds)
- 1–2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (optional, for cà phê sữa)
- Ice (optional, for an iced version)
Step-by-step method
Brew the coffee first, then choose how you'd like to serve it.
Before you start: rinse the phin and your cup with hot water to warm them up, then tip the water out. A warm phin keeps the brew temperature steady.
Brew the coffee
- Set up the phin. Sit the filter plate and chamber on top of your cup and take the press out for now. If you're having it with condensed milk, put the condensed milk in the cup first.
- Add the coffee. Add 20g of coffee and give the phin a gentle shake so the grounds settle flat and even.
- Add the press. Rest the press on top of the grounds and push down lightly, just enough to level them. Don't pack it hard or the coffee will barely drip and taste bitter.
- Bloom. Pour in about 30ml of hot water, put the lid on and wait 60 seconds. This lets the grounds swell and release gas so the rest of the water extracts evenly.
- Brew. Pour in another 50ml of water, put the lid back on and leave it alone. It should drip through in about 4–5 minutes. For a longer, lighter cup, fill the chamber to the top instead.
- Finish. Once the dripping stops, lift the phin off and rest it upside down on its lid so it doesn't drip on the bench.
Serve it your way
- Cà phê đen nóng (hot black): drink it as is, strong and straight.
- Cà phê sữa nóng (hot, with condensed milk): stir the coffee into the condensed milk until it's smooth and caramel-coloured.
- Cà phê sữa đá (iced, with condensed milk): stir it through the condensed milk, then pour over a glass full of ice. Our Vietnamese Iced Coffee guide covers it in more detail.
How to drink it
Phin coffee isn't rushed. In Vietnam you'd sit on a low stool, watch it drip, then sip it slowly, often with a glass of iced tea (trà đá) on the side to cleanse the palate. It's strong, so a small cup goes a long way.
Variations
- Cà phê đen đá (iced black): Pour the hot coffee over ice. Add a teaspoon of sugar if you like it the way many Vietnamese drink it.
- Bạc xỉu: Saigon's milky coffee. Stir 1 tablespoon of condensed milk into 60ml of milk, pour over ice, then add a small splash of phin coffee on top. More milk than coffee.
- Salt coffee and egg coffee: Use your phin brew as the base for our Vietnamese Salt Cream Coffee or Vietnamese Egg Coffee.
- No phin? French press: Steep 20g Highest Good Phin Grind in 100ml of water just off the boil for 4 minutes, then plunge slowly. Keep the ratio tight so the coffee stays bold.
Tips for the best result
- Aim for a 4–5 minute drip. If it runs through in under 3 minutes, press a little firmer next time. If it barely drips, loosen the press or tap the side of the phin gently.
- Don't lift or move the phin while it's dripping. It disturbs the coffee bed and makes the brew uneven.
- Weigh your coffee if you can. Spoons vary a lot, and 20g is the sweet spot for a standard phin.
- Use filtered water if your tap water has a strong taste. Coffee is mostly water, so it shows.
- Clean the phin with hot water after each use and dry it fully. Avoid soap residue, which can taint the next cup.
Watch how it's made
Prefer to see it first? This short tutorial shows the whole process, start to finish:
- How to make Vietnamese coffee at home – Good Morning America, with Sahra Nguyen of Nguyen Coffee Supply
Make it with Highest Good
Our Vietnamese coffee is grown in the Central Highlands, the heart of Vietnam's coffee country, and roasted fresh in Australia. Choose Phin Grind for the traditional method, Espresso Grind for your machine, or Whole Bean to grind at home. Available in 250g, 500g and 1kg bags, with free shipping on orders over $50 and up to 15% off when you subscribe.