How to Brew Vietnamese Phin Coffee at Home
27 July 2026 · Cela Coffee · ☕ 2 min read
The phin is a small metal filter that sits on top of your cup. It's slow, simple, and it makes some of the best coffee you'll ever taste — especially with a spoonful of condensed milk. Here's how to do it right.
What is a phin?
A phin is a small metal filter — about the size of a shot glass — that sits on top of your cup. You put ground coffee in it, pour hot water on top, and wait. Gravity does the rest.
No paper filter. No electricity. No pressure. Just coffee, water, and time.
Why it makes such good coffee
Most brewing methods rush the water through the coffee. The phin does the opposite. Water sits with the grounds for 4 to 6 minutes, pulling out every drop of flavour before dripping into the cup below.
The result is thick, dark, and packed with chocolatey depth. Add a spoonful of sweetened condensed milk and you've got a cà phê sữa — Vietnam's national drink.
What you'll need
- 15 g of freshly-ground Vietnamese Robusta (medium-coarse, like a slightly finer French press grind)
- 90 ml of hot water — just off the boil, around 92 °C
- A 4-piece phin filter
- Optional: 15–25 ml of sweetened condensed milk
The recipe, step by step
- Warm your cup and phin. Rinse both with hot water and dry them. This keeps your coffee hotter for longer.
- Add the coffee. Spoon 15 g into the phin chamber and tap gently to level it. Don't press it down.
- Place the insert on top. The small metal disc goes on top of the grounds. Don't screw it down — just let it sit.
- Bloom the coffee. Pour about 20 ml of water — just enough to wet the grounds. Wait 30 seconds. You'll see the coffee "breathe."
- Add the rest of the water. Pour the remaining 70 ml, put the lid on, and walk away.
- Wait 4–6 minutes. When the drips slow to about one every 2–3 seconds, your coffee is ready.
Troubleshooting
Your first cup might not be perfect. Here's how to fix the two most common problems:
- Brew finished in under 3 minutes? Your grind is too coarse. Try one or two clicks finer next time.
- Still dripping after 8 minutes? Grind is too fine. Coarsen it up a bit.
- Cup tastes weak? Use more coffee (try 18 g), not more water.
Try it with a splash of condensed milk
Once you've got the basics down, try the classic Vietnamese version:
- Put 20 ml of condensed milk in the bottom of your cup before brewing.
- Brew directly on top so the coffee mixes with the milk as it drips.
- Stir well. For iced coffee, pour over a tall glass of ice.
Which beans to use
The phin was built for Robusta. Our Vietnamese Robusta Ground is roasted specifically for this brewer — dark enough to hold its own, smooth enough to enjoy black.
If you have a grinder at home, the whole beans stay fresh longer.
Try it with our beans
