Vietnamese style coffee

You know how I was saying the other day that my brother likes to get me weird food-related gifts? Well, now I can add the phin filter to the list.

It's not the weirdest thing to give me, because I am pretty serious about my coffee. Serious, in that I may, at this point, require it to survive. I used a standard drip coffeemaker through college and my first professional job, until I discovered the wonders of a French press. I use it every day and have done so for the last couple of years. When I studied abroad in Italy, I developed a taste for Italian coffee, which I was able to mimic pretty well with a Bialetti Moka Express. I have also used the Aeropress, which produces some strong, smooth coffee.

My fifth coffee-making implement is the phin filter, which is a Vietnamese style drip filter. It makes one cup of strong, delicious coffee. The process is fairly simple. You put coffee in the tin cup, pour a little boiling (or very hot) water over the grounds, and then let it hang out and brew for a few minutes.

Since you're pouring burning hot water in the filter, the metal gets super hot.
Be careful when you handle it!

Cleaning out the filter is going to be messy,
but it's probably the same level of mess that a French press requires.

I put some condensed milk in the coffee cup before brewing the coffee over the cup and lemme just say, it was a nice addition. I definitely recommend it.

Before I stirred the cup and the condensed milk at the bottom was incorporated.

After stirring. It was sweet and strong and a great start to my day.

I think this is a weekend or afternoon brew, because it only makes one cup of coffee and, no matter how strong it is, I think I need the psychological effect that two or three cups provides. If you're less addicted than me (or have fewer weird quirks) this might work for you as your forever-coffeemaker.

Vietnamese style coffee
(makes about 6 oz of coffee)

Special Equipment
Phin filter

Ingredients
2 tbsp dark roast coffee (medium- to coarse-grind)
2-3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
8 oz water, boiling

Instructions

Put condensed milk in your coffee cup. Place the ground coffee in the well of the filter. Use the filter insert to lightly tamp down the coffee (don't press too hard, or else the water won't drain properly).

Pour 1-2 tbsp of hot water into the well and wait about 20 seconds until it absorbs into the coffee. After that, fill the well to the top with the water and place the cap over the well. Let it brew for about 3-5 minutes. Stir coffee and milk together, adding more condensed milk if you want it sweeter.