Proper iced coffee with milk: a four-step recipe for a Hanoi morning

The base recipe

Iced coffee with milk is not complicated: strong phin coffee, condensed milk, ice. How those three balance is what differs from café to café. At Cà Phê Phố we use 25 g of coffee, 100 ml of water and 25 g of condensed milk for a 250 ml glass. That gives a cup that is full but not harsh, with the roast still visible.

The most important part is not the recipe but the order. Condensed milk goes into the glass first, then the hot coffee, then the ice. Do it the other way and the milk sinks, the first sip is watery and the last is syrup.

Ingredients

• 25 g of coffee, medium grind (Robusta or a 70/30 blend), enough for one large phin.
• 100–120 ml of water at 95°C.
• 20–25 g of sweetened condensed milk.
• Ice made from boiled water, about 100 g.
• One aluminium or steel phin and a tall glass.

Why condensed milk?

Sweetened condensed milk entered Vietnamese coffee when fresh milk was scarce. It keeps without a fridge, and it is sweet enough to balance the very strong bitterness of phin-brewed Robusta. In the glass it adds body — the thickness Vietnamese drinkers expect.

Condensed or fresh milk

Condensed milk gives a deep sweetness and body; fresh milk gives a lighter cup with a clearer dairy note. Neither is "right" — it depends which way you want the glass to lean.

If you dislike condensed milk, use warmed whole milk and a spoon of sugar; the drink is lighter but loses its characteristic body. Do not use plant milk here: the nut flavour overpowers the coffee.

Four steps

Step	What to do	Time
1	Rinse the phin with hot water, add coffee, press lightly	30 seconds
2	Pour 30 ml of water and let the bed bloom	30 seconds
3	Pour the rest, close the lid, let it drip	4–5 minutes
4	Add condensed milk to the glass, pour coffee over, stir, add ice	1 minute

At step four, stir the milk and coffee before adding ice. Once the mixture is even, add ice and give it one gentle stir. The glass chills quickly without turning watery.

Ratios by taste

Taste	Coffee	Water	Condensed milk
Strong, less sweet	25 g	100 ml	15 g
Balanced (default)	25 g	110 ml	22 g
Sweet and light	20 g	120 ml	30 g

People new to Vietnamese coffee often find 25 g of milk too sweet. Start at 20 g and work up; do not drop the coffee below 20 g or the glass turns thin and loses its aroma.

Small tips

• Warm the glass before pouring: it helps the milk dissolve and keeps the aroma longer.
• Large ice cubes melt more slowly than crushed ice, so the drink does not dilute.
• Do not stir too hard: too much air kills the aroma.
• Use coffee roasted two to four weeks ago. Older coffee tastes of wood.

To finish

A good glass of iced coffee with milk needs no machines. It needs fresh beans, a clean phin and a ratio you have tried a few times. If you want to know why the phin produces such a strong cup, read the Vietnamese phin. And if you would rather sit in the café while someone else brews, a day at an old-quarter café is for you.