[Supermarket Spotlight] Simple Coffee Brewing Tool: Vietnam Coffee Pin

Which country ranks second in the world for coffee production and export? It is Vietnam.

A must-buy shopping item when traveling in Vietnam is coffee. From instant coffee to drip coffee, from low-priced coffee to high-priced coffee like squirrel dung coffee~

Vietnam's coffee industry dates back to the French colonial period. Coffee was introduced by French missionaries and began to be cultivated mainly around Catholic churches. Through the Vietnam War and up to the present, production and export volumes have increased. Whenever the production of Brazil, the largest coffee producer, decreases due to climate change, Vietnam supplies coffee at affordable and stable prices, quickly becoming a global coffee exporting country.

Nowadays, as Vietnamese coffee becomes more accessible, the Vietnamese coffee brewing tool called the coffee fin also catches the eye.

When brewing coffee in Vietnam, instead of a filter, a container with tiny holes called a cafe fin is used. Coffee grounds are added to the coffee fin, pressed down, and then hot water is poured over to brew the coffee.

The brewed coffee is enjoyed by adding hot water or ice, or by adding sweetened condensed milk instead of sugar. Since it is a hot country, the coffee is characterized by a strong sweet flavor, making it a sweet coffee taste.

Cafe nong (ca phe nong) is hot coffee

Cafe da (ca phe da) is iced coffee

Cafe sua nong (ca phe sua nong) is hot milk coffee

Cafe sua da (ca phe sua da) is iced milk coffee

Additionally, in Vietnam, coffee is sometimes made by adding ingredients such as egg yolk, coconut, yogurt, avocado, and corn.

Text & Photos by Lee Mi-kyung (Culinary researcher, Naturement http://blog.naver.com/poutian)