# Vietnamese Phin

Source: https://dailyextraction.com/methods/vietnamese-phin/
Last updated: 2026-10-20

> Sit the phin on a cup, add finely ground coffee, rest the press disc on top and bloom with a little hot water. Then fill it, put the lid on and let it drip slowly into the cup. Sahra Nguyen uses 2 tablespoons of coffee per 4 oz of water at 90–96°C, aiming to finish in about 5 minutes.

## At a glance

- Ratio: 2 tbsp : 4 oz water
- Grind: Fine
- Water temperature: 90–96 °C
- Brew time: about 5:00
- Category: Metal Gravity Drip & Percolation (Percolation)
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Origin: Vietnam
- Also known as: phin filter, cà phê phin, Vietnamese coffee filter, Vietnamese drip coffee, phin coffee

## Steps

1. **Heat the water**: Heat water to 90–96°C (195–205°F), just off the boil.
2. **Set up the phin**: Put the base plate and chamber on your cup. If you're making cà phê sữa, put sweetened condensed milk in the cup first.
3. **Add the coffee**: Add 2 tablespoons of finely ground coffee for a 4 oz phin and shake it level. Rest the press disc gently on top.
4. **Bloom**: Pour about 1 oz (30 ml) of hot water over the press to wet the grounds, then wait 30–45 seconds.
5. **Fill and cover**: Fill the chamber with the rest of the water, about 4 oz in all, and put the lid on.
6. **Let it drip**: Leave it to drip slowly into the cup. Aim for the first drops by about 2 minutes and the last by about 5.
7. **Stir and serve**: Lift off the phin, using the upturned lid as a saucer. Stir in the condensed milk, if using, and drink it hot or pour it over ice.

The **Vietnamese phin** is a small **metal drip filter** that sits on top of your cup. You put fine coffee in its chamber, rest a **press disc** on top, add hot water and put the lid on. The water drips **slowly** through the grounds, straight into the cup, with no paper filter. It's the everyday coffee maker of Vietnam, traditionally used with **dark-roasted robusta**, and it makes a strong, full-bodied cup that's often stirred into **sweetened condensed milk**. Here's how to use one, how to get the drip speed right and where it comes from.

## The short version

- **A metal drip filter** that sits on your cup: base plate, chamber, press disc and lid.
- **Slow and strong:** first drips by about 2 minutes, finished by about 5.
- **A good start:** 2 tablespoons of fine coffee for every 4 oz of water at 90–96°C (Nguyen Coffee Supply).
- **Grind fine, like sand.** The press disc and grind set the speed.
- **Drink it black or with condensed milk**, hot or over ice.



## What is a phin, and how does it work?

A phin has four parts, usually made of stainless steel or aluminium:

![Diagram of a Vietnamese phin: a lid on top, a press disc resting on the coffee, a brew chamber with a perforated floor, and a base plate sitting across the rim of a cup with condensed milk in the bottom](https://dailyextraction.com/diagrams/phin-anatomy.svg "The parts of a phin. The press disc and the grind decide how fast it drips.")

- **Base plate:** sits across the rim of the cup.
- **Chamber:** holds the coffee. Its floor is full of small holes, so no paper filter is needed.
- **Press disc:** rests on the coffee and slows the water down. Some screw down, so you can set how firmly they press; others simply rest by their own weight.
- **Lid:** keeps the heat in while it drips, then doubles as a saucer for the phin when you lift it off.

Because the water passes through slowly and the metal filter lets more of the coffee's oils through than paper, you get a **strong, heavy-bodied** cup.

## How much coffee and water should I use?

**Sahra Nguyen**, founder of Nguyen Coffee Supply, starts at:

| | Amount |
| --- | --- |
| Coffee | 2 tablespoons, ground fine |
| Water | 4 oz (about 120 ml), at 90–96°C (195–205°F) |
| Ratio | 2 tablespoons of coffee for every 4 oz of water |
| Timing | First drip by about 2 minutes, last drip by about 5 |

That suits a **4 oz phin**. For a bigger phin, keep the same ratio. Like it stronger? Add a little more coffee rather than less water.

## What grind size should I use?

**Fine, like sand.** Too fine and the phin can clog and stall; too coarse and the water runs straight through, giving a weak, sour cup.

![Chart of coffee grind sizes from extra fine to extra coarse, with fine highlighted for the Vietnamese phin](https://dailyextraction.com/diagrams/grind-size.svg#fine "The phin uses a fine grind, like sand.")

## How do you brew with a phin, step by step?

1. **Heat the water** to 90–96°C, just off the boil.
2. **Set the base plate and chamber on your cup.** For cà phê sữa, put the condensed milk in the cup first.
3. **Add 2 tablespoons of fine coffee**, shake it level and rest the press disc gently on top.
4. **Bloom:** pour about 1 oz of hot water to wet the grounds and wait 30–45 seconds.
5. **Fill the chamber** with the rest of the water and put the lid on.
6. **Let it drip.** Aim for the first drops by about 2 minutes and the last by about 5.
7. **Lift it off**, resting the phin on the upturned lid, and stir.

Brew mode on this page times the bloom and the drip for you.

## Why is my phin dripping too fast or too slow?

| Problem | Likely cause | Try |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pours straight through in a minute or two | Grind too coarse, or press too loose | Grind finer, or press a little more firmly |
| Hardly drips, or stops | Grind too fine, or press too tight | Grind coarser, or press more lightly |
| Weak and sour | Too fast, or not enough coffee | Grind finer, or add more coffee |
| Harsh and bitter | Too slow | Grind coarser |

## What can you make with a phin?

- **Cà phê đen:** black phin coffee, hot.
- **Cà phê sữa nóng:** phin coffee stirred into sweetened condensed milk, hot.
- **[Cà phê sữa đá](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/vietnamese-iced-coffee/):** the same with condensed milk, poured over ice. Vietnamese iced coffee.
- **Cà phê đá:** black phin coffee over ice.

The usual explanation for the condensed milk is that fresh milk was scarce and didn't keep well in Vietnam's heat, so tinned condensed milk took its place.

## Phin vs other brewers

| | Phin | [V60](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/v60/) | [French press](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/french-press/) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| How it works | Slow drip through a metal filter | Pour-over through paper | Steep, then press through metal mesh |
| Filter | Metal, built in | Paper | Metal mesh |
| Grind | Fine | Medium-fine | Coarse |
| Makes | One small, strong cup | One cup | Several cups |
| Cup | Strong, heavy-bodied | Clean, bright | Heavy, full |

## Where does the phin come from?

- **Coffee in Vietnam:** most accounts say French missionaries brought coffee to Vietnam in **1857**, during the colonial era.
- **The phin:** the name is widely said to come from the French **filtre**, filter. Who first made the phin, and when, isn't documented. Some sellers link it to French drip pots like the biggin, but I haven't found evidence for that, so treat it as a theory.
- **Vietnam today:** Vietnam is the world's **second-largest coffee producer**, after Brazil, and grows mostly **robusta**. In June 2026, the US Department of Agriculture forecast **32.5 million bags** for 2026/27, **31.4 million** of them robusta.

## How do you clean a phin?

Knock the grounds into the bin, then rinse the chamber, press and plate under hot water. If the holes clog, a soft brush clears them. Dry it before putting it away, especially an aluminium phin.

*General guidance only. The metal gets hot while it brews, so lift it by the edge of the base plate and follow any instructions that came with yours.*

## Phin vs other brewing methods

- **[Vietnamese iced coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/vietnamese-iced-coffee/):** phin coffee and condensed milk over ice.
- **[Japanese iced coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/japanese-iced-coffee/):** pour-over brewed onto ice.
- **[Turkish coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/turkish-coffee/):** another strong, traditional cup, made in a cezve.
- **[French press](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/french-press/):** another metal-filter brew, with more coffee at once.

Explore every metal-filter gravity brewer in the [gravity chapter](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/gravity-metal/).

## Words used in this guide

- [Robusta](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/robusta/): Robusta is the common name for Coffea canephora, one of the two coffee species grown for most of the world's coffee; the other is arabica.
- [Metal filter](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/metal-filter/): A metal filter is a fine stainless-steel mesh that holds back coffee grounds, as used in a French press plunger and some reusable pour-over filters.
- [Bloom](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/bloom/): The bloom is the first small pour of water in a brew, usually 2–3 times the weight of the coffee, followed by a 30–45 second pause.
- [Pour-over](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/pour-over/): Pour-over is a way of making filter coffee by hand: you pour hot water over ground coffee in a filter cone and let it drip through into a cup or jug.

## FAQs

### What is a Vietnamese phin?

A small metal drip filter that sits on top of a cup. It has a base plate, a chamber with holes in its floor, a press disc that rests on the coffee and a lid. Hot water drips slowly through the grounds straight into the cup, with no paper filter.

### How much coffee do you put in a phin?

Sahra Nguyen of Nguyen Coffee Supply starts at 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for every 4 oz of water, so a 4 oz phin takes 2 tablespoons and 4 oz of water.

### How long should a phin take to drip?

Nguyen Coffee Supply aims for the first drip by about 2 minutes and the last by about 5. If it's much quicker, grind finer or press a little firmer; if it stalls, grind coarser or press more lightly.

### What grind should I use for a phin?

Fine, like sand. Too fine and it can clog; too coarse and the water runs straight through.

### What coffee is used in a phin?

Traditionally dark-roasted robusta, the bean Vietnam grows most of. Any coffee works, but dark-roast robusta gives the strong, bold cup Vietnamese coffee is known for.

### Where does the word phin come from?

It's widely said to come from the French word filtre, filter, from the colonial era when the French brought coffee to Vietnam. Who first made the phin isn't documented.

### Can I make iced coffee with a phin?

Yes. Brew it the same way, stir in condensed milk if you like, and pour it over ice. That's cà phê sữa đá, Vietnamese iced coffee.

## Sources

- [How to make Vietnamese coffee: use the phin filter](https://nguyencoffeesupply.com/blogs/news/how-to-make-vietnamese-coffee-use-the-phin-filter)
- [What is a Vietnamese phin filter?](https://nguyencoffeesupply.com/blogs/news/what-is-the-vietnamese-phin-filter)
- [How to grind Vietnamese coffee](https://nguyencoffeesupply.com/blogs/news/how-to-grind-vietnamese-coffee-grind-type-grind-size-and-more)
- [Vietnamese iced coffee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_iced_coffee)
- [Vietnam coffee report: production rising for third straight year](https://dailycoffeenews.com/2026/06/24/vietnam-coffee-report-production-rising-for-third-straight-year/)
- [The Vietnamese phin filter](https://www.day9.coffee/field-notes/vietnamese-phin-filter)