Long before pour-over kits and espresso machines arrived in Vietnam, there was the phin: a small metal filter that sits directly on top of a cup and lets gravity do the work. It's slow, it's simple, and it's still how most coffee in Vietnam is brewed at home today — including at our own roastery table in Hanoi.
If you've never used one, the phin can look intimidating. It isn't. Once you understand the few variables that actually matter — grind size, dose, and bloom time — it becomes one of the most forgiving and rewarding ways to brew coffee. Here's how we do it at RAAW.
What You'll Need
- A phin filter (metal, with a press disc) — see RAAW's coffee tools
- Freshly roasted, freshly ground coffee (medium-coarse grind — closer to sea salt than table salt)
- A cup or glass
- Hot water, just off the boil (around 92-96°C)
- A scale, if you have one (not required, but it helps consistency)
Step 1: Set Up the Phin
Place the phin filter on top of your cup. Add your ground coffee — a good starting point is 15-18g of coffee per 200ml of water, adjusted to taste. Vietnamese phin coffee is traditionally brewed strong, especially if you plan to pair it with condensed milk (cà phê sữa) or ice (cà phê đá).
Gently shake the phin to level the grounds, then place the press disc on top and screw it down lightly. You want light, even contact with the grounds — not tight enough to compress them, or the water won't flow through properly.
Step 2: Bloom
Pour a small amount of hot water — just enough to saturate the grounds, about 20-30ml — over the press disc. Let it sit for 20-30 seconds. This is the bloom stage, and it matters more than people think: it lets the coffee de-gas and softens the bed evenly, so the rest of the brew extracts consistently.
You'll notice the water darkens and starts to slowly drip through. That's a good sign.
Step 3: Brew
Slowly pour the remaining water over the grounds, filling the phin most of the way. Place the lid on top to retain heat, and let it drip. A full brew typically takes 4-6 minutes. If it's dripping much faster than that, your grind is likely too coarse; if it's barely moving after several minutes, it's probably too fine or packed too tight.
This is the part where patience pays off. Resist the urge to stir or press the disc down further — let gravity do the work.
Step 4: Serve
Once the dripping slows to the last few drops, remove the phin. From here, you have options:
- Cà phê đen (black): Drink it as is, hot or over ice.
- Cà phê sữa (milk coffee): Brew directly over a spoonful of condensed milk, then stir to combine.
- Cà phê sữa đá (iced milk coffee): Same as above, poured over ice.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Grind too fine: Leads to over-extraction and a bitter, muddy cup, or a phin that barely drips at all.
- Skipping the bloom: Rushes the extraction and often produces uneven, sour notes.
- Water too hot: Boiling water straight off the heat can scorch the grounds. Let it sit for 30 seconds after boiling first.
- Using stale coffee: Phin brewing is slow and low-pressure, which means it rewards fresh, well-roasted beans — old or under-roasted coffee has nowhere to hide.
Why Grind and Roast Matter More Than the Gear
The phin itself is a simple, inexpensive piece of equipment — you don't need to spend much to get a good one. What actually determines the cup is what you put into it. At RAAW, our beans are roasted specifically with phin brewing in mind, sourced directly from growing regions like Huong Hoa in Quang Tri and the highlands of Son La and Da Lat. A phin brew is a slow, close look at a coffee's true character, which is exactly why sourcing and roast quality matter so much here.
If you're new to phin brewing, start with a medium roast — it tends to be more forgiving of small timing or grind adjustments than a very dark or very light roast. Good starting point from our lineup:
As you get a feel for your own phin, water, and taste preferences, you can branch out — our Đà Lạt Honey Typica and Dak Lak Fine Robusta are both worth exploring once you've dialed in your technique.
Want to try it yourself? Explore RAAW's full lineup of coffee beans, roasted specifically for brewing methods like phin, and sourced directly from farms across Vietnam.