Origin: Vietnam (Saigon)  |  Prep: 2 minutes  |  Brew: 5 minutes

About This Brew

Bạc Xíu is the gentle, milk-forward cousin of Cà Phê Sữa Đá, born in Saigon's Chinese-Vietnamese community. The name comes from the Cantonese 'bạc tẩy xíu phé' (roughly 'a little coffee with white milk'), and that is exactly what it is: a glass dominated by sweet, creamy milk with just enough coffee to tint and flavour it.

Designed for those who find traditional Vietnamese coffee too intense, Bạc Xíu uses a generous base of condensed milk (sometimes topped with fresh or evaporated milk) and a modest pour of phin coffee. The result is mellow, milky and dessert-sweet, the perfect introduction to Vietnamese coffee for children, the coffee-shy, or anyone craving something soothing over ice.

Ingredients

• 1.5 tbsp Vietnamese dark-roast Robusta, ground for phin
• 3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
• 60ml fresh or evaporated milk
• Near-boiling water
• 1 tall glass of ice

Equipment Needed

• Vietnamese phin filter
• Tall glass
• Spoon

Instructions

1. Add condensed milk and fresh/evaporated milk to the glass and stir together.
2. Brew a small, strong phin of coffee.
3. Stir the brewed coffee into the milk mixture. It should be pale and milky.
4. Fill the glass with ice.
5. Stir well and serve.

Tags: Vietnam · Cold · Easy