Hot or Iced Vietnamese Coffee (with Nespresso)

As a Vietnamese, I am embarrassed to admit I have never made Vietnamese coffee the traditional way with a coffee phin. But as a parent of two toddlers, I really can’t be bothered! So shortcut Vietnamese Coffee, made with my Nespresso machine, is my friend.

While this post has been sponsored by Nespresso. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I had the Nespresso Latissima Machine, pictured in this post, from 2019 to 2025. It finally broke with daily usage. So we upgraded to the Creatista Pro. I love it, highly recommended!

My late grandfather was an avid coffee drinker. Watching him sip that pitch black liquid from his favorite brown ceramic espresso cup everyday fascinated me. He always thoughtfully left behind the last bit of syrupy coffee in the cup for me to develop my taste buds. That’s pretty much how I grew to love coffee.

Vietnamese coffee has grown in popularity over the years. There are numerous modern coffee shops offering this on their menu, without you having to venture into Little Saigon. Some I’ve tried are Blk Dot and Da Vien Coffee. But if you don’t have one of these in your area, making Vietnamese coffee at home with your Nespresso machine is a breeze! And if you have time, make a batch of Vietnamese coffee shortbread cookies to pair it with. 😆

How Vietnamese Coffee is made

Traditionally, Vietnamese coffee is made by allowing boiling water to slowly drip through a metal “phin” filter with ground dark roast coffee pressed inside. This is a stronger drip coffee than your typical drip coffee but not quite an espresso.

For the hot version, the coffee is typically allowed to drip right on top of condensed milk into a cup. For the iced version, simply add crushed ice.

I think of Vietnamese coffee as a latte on steroid. Since it is made with condensed milk instead of regular milk, like in my Chocolate Hazelnut Latte, it is still sweet and creamy but so much stronger in flavor.

My shortcut versions

With the help of a Nespresso machine, the hot version is super simple. Just extract a capsule into a mug with condensed milk in it. Stir and enjoy.

Here’s what you’ll need to do for the iced version.

1. First, extract a coffee capsule. You can use either an espresso or a lungo capsule. See more tips below.
2. Add ice, condensed milk, and hot coffee to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for 5 – 10 seconds.
3. Pour shaken coffee into a mug and enjoy!

Shaking coffee in a cocktail shaker is certainly not traditional, but I find that this method gets the condensed milk distributed and mixed into the cold drink much more efficiently and quickly.

Tips for choosing your Nespresso capsules

Vietnamese coffee is typically made with Robusta bean, which is more bitter, bolder and more powerful than other coffee beans. So I recommend using capsules with higher intensity to best mimic the flavor.

There are 4 Nespresso capsules made with Robusta blend that are perfect for making cheat Vietnamese coffee.

• Napoli – intensity 13 (this is my husband’s favorite)
• Parlemo Kaazar – intensity 12
• Ristretto Italiano – intensity 10
• Cape Town Envivo Lungo – intensity 9

My personal favorite is Firenze Arpeggio, with intensity level 9, but this is not a Robusta blend.

One thing of note, the Lungo capsules are designed for a longer extraction time using more water, and yield more coffee than the Espresso capsules. The Lungo capsules will give you 3.7 oz of coffee, while the Espresso capsules yields 1.35 oz of more powerful coffee, imo.

You can still pull a Lungo using an Espresso capsules and the coffee will still taste great, tbh!

5 from 2 votes

Vietnamese Coffee (hot or iced)

By Trang Doan

Making Vietnamese coffee at home is now easier than ever with the help of your Nespresso machine!

Servings: 1

Prep Time: 2 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 minutes mins

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
• ▢ 1 Nespresso capsule, or more, see notes
• ▢ 1 cup of ice, for iced version

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Instructions 

For hot Vietnamese coffee

• Add condensed milk in a small coffee mug, extract a coffee capsule on top using either the Espresso or Lungo button depending on your capsule selection or preference.
• Stir and enjoy!

For Vietnamese iced coffee

• Extract a coffee capsule in a small cup using either the Espresso or Lungo button depending on your capsule selection or preference.
• Add coffee and condensed milk to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake for 10 seconds to mix. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy.

Video

Notes

• Capsule recommendations: Napoli, Palermo Kaazar, Ristretto Italiano, or Cape Town Envivo Lungo.
• For a stronger drink, add an extra shot of espresso.
• Adjust your coffee sweetness by adding more or less condensed milk as desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 274g, Calories: 71kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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