Vietnamese Hot Coffee – Camp Drinking
This Vietnamese hot coffee recipe post was one of our first recipe posts back in 2009. It’s an oldie but goodie.
It’s not that I can’t go anywhere without having my daily, tasty coffee. It is just that I don’t want to. Headaches aren’t an issue, nor do I get all that grumpy without a morning hit of caffeine, however my morning coffees provide a brief moment of calm bliss. Sanctuary lies in a cappuccino with a perfect, velvety foam, Vietnamese coffees (hot or cold – cà phê sữa đá or cà phê sữa nóng), or a simple espresso (maybe topped with a dollop of whipped cream.)
They each have the textures, taste, and calming fortitude to embed a bit of sanity in my soul. A day without one of them is akin to wandering through a crowd and never seeing a smile.
How to Make Vietnamese Hot Coffee
Now that we are on the road and in the mountains, the espresso fixes are a more complicated affair. However the Vietnamese coffee (particularly cà phê sữa nóng – Vietnamese Hot Coffee w/ milk) are as simple as ever. Pack a filter, grab sweetened condensed milk, grind some coffee, and bring a cup and one now has all they need to prepare delicious soul sanity. Don’t forget the stove to heat up the water as well.
Camp Coffee
Since the Vietnamese coffee filters are so small, they work beautifully for backcountry camping as well as the more common car camping accommodations. The minimal extra volume and weight are well worth their space in the pack. The sweetened condensed milk doesn’t need refrigeration, although it does help to repack the sweetened condensed milk from it’s original can into in a small Nalgene or other well sealing container. The coffee, a nice robust coffee (I tend to go for a Yirgacheffe roasted to a nice caramel brown from a couple of our great roasters down in So Cal. or from Red Bay Coffee or La Barba Coffee), blended coarsely then thrown into a zip lock is all that is required.
With my Vietnamese Cà Phê Sữa Nóng set-up (Vietnamese Hot Coffee w/ milk), morning camp has never been so nice. The clean, crisp morning air, cold hands ritualistically preparing my morning luxury, then wrapping hands, heart, and soul around that morning cup of Vietnamese coffee, steam wrapping itself around me like the mists of Avalon. I’m happy.
Now, back to enjoying the great outdoors. We’re taking the pups on a big, lots of creek crossings, hike today!
Todd
The Filters can be purchased here- Buy Vietnamese Coffee Filters . Here’s a recipe for a Vietnamese Vietnamese Iced Coffee
Check out our Cocktail Recipes Here and our Complete Whiskey Guide. 
Ca Phe Sua Nong (Vietnamese Hot Coffee) Recipe- Camping Style
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons (25ml) coarse Ground Coffee (use a roast suitable for espresso, the grind the same as for a french press)
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) Sweetened Condensed Milk *See Note 1
- Hot Water (almost to a boil)
Equipment
Instructions
- Begin heating up some water on the camp stove (Whisperlite International is our stove of choice. It still rocks after all these years.)
- Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a camping mug.
- Remove the top screen from the coffee filter. Put the ground coffee in the filter, screw screen back on, compacting the grounds. Place filter on the mug with the sweetened condensed milk. Pour just enough hot water to cover the grounds and let sit for 30 sec.
- Loosen the filter screen screw at least 2 full rotations. Pour hot water to top of filter, cover and let sit until water has gone all the way through filter (should be @ 5 min. at a rate of 3-4 drips/sec. If it is faster, coffees grind is too coarse. If slower, coffees grind is too fine. But by now you are in the boonies. Don't worry about it and fix the grind for next time. It'll still be tasty.)
- When the water is all the way through the filter, stir up the coffee and sweetened condensed milk to combine, place mug in a pan with about a 1/2" of water in the pan to use as a bain marie (hot water bath), and bring water to a boil over camp stove. Boil for a minute or so, or until ca phe sua nong is the temperature you like to drink. Enjoy.
Thanks so much for sharing this! I love Vietnamese coffee. I’m going to try it with Cafe du Monde beans next time we go camping (the chicory kind from New Orleans, I’ve noticed many Vietnamese restaurants use these).
Just discovered this post…when we were in Vietnam in January (the most inspiring 4 weeks of my life, I`m sure), we always had our coffee this way in our small hotels…I took a small filter and some Vietnamese coffee with me an even now and then, when I need a moment of “vacation”, I treat myself with a Vietnamese coffee…..
P.S. I hope it’s OK that I’ve put a link to your blog on mine!
I’m just relieved to know that my husband and I are not the only crazy people out in the bush/jungle/woods using Vietnamese filters. We’ve used them since living in Vietnam (before that we lugged an Italian espresso pot…nothing like roughing it!) and couldn’t live without them now. I’ve just discovered your blog and, well, being cafe-sua-nong-in-the-woods kinda people has clenched it for me. I’ll be a regular visitor!