A Hue invention that has swept Vietnam and gone viral abroad: strong robusta coffee dripped over condensed milk, then crowned with a lightly salted, whipped cream foam. The pinch of salt rounds off the coffee's bitterness and amplifies the sweetness into something close to salted caramel.
Created in Hue in 2010 by Ho Thi Thanh Huong and Tran Nguyen Huu Phong at their first Ca Phe Muoi shop, and now found nationwide. The salt is meant to enhance sweetness and smooth bitterness, not to dominate (CNN; Vietnam Coracle).
The first sip is a wave of cool salted cream, then the bitter, almost smoky robusta rolls in behind it. As the foam melts into the coffee it tastes like liquid salted caramel, rich, sweet and just barely savory.
Salt suppresses bitterness perception and heightens sweetness on the palate, so a small pinch makes the strong robusta taste rounder and the condensed milk sweeter. Whipped cream's fat carries and prolongs these flavors.
Variations
Served hot or iced; some versions use cheese foam or a thicker cream cap
On the Palate
Where Ca Phe Muoi sits in the Vietnamese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 1How it's made
8 steps · 10 min
- 11 min
Spoon a layer of sweetened condensed milk into the bottom of a glass.
- 21 min
Set a Vietnamese phin filter packed with ground robusta over the glass.
- 34 min
Pour hot water into the phin and let the coffee drip slowly through.
Watch outLet the water drip through slowly, a bead at a time — rush it and the coffee comes out thin and watery instead of dark and strong.
- 43 min
Whip cream with a small pinch of salt until softly thickened.
Watch outWhip the cream with just a pinch of salt until it holds a soft peak that folds over — too stiff and it won't slide down into the coffee.
- 51 min
Stir the dripped coffee into the condensed milk until combined.
- 61 min
Add ice to the glass if serving cold.
- 71 min
Spoon the salted cream foam gently over the top.
Watch outSpoon the foam on gently so it floats in a clean layer on top rather than sinking in.
- 81 min
Serve with a spoon to swirl the salty foam into the coffee.
