Cà Phê Sua Dá.

Traditional Vietnamese iced coffee

A perfectly sweetened iced beverage is the answer to a dessert craving on a humid day. The traditional Vietnamese iced coffee, or Cà Phê Sua Dá, is a delicious balance of creaminess, acidity, and refreshment.

Although coffee did not arrive in Vietnam until the mid-nineteenth century, the country is now the second largest coffee producer in the world after Brazil and the first producer of the Robusta variety in the world. Thousands of coffee farms exist across the central highlands. In 1857, a French Catholic priest introduced the coffee arabica tree, which at first, did not gain popularity. It was not until the opening of the economy after the Vietnam War in 1986 that the roasted bean became a popular staple for both hot and cold drinks in the southeastern Asian country. Due to the initial limited availability of fresh milk, the French and Vietnamese began using sweetened condensed milk as a substitute.

There are three popular ways to prepare Cà Phê Sua Dá. Utilizing the drip-filter method, the coffee base is brewed with the help of hot water slowly seeping through dark roasted ground coffee beans contained in a filter. Water absorbs the coffee oils as it passes through the filter, which maintains the original flavor of the coffee beans. Another common way of preparing the Vietnamese iced coffee is the French press or coffee press method in which hot water is poured over coarse ground coffee in a beaker. After about  five minutes (or more for intense flavor), the plunger is pressed to separate the ground coffee and preserve it at the bottom of the beaker. The coffee is then ready to be served with the sweetened condensed milk. The final method, cold brewing, also known as cold water extraction or cold pressing, involves steeping coffee grounds in cooler water for a long period of time, typically 12 to 24 hours. Once the steeping process is complete, the coffee grounds can be filtered out of the water using a paper coffee filter, a fine metal sieve, or a French press. As far as the type of beans, Cà Phê Sua Dá is traditionally made with dark French roast coffee, sometimes mixed with chicory root. Common brands used are Trung Nguyen and Café Du Monde.

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