Coffee around the World: Ca phe sua da
Vietnam is one of the largest exporters of arabica coffee in the world, with many farms and plantations in the central highlands, which are perfectly placed on the planet for coffee growth.
Ca phe sua da is also called ca phe nau da in the northern regions of Vietnam, despite some regional variations, it remains the same core drink.
This iced drink is perfect for the hot and humid conditions in Vietnam, but is a great summer cooler to add to your ever changing coffee menu.
What actually makes ca phe sua da?
We have French colonists to thank for introducing Vietnam to the coffee bean.
A Catholic priest brought a single Coffea arabica tree to the East Asian nation, and over 150 years later the country exports some of the finest arabica coffee made by anyone on the earth.
Vietnam exports 1.1 million tonnes of coffee around the world each year, with it only being surpassed by the country’s largest export, rice.
Simply made with finely ground Vietnamese-grown dark roast coffee, that is brewed with a small metal French drip filter – known in Vietnam as a ca phe chin – straight into a cup a quarter to as much as half sweetened condensed milk.
The resulting drink is then well stirred and then served over ice. Perfect for a nation that boasts an average air humidity of 75% and a temperature of 28°C year-round.
Some variations on the more traditional recipe include freezing the brewed coffee and serving milk directly over, with the iced coffee cubes melting slowly and providing a slower caffeine fix.
We recommend making this with our Lavazza Super Crema coffee beans, which provide a slightly more robust taste than pure Vietnamese coffee without negatively affecting the drink.
As for brewing, the Hario V60 coffee dripper is one of the best for creating drip coffee on the market.
All you need now is some ice and a serving glass, if you need serving glasses, we can provide them too!