Do you know Vietnamese Phin filter is a traditional brewing method for making coffee?
Phin filter is a device made from stainless steel or aluminum and consists of several parts that are important for having a strong and rich drink.
Different Vietnamese Phin filters may have different designs. Therefore, you need to explore a bit more about their differences and how to choose and use them to make coffee.
If you want to use a phin filter, the brewing chamber in the device is where the water and coffee pour in. The gravity press is another part of the device that is on top of the grinds.
The filter plate is also a part of the device that you put on top of the cup or mug.
And finally, we have the filter lid which will be placed on top of the chamber.
Contents
What is a gravity press Phin filter?
We have several types of Phin filters that are a bit different. But, Perhaps, you may want to know why we know the Phin filter as a gravity press.
When the press settles on top of the coffee, just by the presence of gravity force, without any need to use a latch or other mechanisms, we have a unique tool that many refer to as the gravity press.
This part allows gases to leave the device during the brewing process. Especially, when you use fresh coffee, the gases are more and it is important to let them escape during coffee preparation.
What’s a screw-on Phin filter?
In this filter, the device has a different mechanism using a screw. It helps the filter to latch to the other part of the chamber.
In this type of filter, depending on how tight you may want the device bed to be during the brewing process, it is possible to screw more or less.
Read more: How To Grind Coffee Beans With A Blender
Which Phin filter is better?
We recommend that if you want to use pre-ground coffee, use the water filter which has a screw. Because it can tightly pack the coffee grounds and also control the speed of dripping.
However, you have to know that a screw-on filter needs room for expansion due to degassing of fresh grounds. Therefore, the main problem here is that they may be a bit tricky to let bloom.
Read more: Vietnamese Coffee
Is there a great difference between the two types of Vietnamese Phin filters?
We mentioned the differences that may be notable between different types of filters. But, don’t worry. Because, when it comes to the extraction of coffee flavor, they all work well enough to let you have a perfect drink.
Therefore, you do not need to worry about the type of filter. Of course, as they allow the gas to escape the coffee more easily, many professionals may prefer gravity press filters, but you can choose either of them.
Benefits of using metal Phin filters
As the coffee industry is one of the producers of high-quantity wastes, it is important to consider the Phin filter as an environmentally friendly option.
As we mentioned above, the Phin filter is made of either stainless steel or aluminum in which both can be recycled.
Therefore, one of the main benefits of Vietnamese Phin filters is the use of metal filters instead of paper filters.
The only problem with recycling constituent materials may be just for plastic handles which you may have seen in some Vietnamese Phin filters.
“It is recommended not to drink coffee on an empty stomach. For more information about the harms of drinking coffee on an empty stomach, click here.”
History of Vietnamese Phin filter
By the beginning of the colonization of Vietnam in the 18th century, many French customs entered this country.
One of them was the introduction of coffee which is a source of income after Vietnam’s independence and especially in the last decades.
In the beginning, the French had their own French press to make coffee. However, the Vietnamese had no access to this equipment.
Therefore, especially in the rural areas, where people had been harvesting coffee beans, people tried to make coffee with different tools.
Vietnamese Phin Filter in the modern era
After the anti-French revolution in Vietnam, coffee has become an icon of pride for its people.
Nowadays, ingenious brew devices in Vietnam and unique additives are the main characteristics of coffee drinks in Vietnam.
In recent years, the Vietnamese Phin filter is the most well-known method that is being widely used in the country and for this reason, many people in the West may want to know a bit more about it.
Is Vietnamese coffee stronger than regular coffee?
Yes, Vietnamese coffee is stronger. For example, it can have a higher level of caffeine than many other regular coffees. It is also a bit more bitter than regular types of coffee. But as a whole, it can be considered a rich and flavorful coffee that usually has a sweeter taste.
In worth mentioning that in Vietnam Robusta is one of the main cultivars and is considered a great pride for the country by being a pillar of the economy.
Why Vietnamese coffee is stronger?
Usually, to make Vietnamese coffee, it is necessary to roast the coffee beans slowly for around 15 minutes. Also, in this method, the coffee will begin to drip slowly. Therefore, in the end, you will have a stronger coffee with a richer taste.
Remember the ratio of coffee to water is important for having strong coffee. For this reason, for example, espresso is a strong coffee.
How to Make Vietnamese Coffee Using a Phin Filter?
To begin brewing, you have to pour coffee grounds into the chamber.
In this method, the coffee is brewed by using hot water. The most notable difference is that the press is introduced before brewing, which can help to keep the coffee bed in place. Therefore, you will have a better-concentrated brew.
The two main factors in having fresh coffee are hot water and gravity.
It is a hand-off process and takes around 5 to 7 minutes. You just need to pour the water. Then, you can wait, after 5 minutes the coffee is ready!
It is worth mentioning that some professional advice is to do the brewing process in two steps.
First, you have to pour the coffee to let it bloom.
Especially, when you use fresh coffee, due to the higher amount of carbon dioxide, this step is more notably important for degassing.
After helping the trapped gases to escape the coffee, you can have a more balanced flavor.
Robusta beans that are used for brewing this kind of coffee may release more gases compared to Arabica beans.
Then, you have the second step which is another round of pouring. In this step, the rest of the water will give you a full flavorful coffee.
How to use a phin filter?
In the brewing process, you can have different types of coffee by using different additives like milk, iced, etc.
It is possible to use a Phin filter for making different types of coffee. Especially, it’s suitable for Vietnamese iced coffee. This type of coffee has gained a lot of popularity recently and is very delicious.
It is quite easy to make it as well.
The only thing you need is two tablespoons of ground coffee which is equal to 14 grams and also 4 ounces of hot water for brewing.
Then, you can go through the following steps:
- Heat up the water to around 205 F.
- Preferably add Robusta coffee grounds.
- Drop the gravity filter, then, push and twist it gently.
- Pour 1 ounce of water and wait for 20 to 30 seconds.
- It allows the coffee to bloom. Then, pour the rest of the water.
- After around five minutes, all the coffee will drip down into the cup.
- Enjoy your drink!
What’s the best ground size for a phin filter?
The ground size matters a lot in the brewing process. Therefore, you need to care about it and try to use grounds between medium to fine sizes.
It is not a pour-over coffee or espresso. Therefore, the size is a bit finer than medium. Therefore, you need to set your home grinder to get the best grind size.
Phin Filter vs. French Press
This process is similar to the French press. Actually, we can say that a phin filter is a method between a drip coffee maker and a French press.
It uses a different mechanism as an efficient way to produce coffee from water and grounds.
But, it is also easy for many people to have Vietnamese iced coffee by using French press.
To do so, you can grind the coffee to a medium size and then place it into the French press. By adding 2 or 3 cups of boiling water and stirring it, going through the process, you can finally have iced coffee. Therefore, we can say that both method does the same thing.
Final thought
Vietnamese Phin filter is a popular device for making coffee in modern Vietnam that is similar to the French press. In this article, we gave you a better insight into the device. We hope you enjoyed reading the article!
