Can You Make Vietnamese Coffee With A Moka Pot?

Yes, you can use a moka pot to brew coffee that’s similar in strength to the traditional drip method used in making Vietnamese coffee. However, there are a few differences between traditional brewing and brewing with a Moka pot. Continue reading to see what you need to pay attention to. 

How to brew Vietnamese coffee with a Moka pot?

Here is a way to make Vietnamese-style coffee using a Moka pot:

Ingredients:

• Medium-fine grind coffee beans (You should go with Robusta beans, though Arabica beans can be used if that’s what you have).
• Sweetened condensed milk.
• Hot water.
• Ice (if you’re making iced coffee).

Instructions:

1. Preparation: Fill the bottom chamber of your Moka pot with water up to the safety valve. Add your medium-fine ground coffee to the filter basket. Typically, you would use about 2-3 tablespoons for a 6-cup Moka pot, but adjust based on your personal preference.

2. Brew: Assemble the Moka pot, put it on the stove, and set the heat on medium-low. As the water heats up, it will push through the coffee grounds and brew into the top chamber. Once you hear a hissing sound and see a golden-brown stream of coffee, your coffee is almost ready. When the bubbling subsides, your coffee is done.

3. Condensed milk: While the coffee is brewing, pour about 1-2 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk into your coffee cup or glass. The amount can be adjusted based on how sweet you like your coffee.

4. Combine: Once the coffee has finished brewing, pour it over the sweetened condensed milk. Stir well to combine.

5. Serve: If you’re making hot Vietnamese coffee, it’s now ready to drink. If you’re making iced Vietnamese coffee, fill a glass with ice and pour the hot coffee and condensed milk mixture over the ice.

💡 Curious about other methods? Explore 5 unique ways to brew Vietnamese coffee without the traditional filter.

Can you use pre-ground Vietnamese coffee? 

Yes, you can use pre-ground Vietnamese coffee in a moka pot, even if it’s a medium grind. However, there are a few things you should be aware of when doing so:

• Grind size: The ideal grind for a Moka pot is between a fine and medium grind, closer to the consistency of table salt. If your Vietnamese coffee is a medium grind, it might not extract as intensely as a finer grind would. Still, it should work.

• Tamping: Unlike espresso machines where you’d tamp the grounds, you shouldn’t tamp the coffee in a Moka pot. Just fill the basket and level off the excess. Given that your coffee is a medium grind, it’s even more important not to tamp, as you don’t want to restrict the water flow too much.

• Brew time: A medium grind might cause the water to pass through the grounds a bit faster than a finer grind. So, keep an eye (and ear) on the Moka pot to make sure the coffee doesn’t brew too quickly or become too watery.

To avoid any hiccups, I recommend that you get whole-ground Vietnamese coffee that you can adjust to the grind size that works best for the equipment you have. 

Final thoughts

If you don’t have a traditional phin coffee maker, you can still enjoy a cup of Vietnamese coffee. Simply follow the instructions from this article, watch out for the grind, and experiment until you find the perfect coffee:water: condensed milk ratio.