Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee: A Refreshing Twist on a Classic
Vietnamese coffee culture has always been about innovation and adaptation. While the country's famous cà phê sữa đá (iced coffee with condensed milk) became popular during French colonial times when fresh milk was scarce, Vietnamese café owners have never stopped experimenting. Enter cà phê sữa chua - Vietnamese yogurt coffee - a relatively modern creation that emerged in the bustling coffee shops of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi over the past couple of decades.
This drink gained popularity as Vietnam's coffee scene evolved and café owners looked for new ways to beat the tropical heat while satisfying customers' desire for something both familiar and surprising. Unlike the traditional iced coffee, yogurt coffee offers a delightful tang that cuts through the sweetness, making it especially popular during Vietnam's sweltering summer months, though many Vietnamese enjoy it year-round.
Vietnamese yogurt coffee, or "cà phê sữa chua," is actually a popular drink in Vietnam! It combines the bold, strong flavor of Vietnamese coffee with the creamy tanginess of yogurt.
The drink is typically made by layering sweetened condensed milk at the bottom, adding strong Vietnamese coffee (often drip coffee), and then topping it with a dollop of thick, slightly sweetened yogurt. Some variations blend everything together, while others keep the layers distinct so you get different flavors as you drink.
The yogurt adds a unique creamy texture and slight tartness that balances the bitter coffee and sweet condensed milk. It's served cold and is especially refreshing in Vietnam's hot climate. You can find it at many Vietnamese cafes, and it's become quite trendy in other countries too.
Making It with Commercial Drive Coffees
Both the Dark Roast East Village Espresso and the Dark Roast Organic Park Drive Coffee would work beautifully for Vietnamese yogurt coffee. Since they're both dark roasts, they'll provide that bold, strong coffee flavor that's essential for this drink.
The East Village Espresso might be particularly good since espresso has that concentrated intensity that pairs nicely with the creamy yogurt and condensed milk. The Park Drive organic coffee would also work great - dark roasts in general have that robust flavor needed to stand up to the other ingredients.
Simple Vietnamese Yogurt Coffee:
Brew your coffee strong (about double strength) and let it cool slightly
Put 2-3 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk in the bottom of a glass
Add the hot coffee and stir
Let it cool down a bit, then add ice
Top with a generous dollop (2-3 tablespoons) of thick plain Greek yogurt
You can sweeten the yogurt slightly with a little condensed milk or sugar if you want
The key is using thick yogurt (Greek yogurt works perfectly) and making the coffee quite strong since it gets diluted by the ice and mellowed by the dairy. Give it a gentle stir before drinking, or sip through the layers for different flavor experiences!
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