Vietnamese vs Turkish Coffee
Both are small, strong and centuries-old rituals, and people often mix them up. One is boiled with its grounds, the other drips slowly through a metal filter. Here they are side by side.
Short answer: Turkish coffee is powder-fine Arabica boiled with water, usually sugar, in a small pot called a cezve, and served unfiltered with the grounds settling in the cup. Vietnamese coffee is medium-fine, mostly Robusta, dripped slowly through a metal phin filter and often poured over sweetened condensed milk. Both are strong; Vietnamese is usually stronger in caffeine because of the Robusta.
Side by Side
| Vietnamese | Turkish | |
|---|---|---|
| Bean | Mostly Robusta, sometimes blended with Arabica | Usually Arabica |
| Grind | Medium-fine | Extra-fine, like flour |
| Brewer | Phin: a small metal drip filter on top of the cup | Cezve (ibrik): a small long-handled pot |
| Method | Hot water drips through the coffee for 4–5 minutes | Coffee, water and sugar heated together until it foams |
| Filtered? | Yes, the grounds stay in the phin | No, the grounds settle at the bottom of the cup |
| Sweetness | Sweetened condensed milk, added in the glass | Sugar, chosen before brewing |
| Served | Hot or over ice, often with milk | Hot, black, in a small cup with water on the side |
| Taste | Cocoa, toasted grain, heavy body | Intense, thick, slightly gritty, often spiced with cardamom |
The biggest difference is the filter
Turkish coffee keeps everything in the cup: you drink around the grounds and leave the last sip. A phin holds the grounds back, so the cup is clean and you can drink it to the end, or stir it into condensed milk and ice.
Which to Try
Try Turkish coffee, or a phin of Saigon Drip without milk for a clean but equally heavy cup.
Vietnamese, without question. Cà phê sữa đá is iced coffee with condensed milk. The recipe.
Vietnamese. Robusta carries roughly twice the caffeine of Arabica. More on caffeine.
Brew it the Vietnamese way
A PHINOI phin filter and 100 g of each of our three coffees, in a gift box. CHF 43.00, delivered across Switzerland.
FAQ
No. Turkish coffee is boiled with very finely ground coffee and served unfiltered. Vietnamese coffee drips through a phin filter, so the grounds stay behind.
Both taste strong. Vietnamese coffee usually has more caffeine, because it is mostly Robusta, which carries about twice the caffeine of the Arabica used for Turkish coffee.
No. Turkish grind is so fine that it clogs the phin and the water will barely drip through. A phin needs a medium-fine grind.
Yes, if you grind them extra fine. Expect a heavier, more chocolatey cup than usual because of the Robusta.
We ship from Winterthur anywhere in Switzerland, free on orders over CHF 60. All options in our guide: where to buy Vietnamese coffee in Switzerland.