Vietnam Alphabet C

C = Cà phê sữa đá 

Vietnamese iced coffee with "milk". This the way dessert coffee should be, only here they do not drink it only at dessert. It is available everywhere and enjoyed all day long. In the metal container at the top is finely ground coffee. Hot water is poured over the grounds and slowly filters down to the glass below. In the glass is a small amount of sweetened-condensed milk. When the coffee is done brewing, you remove the metal filter, stir and pour the chocolaty goodness over ice. 

Trevor and I were playing badminton late last year in the front yard when a woman on a moped came by. We'd seen her before and knew she was selling drinks (the white cooler with green and red stripes and bags of various ingredients hanging from the handles indicates a mobile beverage seller). We waved her down and purchased a ca phe da.  Oooops. That was iced coffee...no milk. Not nearly as good but fun to take part in this ritual we saw our neighbors enjoying each day.

Here is a canned version of our favorite drink from a company owned by a family of a student I teach this year. The cafe has a very Starbuck's-feel to it with a Vietnamese twist. Vietnam, the second largest producer of coffee beans in the world, has been a nice place to feed my caffeine addiction.