Bringing Vietnamese Coffee to the Front of NYC’s Menu

Our Story

You and your partner brewing Vietnamese coffee together using a traditional phin filter, smiling and sharing a moment over a warm café-style setup.

First Phin First is a Vietnamese coffee service based in New York City that grew from our simple love for Vietnamese coffee. Our coffee is brewed with a traditional phin filter - the same tool used across Vietnam for generations, and the one we use to make our morning coffee before emails, errands, or even making the bed.

That’s where the name comes from:

First phin, first.

We want to see Vietnamese coffee better represented in the world. Not as a novelty or hidden on page 4 of a menu, but front and center, where it belongs. We serve strong, flavorful Vietnamese coffee brewed the right way, using robusta beans sourced directly from Vietnam.

What Makes Vietnamese Coffee Unique?

Introduction

A Vietnamese farmer wearing a conical hat harvesting ripe red coffee cherries on a lush hillside farm.
A man sipping iced Vietnamese coffee at a street market stall, seated on a red stool with a traditional vendor in the background.

Vietnamese coffee is bold, smooth, and rich in character. It first arrived in Vietnam in the mid-1800s during French colonial rule. The French introduced Arabica plants and European brewing styles, but local farmers and drinkers adapted those influences into something uniquely their own. Robusta beans, which grew better in Vietnam’s tropical climate and volcanic soil, became the foundation of the country’s coffee industry.

Without easy access to fresh milk, many turned to sweetened condensed milk, which was shelf-stable and affordable. That combination of robusta and condensed milk created a strong, balanced drink that stuck. Over time, brewing with a phin became not just a method, but a daily ritual - something shared in homes, cafés, and street corners across the country.

Today, Vietnam is one of the largest coffee producers in the world, known especially for its high-quality robusta. Vietnamese coffee has gained global recognition for offering something distinct: a flavor that’s intense, comforting, and rooted in history.

Brewed Differently: The Phin Filter

Close-up of coffee dripping from a phin filter into a glass cup, capturing the slow, artisanal brewing process.

Instead of using espresso machines, Vietnamese coffee relies on a phin - a compact metal filter that brews slowly like a French press and drips gently like a pour-over. It sits directly over the cup while hot water slowly passes through the grounds, producing a strong, concentrated brew over 4–5 minutes for a single serving.

This slow drip process:

  • Extracts deep, rich oils and intense flavors from the robusta bean

  • Creates a heavier body with low acidity and strong aroma

  • Allows each cup to be brewed intentionally - no automation, just care and patience

What Condensed Milk Offers

Sweetened condensed milk pouring into a glass next to coconut cream cans and scattered coffee beans.

Condensed milk is key to Vietnamese coffee’s signature taste. It’s not just a sweetener - it transforms the texture and balance of the drink.

  • Creamy texture: Thickens the body, making each sip smooth and satisfying

  • Sweet-salty balance: Cuts the bitterness of robusta while enhancing its nutty, chocolatey notes

  • Shelf-stable history: Introduced during French colonial rule, when fresh milk was scarce - locals adapted with creativity and made it their own

Together with robusta and the phin, condensed milk completes the flavor triangle of Vietnamese coffee: strong, smooth, and sweet with depth.

Why We Use Robusta Beans

A vietnamese woman in a conical hat picking ripe coffee cherries from robusta plants with rolling hills behind her.

While most cafes in the U.S. and Europe use arabica beans, Vietnam is the world’s #1 producer of robusta, a bean that’s naturally bolder and earthier. Robusta’s strong flavor is what makes Vietnamese coffee hold up beautifully to condensed milk and ice - no flavor gets watered down.

Arabica (what most shops use)

  • Mild, floral, fruity, acidic

  • Lower caffeine (1.2%–1.5%)

  • Less crema

  • ~60% more fats & sugars (slightly higher calories)

  • Requires careful cultivation

Robusta (Vietnamese standard)

  • Bold, chocolatey, slightly bitter

  • Higher caffeine (2.2%–2.7%)

  • More crema, thicker mouthfeel

  • Lower in fats, sugars, & calories

  • More resilient and sustainable farming

Break the Coffee Routine - Go Vietnamese

Most coffee bars offer what your guests already know: espresso, cold brew, and lattes.

We offer something different. Our Vietnamese coffee is brewed slowly with a phin filter, sweetened with condensed milk, and steeped in a tradition that delights both newcomers and longtime fans.

From the bold smoothness of cà phê sữa đá to the savory richness of cà phê muối, this isn’t just a drink - it’s a conversation starter.