A graphic featuring the Phinista Cafe (left), Cafe Darq menu and Phin Coffee House (right) interiors. Vietnamese coffees use robusta beans, a bean that contains twice as much caffeine compared to typical arabica beans. Graphic by Margot Murphy. Photos by Aya Al-Zehhawi and Nia Calais.

When in doubt at a coffee shop, pick up a Vietnamese coffee. The drink is both a great boost of energy for your study session and a journey for your taste buds.

Although many menus refer to it as “Vietnamese coffee,” the drink is just one of many ways Vietnamese people consume their coffee. The specific beverage name is “cà phê sữa đá” — “cà phê” means coffee; “sữa” means milk; and “đá” means ice.

It’s nothing too fancy, with the ingredients embodied in the name: coffee, milk and ice. Unlike the classic vanilla latte or the ever-trending matcha latte with oatmilk, the drink uses condensed milk. The stab-and-stir mixing technique makes the taste of condensed milk blend harmoniously with the coffee phin — a traditional Vietnamese coffee filtering instrument that produces a strong taste and dense consistency.

Growing up with the cà phê sữa đá on street-food stalls’ plastic stools, I am constantly looking for a cup of coffee that tastes closest to the ones I have at home. Rich coffee, sweetness from the condensed milk and crushed ice, all making up a slightly thick consistency — these are the elements that I look for a proper cà phê sữa đá.

Customers wait and chat in line at the Banh Mi Ba Le & Bakery. (Nia Calais)

**Banh Mi Ba Le & Bakery **

Drink: Cà Phê Sữa Đá (drip coffee with condensed milk served on ice)

Taste: 8.75/10

Price: 9/10

Known for its assorted bakery and sandwich selection, Banh Mi Ba Le & Bakery’s Vietnamese coffee tastes authentic. The store is located in Dorchester, a nine-minute walk from the Red Line’s Savin Hill station.

Poured over a bed of assorted-size ice, the coffee tastes stronger with every sip. There is a nice balance of condensed milk and coffee, and it maintains a moderate sweetness and strong coffee aroma. Every stab into the ice elevates the coffee and milk combination.

However, the coffee lacks the comforting bitter aftertaste of true phin coffee, and the sweetness from the condensed milk stays throughout. Costing $4 for a large-sized drink, this is a good investment to your coffee intake.

Customers and employees share the Phinista Cafe space. (Aya Al-Zehhawi)

Phinista Cafe

Drink: Phin Sua

Taste: 8/10

Price: 8.5/10

With locations in Fenway and Cambridge, Phinista Coffee has an assorted menu of Vietnamese brunch dishes and beverages. If you are on a Target run, heading to Blick or a Red Sox game, stop by Phinista if you are looking for a coffee that is not your usual from Tatte Cafe & Bakery or Pavement Coffeehouse.

The drink’s portion of coffee is perfect, and its fragrant taste spreads with every sip. The drink is a great blend of creamy condensed milk and bitter coffee. However, the ice cubes are not big enough to preserve the drink’s thick consistency. This washes away the milk’s sweetness and leaves only the slight bitterness of the coffee. With a price of $4.89, Phinista’s Phin Sua is worth a try.

The exterior of The Sipping Room. (Aya Al-Zehhawi)

The Sipping Room By Breeze

Drink: Vietnamese Coffee

Taste: 7.5/10

Price: 7.5/10

Right across from the Fens, The Sipping Room by Breeze is not only a coffee shop with various unique drinks like Hong Kong milk tea or Wintermelon Oolong Tea but also a creative space that displays art pieces from Asian artists. Its minimalistic interior and a gallery nested inside make the space a great place to study.

The Sipping Room By Breeze’s menu lists the coffee bean that’s used in the drink — Đắk Lắk, a city located in the central region of Vietnam. This is the “coffee capital” of the country.

The drink satisfies every required ingredient for a decent cup of cà phê sữa đá with the fragrance of coffee and condensed milk. However, the drink does not bring out the bitter, nutty and chocolaty taste of their high-quality coffee beans because it’s watered down with its ice to milk ratio.

If you are looking for a coffee drink that is milky to quench your thirst or something to sip on when doing homework, the Sipping Room By Breeze’s Vietnamese coffee is $6. However, if you are looking to taste the authentic cà phê sữa đá with that coffee punch, maybe this drink is not for you.

A customer waits while employees prepare their order at the Phin Coffee House. (Nia Calais)

Phin Coffee House

Drink: Ca Phe Phin

Taste: 9/10

Price: 8.5/10

A popular office lunch spot in the Boston Financial District, Phin Coffee House serves an array of grab-and-go dishes from the classic avocado toast to fusion bites like their pho burrito. Its beverage menu offers options for every kind of caffeine craving, even energy drinks.

Right at the door, at the barista counter, a line of traditional coffee phin filter coffee in front of your eyes; that is how you know the coffee taste will turn out clear and memorable when you take the first sip. The condensed milk lies at the bottom of the drink, so stir as you drink.

The aftertaste particularly stands out as the comforting bitterness and sweetness intertwines. However, the drink would be better served with crushed-up ice instead of cubes for a better consistency — the ice quickly waters down the drink.

For $5.75, this is a must-try drink if you want to experience the coffee produced from coffee phin that is very similar to what you would be able to find on the streets of Vietnam.

A customer enters The Green Haus. (Carys Popat)

Green Haus Cafe

Drink: Iced Hanoi Creme Coffee

Taste: 7/10

Price: 8/10

Mission Hill residents are familiar with Green Haus Cafe, a coffee and brunch shop on Tremont Street. The coffee shop stands out from its surroundings with dark green walls, and the entire store is packed with plants.

The drink is closer to another way that Vietnamese people consume coffee: “bạc xỉu,” a drink with more milk than coffee. Some people refer to this as coffee-flavored milk. But with the way coffee is filtered through the coffee phin, the fragrance of the bean lingers throughout your sip.

Even though I am not a big fan of bạc xỉu, I really enjoyed Green Haus Cafe’s Iced Hanoi Creme Coffee for its blend of creamy milk and the classic coffee with a sweet cream top. For $5.99, if you have a sweet tooth and a soft spot for coffee-flavored dessert, this is the beverage to order.

Pedestrians wander in and past Cafe Darq in Chinatown. (Nia Calais)

Cafe Darq

Drink: Vietnamese Coffee

Taste: 8.75/10

Price: 8.5/10

Unlike many coffee shops where Vietnamese coffee is a single menu entry among the classic espresso beverages, Cafe Darq offers a selection of six ways to enjoy Vietnamese coffee in two different sizes. The coffee shop is located in Chinatown with both indoor and outdoor seating.

Cafe Darq did not fail the test, offering rich coffee taste and fragrance, creamy condensed milk and decently sized ice. Despite spending an hour at the coffee shop, the drink’s taste does not severely water down with the ice. The aftertaste of both the coffee and the milk lingers until your next sip, which sits nicely in the back of your palette.

However, the sweet condensed milk could be lessened a bit to preserve the bitterness from the coffee. Given the authentic flavor for $5.95, it is worth giving the drink a try.

The exterior of Baguette Cafe located on Newbury Street.

Baguette Cafe

Draft: Vietnamese Ice Coffee “Cà Phê Sữa Đá”

Taste: 5/10

Price: 7/10

Tucked in the lower-level row of restaurants on Newbury Street, Baguette Cafe mainly sells “bánh mì,” a Vietnamese sandwich with various fillings inside a baguette. And what comes with your bánh mì is the Vietnamese coffee, a common breakfast combination that I usually have at home.

Seeing a row of coffee bags displayed at the counter labeled Trung Nguyen, a famous coffee production company that harvests and exports roasted and ground coffee beans, ensued high hopes for the coffee.

The drink has all of the components of milk, coffee and ice, and its serving size is relatively generous. Though the cafe listed condensed milk as a component in the drink, the main flavor of the drink is whole milk. There is only the aroma of coffee in the drink rather than the taste of it.

If you are looking to try Vietnamese coffee for cheaper than $6, you can get a more accurate taste of cà phê sữa đá somewhere else in Boston.

Seeking an accurate and nostalgic taste away from home, Phin Coffee House and Banh Mi Ba Le & Bakery are my to-go places.

Whether you are starting off light with The Sipping Room by Breeze’s Vietnamese coffee or jumping right into the rich coffee flavor that Cafe Darq offers, you can easily navigate where to start enjoying a good cup of cà phê sữa đá in Boston.

About the Contributors

Jenny Tran is a second-year criminal justice and journalism major, news staff and copy editor of The News. She recently covers major fashion events, features Boston’s artist, events and on-campus guest speekers. You can follow her on Instagram at @tblnh__ .

Nia Calais is a first-year journalism and international affairs combined major and member of The News’ staff. She has contributed images to stories on pro-Palestine demonstrations, city-wide protests, and other Northeastern-related news. You can follow her on Instagram at @nia.calais.

Aya Al-Zehhawi is a second-year English and Communication Studies combined major and deputy photo editor for The News. She has previously contributed as photo staff and is passionate about covering community events and projects. You can find her on Instagram at @ayaalze.