Two experiments I did in one go:
- Batch brewing Viet style coffee in a French Press instead of gravity brewing a single serving in a phin
- Aerating a serving of above batch
Conclusions:
- Works, but kind of a pain.
- Yeah.... it's.... really good.
The Trung Nguyen brand has some artificial coco powder in there, which actually helps with longer extraction times when you use a phin (25-30 min to drop 100mL through 11-12g).
In my 1L stainless steel French Press, I did 100g grounds filled to the top with 900mL boiling water and stirred. Pressed after 20 minutes and poured into a 1L mason jar filled with about 9 tablespoons of condensed milk. Mixed, sat overnight in fridge, poured back into clean French press, leaving behind as much sediment as possible.
Then, I thought about the Americano video. The condensed milk should actually help with foaming, and I kind of like having a warm drink in the morning, and little bit of extra water should actually help. So, screw it, let's go.
102g pre-steam, 116g after.
Exquisite mouthfeel.
Greatly reduced bitterness.
Balanced sweetness.
I know some of this is from the dilution of adding water, but I usually add a bit anyways with how strong the flavors are, and it doesn't take the bitterness away THAT much. I'm also guessing it might have to do with bringing the sweet milk to the surface as the first thing to hit your mouth also being a factor.
Idk. I'm kinda ruined now.
Thanks, James!