Vietnamese Coffee Variation - Iced Saigon Cappuccino

iced cappuccino @ ROASTe.com

Running out of half and half collided with several days worth of Vietnamese iced coffee recipes in my mailbox to create a very happy coincidence this morning -- my morning iced Vietnamese cappuccino. Okay. Technically, it's iced cappuccino with a nod to Vietnam. Doesn't it look pretty in blue? Recipe after the jump.





It started out as one of those mornings. I woke up a little late -- if you can call 6:40 a.m. late. When I have 35 articles to complete by the end of the day -- well, the earlier the better. And the coffee-er the better.This morning's beans were the tail end of a 4-day-old blend experiment: 3:1 blend of the Congo Kivu bargain beans from Captain's Coffee and a lovely Nicaragua. Very tasty, smooth and bright at the same time. I've got this dialed in very nicely at an almost powder-fine grind, so I fired up the grinder and the espresso machine only to find that -- I'm out of half-and-half and have no milk in the house. Grumble...grumble and then.. inspiration! The boys had brought home a couple of bags of *stuff* from the cabinets of a friend's house when they helped said friend move house last weekend and among the stuff was a can of sweetened condensed milk. Aha! Vietnamese style coffee!





Before I could get around to actually assembling it all, though, one of the boys woke up and a client paid me an overdue bill and... yay! Off to the store he went to bring me back half and half...but the condensed milk was already open so I decided to experiment. The result was so darned good that I had to share it here. Fair warning -- this is sweet, rich and calorie-laden. Drink at your own peril!





Iced Saigon Cappuccino



Fire up the espresso maker and load your portafilter. I used the 2-cup basket and packed it with  16 g finely ground blend described above. For approximation, try an Ethiopian/Central American blend with apricot and chocolate notes.  While the espresso machine is heating up, spoon 1 tablespoon or so of condensed milk into the bottom of a tall glass. Fill the glass to the brim with ice cubes and set it aside.





Pull a double shot of espresso and dump it over the ice in your glass. Switch to steaming and froth 2 ounces of half-and-half to a thick, vlevety foam. Gently pour it over the espresso and ice. Let it sit for about a minute, then stir gently to mix in the condensed milk and enjoy!



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