Hello everyone on the #photographylovers community, have a nice day. If you are a lover of Vietnamese coffee culture, then you will surely know The Phin, a legendary Vietnamese coffee maker.
The origin
The Phin along with coffee was introduced to Vietnam when the French invaded our country in the 19th century. Since then, The Phin has become the most popular coffee maker along with the spread of coffee. And now we are the second largest exporter of coffee in the world so you can imagine how popular coffee and The Phin are in our country. The word "phin" is derived from the French word "filtre" (filter). The French call it "café filtre" and we call it "phin cà phê".
The Phin
The Phin has 4 main parts: the chamber, the bottom filter, the press and the lid. The chamber is where the coffee powder is extracted, the bottom filter functions as the second filter layer below the chamber and above the top of the cup, the press is used to compress the coffee powder and the lid is used to cover and retain heat for the chamber. There are two common types of the phin, aluminum phin and stainless steel phin with different sizes. Their prices range from 50 cents to 2 dollars depending on the type and size.
Culture of the Phin
Since being introduced to Vietnam, the phin has become an indispensable part of Vietnamese life. You can see it everywhere from cafes, roadsides, companies, offices and even in the homes of every Vietnamese. I was born and raised in the coffee land of Vietnam, so I was also exposed to it very early. Ever since I was a kid, I don't understand why adults have to wait so long for coffee drops to drip from the phin, even though they can choose instant coffee powder to save time.
Later I understood that waiting for coffee to drip is also a culture of enjoying coffee. Coffee drinkers can enjoy the entire brewing process, not just putting the coffee in their mouths. While waiting for the coffee to be extracted from the filter, people can smoke a cigarette, eat something, talk to friends or discuss business... Especially, coffee time in the early morning is when family members can get together before starting a new day. To this day, I still remember that wonderful time when I was living with my family.
