Traditional and world
Egg coffee (ca phe trung)
Egg coffee is a Vietnamese drink of strong coffee topped with a cream made from whipped egg yolk, sugar and condensed milk.
- Ratio About 1 part strong coffee to 1 part egg cream
- Serve 100 to 150 ml, hot, in a small cup
- Grind Medium coarse
Written by the KAIVO team, Mumbai. Last updated 4 November 2026. Cite as: KAIVO, "Egg coffee (ca phe trung)", kaivo.in/pages/drink-egg-coffee
Egg coffee comes from Hanoi, where it is said to have been created in the 1940s when milk was hard to find. Egg yolk is whipped with sugar and sweetened condensed milk into a thick, pale custard like cream, which is spooned onto very strong, hot coffee. Use very fresh eggs, and avoid it if you are pregnant or have a weak immune system.
How it is made
- 01
Brew a small cup of very strong dark roast coffee, such as phin or moka pot coffee.
- 02
Whisk 1 egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of condensed milk until pale and thick, about 5 minutes.
- 03
Warm the coffee cup in a bowl of hot water.
- 04
Pour the coffee into the cup.
- 05
Spoon the egg cream on top and drink with a spoon.
Brew it with Vietnamese phin, Moka pot
A KAIVO blend for this
The Roar
The Roar is the darkest KAIVO roast at 5 out of 5, with bitter chocolate and dark caramel notes, strong enough to stand under a sweet egg cream.
Dark roast, tasting of bitter chocolate, dark caramel, oak.
See The RoarQuestions
Is egg coffee safe?
It uses raw egg yolk, so use very fresh eggs from a trusted source. Avoid it if you are pregnant, elderly, a young child or have a weak immune system.
Does egg coffee taste of egg?
No, when it is whipped well with sugar and condensed milk it tastes like sweet custard with coffee.