INOX 8 oz. Vietnamese Coffee Filter (Phin)

Great phin. It's quite difficult to write something about something so simple but I'll try!Directions:You put your 3 teaspoons of coffee grounds in the phin, tap it a couple of times to settle them down and even out the coffee.Put the filter over the ground and give a light spin to even out the coffee if you like. No need to press down on the coffee as the weight of the spanner will be enough.The next bit is quite important: Put a little hot water in (just a couple of spoons of water). The water only needs to be visible. This makes the coffee much better than just filling it up with water.After a minute or two, you can then top up the phin with the remainder of your water. Easy!This method takes about 4-5 minutes from start to finish, somewhat less than brewing in a coffee machine, and it is more fun and guarantees incredible flavor.This phin works a treat and does what it says on the tin!The seller deserves a mention in here. Very quick delivery, great comms and an email with instructions. 10/10

The filter I have received is the one in the attached picture (i.e. with a red label), rather than the one with the logo engraved shown in the product information. Build quality isn't great: there are black spots on the metal.UPDATE 22/04/2019:I flagged this with the seller, and he immediately went through the effort of sending me the depicted phin. Apparently, that phin is no longer being made, but the seller went as far as sending me the last of its vintage all the way from the United States. He even let me keep the one I already received. Great service!I've attached some additional pictures showing a side-by-side comparison. The build quality of the cups is quite similar. The black spots I mentioned earlier disappeared after being used and washed a few times. However, both of them started to show some discolouring at the points where the handle is welded onto the cup.The biggest difference between the phins is the filter. The filter of the newly received phin is only a thin metal plate, whereas the filter of the phin with the red label is much thicker, sturdier and heavier. However, the filter of the phin with the red label has more but thinner holes spread across a larger area, and so does the bottom of its cup. Because of this, I find that the newly received phin (without the red label) actually works better, despite the thinner and lighter filter. The phin with the red label namely lets the water run through too quickly, at least for coarse-grained coffees like Weasel's Masterpiece.For fine grinds, on the other hand, the phin with the red label works better. So I ended up using both of them: one for coarse grinds (which Vietnamese coffees typically are), and the other for fine grinds (e.g. for sampling small batches of ground coffee from my local coffee shop).When used correctly with the right grind, both phins produce great coffee.

I have bought many of these in the past, for myself and as gifts for friends. Although I don't always use the Vietnamese filter, there are times when it is definitely the most convenient way to make coffee. The fliters are very light and are easy to carry about which makes them perfect for camping, festivals or travelling. For people who like the ease of throw-away plastic filters but don't like the waste, they are perfect as they make coffee in exactly the same way. They sit easily on top of a normal sized mug and give about one cup's worth of coffee. You put the coffee in the bottom, put the little metal filter on top, place it over your mug and fill it with hot water. The only downside is if you use very finely-ground coffee as it takes a long time for the water to drip through, which can result in cool coffee. It's best to use a coarse-ground coffee for this filter.

Great product, great price. Very happy with my purchase.I am able to reminisce about happy days in Vietnam whilst at home on lockdown!

Filter holes are too big, let's grinds through. Build quality is low. Thang Long are the superior make, by far.

Item came quickly, made an ok brew, the razor sharp edges around the lid and inner handle are rather dangerous and will need dealing with. Other than that it seems fine but very cheaply made. Would never pass CE standards.

The metal is a little on the sharp side, as one reviewer has mentioned, but it works fine. I really appreciated that the seller emailed a pdf giving tips on making a good coffee. It helped immensely

Cheapest smallest most portable way to make a wonderful coffee known to man. You do have to pay attention to warming the cup beforehand. On the other hand, you can make iced coffee instantly by filtering over ice (or ice coffee).Although it's good for one cup, you can make it double strength and dilute for a couple of cups. Keep everything hot, tho'.

Mal assemblé, inox assez fin..la prise pour pincer le filtre est monté de travers, le métal est un peu coupant quand on l'attrape.. le 2nd filtre est soudée intégralement, dommage qu'il ait été soudé légèrement de travers, pas l'idéal pour faire couler le café..Je pense que je n'ai pas eu de chance.. sinon c'est un filtre comme on en trouve partout au Vietnam.

Great service from the seller. Even took it upon themselves to send instructions in an email because the instructions on the box were in Vietnamese. I would have given 5 stars except for the quality of the filter itself. It's advertised as stainless steel, but it weighs and feels like cheap tin.