Vietnamese iced coffee is one of the most flavorsome ways to enjoy the brewed beverage. The bitter but aromatic tinge of the coffee harmonizes with the sweetness of condensed milk. When served over ice, it makes for the ultimate pick-me-up refreshment.
If you've never been to a Vietnamese restaurant and tried their iced coffee style, I highly recommend it, but if you don't have one nearby you, a Starbucks hack for it does exist, and it comes pretty close.
This Starbucks Vietnamese iced coffee hack was developed by Instagram user @katiedong and recently shared by viral food Instagrammer @dailyfoodfeed. To make it, you need to order the following:
Triple Shot of Iced EspressoWITH: Nonfat Milk, Heavy Cream, 5 shots of White Chocolate Mocha Syrup, and Whipped Cream on top
The whipped cream is an extra touch that's not normal to the traditional coffee, but it's there if you want it.
Seeing this hack at first, I was kinda skeptical. Does this Starbucks hack actually work, and is it worth sending in such a complex order to recreate it?
Looking at what goes inside the hack, it kinda makes sense. I figured that the white chocolate mocha syrup was supposed to somehow mimic the flavors of condensed milk, and that the strength of the espresso would cut through all the dairy. With my doubts, I had to see for myself if it really could taste like legit Vietnamese iced coffee.
I made one tweak to the original recipe, swapping out nonfat for 2% milk in the order. Below is how my order broke down and how much it cost:
And this is what the final product looked like:
Yea, the baristas kinda forgot to add whipped cream, but that shouldn't make a difference in the flavor at all. The traditional version doesn't even have it to begin with, so no sweat.
With the drink in hand, all that was left to do was take the first sip. Upon doing so, my reaction was as follows:
"Holy shit."
I was immediately hit with some familiarity in the taste: the bitterness of the espresso poked through the dairy, but there was a nutty sweetness that also dominated the palate. At first glance, it tasted very similar to legit Vietnamese iced coffee. I wanted to be sure, though, and upon some more sips, I could detect a distinct difference.
The first thing that stood out to me was the variation in bitterness of the coffee. The Starbucks hack version was a tad milder and not as aromatic. This probably comes from the fact that typical Vietnamese coffee blends include either a blend of Robusta and Arabica beans or a combination of coffee and chicory. Starbucks claims to just use Arabica in their brew, so that flavor difference makes sense.
Secondly, as sweet and creamy as the white chocolate mocha syrups and dairy were, they just couldn't replicate the taste of condensed milk. Condensed milk has a sugary, nutty flavor to it that this Starbucks hack just can't fully grasp. It's partially there, but not nutty enough to be a 100% perfect reproduction.
Here's the thing: if I'm in an area where there's no Vietnamese food within driving distance, chances are there's gonna be a Starbucks. That's probably going to be the only time I order this hack version. Otherwise, I want the OG version from a Vietnamese cafe because the real deal is incomparable.
If you don't have an authentic spot nearby you, however, this Starbucks Vietnamese iced coffee hack is a pretty decent introduction.
