Sweetened condensed milk is milk with much of the water removed and a large quantity of sugar added.
Where it is traditional
Vietnam — cà phê sữa, condensed milk under a phin-brewed concentrate, hot or over ice. The national coffee drink.
Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore — variations across the region.
Spain — café bombón, equal parts espresso and condensed milk in a small glass, layered.
Hong Kong — yuanyang, coffee and tea with condensed or evaporated milk.
Why it works
The coffee it accompanies is usually very strong and very dark — Vietnamese robusta in a phin, or a dark espresso.
Condensed milk is sweet and thick enough to stand up to that. Ordinary milk would be overwhelmed.
How to use it
Two to three teaspoons in the bottom of the glass, coffee brewed or poured directly on top.
Serve layered and let the drinker stir, or stir it in.
Evaporated versus condensed
Condensed is sweetened. Evaporated is not — it is concentrated milk with no added sugar, richer than milk and not sweet.
Both are used. Evaporated appears in Cuban and Hong Kong drinks where sweetness comes from added sugar instead.
The honest note
It is very sweet — a Vietnamese iced coffee is a dessert as much as a coffee. That is the intent.
Last reviewed 8 August 2026