Home brewing the ultimate Cafe Sua Da : where in LA/SGV/OC must I go to get the secret ingredient?

[pslpsl]

Home brewing the ultimate Cafe Sua Da : where in LA/SGV/OC must I go to get the secret ingredient?

Some of the best CSD is SUPER bitter (almost astringent), SUPER sweet (but *doesn't* taste like saccharine) and a little "thick/creamy" with a good mouthfeel. I can't quite get there (I'd rate my homebrew attempts as 7/10)

I use longevity brand condensed milk, and have used Trung Nguyen premium blend preground in the metal cans (tried cafe du monde, not as good)

I use 3 tspns of coffee in a metal drip filter, and 2 tspns of milk.

I have real problems w/ consistency: I can't get my coffee to brew at the same rate.....sometimes the water flashes through and sometimes it drips, and I can't correlate which makes a better cup….(I've tried playing w/the screw top on the filter etc, and it's inconsistent)

I can't replicate the superbittersupersweet at home - if I use too much coffee it gets too bitter, too much milk too sweet and I can't balance them out….it also doesn't have that mouthfeel……. I'm sure the cafes I get it from aren't using 5 tpspns of coffee and 5 tsp's of condensed milk

. Any suggestions ?

People talk about the aeropress: is there a particular one that works?

I saw this thread http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/751463

Haylp. I Need bittersweet coffee nirvana at home!

[ns1]

what I did was get rid of that metal filter and got an aeropress - consistency increased 5000%

Also to get that "mouth feel" I would brew it the night before and let it sit in the fridge. That way when you add ice it doesn't dilute the CSD.

I like my CSD very, very strong. vietnamese cafe strong, not Lee's Sandwiches strong.

[pslpsl]

ns1: The refridgeration idea is excellent! Do you store it in a particular type of bottle/container to preserve flavor? How long do you think the aeropress-brewed coffee can last for in the fridge?

Coffee you use? Quantities of both the coffee & milk? Do you measure temp w/thermometer to do 185 F like TN suggests?

This is nerding out, but I wish to approach nirvana.

Also, this is pertinent http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/...

[ns1]

Not going to lie, I stopped drinking CSD because it was no longer strong enough for me and I became TOO lactose intolerant. BUT I'm still a coffee geek and drink coffee daily.

1. I brew in mugs (using the areopress) with condensed milk on the bottom. After the coffee is done brewing I mixed it up and simply put it in the fridge overnight. I used to run 2 tins in order to get enough coffee.

2. Back when I was still using tins I used the glass POM cups for brewing. I knew exactly how much milk to put in based on how far up the glass cup the condensed milk got. As such, I don't have a tsp measurement for you. I will say that Beehive syrup dispensers are FANTASTIC at storing condensed milk.

3. I ordered directly from TN online back when I was drinking CSD, I go to a local roaster now.

4. I used to brew CSD ~190, with normal coffee and the aeropress I'm somewhere between 170 and 180.

5. @ your link OMG HE COPIED MY STYLE. Well, almost. He's still using the aeropress like a n00b.

[pslpsl]

All of the above: excellent advice:

i) If your kitchen is cold, longevity milk does not pour easily out of the syrup dispenser (beehive tin). Perhaps warming in warm water or using a conventional squeeze bottle....

ii) any particular TN coffee that floated your boat?

more internet sleuthing found the following
http://www.handocoffee.com/hot-brew-iced-coffee.html

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/...

[ns1]

thanks for the links. I was perfectly happy with their house blend (whole bean tho)

[pslpsl]

The chilling works REALLY well for mouthfeel - no more watery CSD

[ns1]

great to hear!