Coconut Coffee [A Coffee Lovers Guide] +Recipe

In this article we will talk about one of my favorite coffees of all time, coconut coffee and give you the low down on what is a delightful cup of coffee with a fabulous tropical and summer feel to it.

By the time you have finished reading this article, you will know everything you need to know about coconut coffee and have an excellent and authentic recipe to make your own at home.

Keep reading for that excellent recipe and get ready to make it at home!

What Is Coconut Coffee?

In the simplest of descriptions, coconut coffee is a tasty coffee made with either coconut cream or coconut milk and condensed milk with a shot or two of espresso.

Traditionally, it was made with a Ca Phe Phin, a traditional individualized “over the cup” filter coffee.

It is a tasty, tropical rich tasting cup of coffee that is very enjoyable and comes with a lot of established health benefits and is loaded with nutrients.

It is a coffee that can be enjoyed either hot or cold, and in my opinion is best as a frappé style cold coffee beverage.

Alternative ways of making this beverage include the use of coconut oil – known as bulletproof coffee, coconut flavored coffee syrup or with flavored coffee grounds or beans.

Read: Coconut coffee caffeine content

Where Is Coconut Coffee From?

Coconut coffee originates in the great country of Vietnam. It is known as Ca Phe Dua, pronounced Cah-feeh-You-Ahh and is a popular beverage all over the country, where all coffee shops sell it.

It can be enjoyed either as a hot coffee drink or as a frappé style drink, which, due to the climate, is much more common.

Vietnamese coconut coffee is made with their local robusta coffee beans, by far the most popular coffee bean in Vietnam, and coconut milk (or coconut cream) mixed with sweetened condensed milk with ice added and then mixed in a high speed blender.

How Does Coconut Milk Coffee Taste?

Coconut milk tastes great in coffee. Alongside coconut cream, it is the best way to make coconut coffee.

Coconut milk coffee, rather unsurprising, tastes a lot like an authentic coconut coffee and is much better than a simple flavored coffee or adding coconut oil, coconut water or using a flavored syrup.

Coconut Coffee Starbucks – Starbucks Coconut Drinks

If you love Starbucks, I have great news for you: there are a few coconut beverages that you can order from their menu, or, if you are smart, you can “hack the menu” or as the term goes access their “secret menu”.

Starbucks Toasted Coconut Cold Brew

This beverage is very tasty and a neat twist on a coconut coffee: the toasted coconut achieves a more nutty taste.

It is made with Colombian coffee, their signature Nariño 70 to be exact. This cold brew is sweetened with their toasted coconut syrup and then coconut milk is poured over it, which causes a beautiful cascading effect.

Coconut Milk Macchiato: Starbucks Beverage

The full name of this drink is Iced Coconutmilk Mocha Macchiato and is made with two shots of their Sumatran coffee blend.

Served cold with one pump each of white chocolate mocha sauce, caramel drizzle and mocha drizzle and coconut milk.

It is a perfectly balanced iced mocha macchiato with a coconut taste to it. Very nice.

Coconut Milk Latte: Starbucks Tasty Coconut Latte!

This is made with a double shot of their signature Pike Place and made with steamed coconut milk. and topped with cascara sugar. This is a seriously tasty latte.

Caramel Coconut Crème Pie Frappuccino

A frappuccino is a trademarked name by Starbucks; it is their frappé range of drinks and is quite a delight! It is a sweet beverage with mocha sauce, toffee nut syrup with caramel crème with coconut milk added.

It is a delightful beverage with a rich coconut and chocolate flavor that gives a little reminder of those little bounty chocolate bars.

Pink Drink – Starbucks Menu Hack!

Starbucks has the famous Pink Drink, which the flavor is from the strawberries used to make it. You can get fancy and order a Pink Drink with coconut milk.

Just imagine it, Strawberry coconut with hints of cinnamon! Tasty!

What Type Of Coconut Milk Is Used At Starbucks?

Starbucks uses high quality coconut milk in their stores. It is a single origin coconut milk that is sourced from Sumatran Coconuts.

It is sweet, tasty young coconuts that are used to make the milk. Current, the milk will cost you, at today’s price, 80 cents extra for it to be added to your beverage, which for the quality coconut flavor and health benefits is worth it.

What Are The Health Benefits Of Coconut Coffee?

There are a number of health benefits associated with all parts of a coconut from the meat to the water and the milk and the oil too.

Even coconut shells have health benefits when they are burned and used as healthy charcoal detox.

Coffee, on its own, has innumerable health benefits, including:

• Could help you to live longer.
• A reduced probability of colon cancer.
• Decreases your likelihood of heart disease and heart failure.
• Good for liver health.
• Decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Helps your body to process sugar and glucose better.
• Makes your DNA stronger.
• Reduces your probability of Parkinson’s disease.
• Less likely to suffer a stroke.

Some health benefits of coconut coffee are due to the fact that coconuts are high in medium chain triglycerides, which are heart healthy.

Some health benefits of coconuts are:

• Energy boost
• Improved digestion.
• A reduction in the risk of high blood pressure.
• Weight loss.
• Improved heart health.
• Aids in weight loss.

Of course, drinking coconut coffee on its own is not going to turn you into a picture of health. It simply forms part of a balanced diet and is a great start to your day thanks to the nutrient content.

At Latte Love Brew, we advise you to talk to your family Doctor about coconut coffee and how it can aid you and supplement your health and form part of a healthy lifestyle.

Coconut coffee Calories

The great news is coconut coffee doesn’t have too many calories and the even better news is that the calories that are in coconut coffee are what would be considered as good calories as they come from high quality healthy foods and not junk food or sugary sweets.

There are 130 calories in the average cup of coconut coffee.

Coconut Coffee Recipe – How To Make Vietnamese Iced Coconut Coffee

This coconut coffee recipe is based on the Vietnamese Iced coconut coffee recipe, who are undoubtedly the absolute masters of making this drink.

Let’s Talk About Making The Coffee

You have a few options when making this coffee. Now, in modern times, coffee shops up and down Vietnam have a professional espresso machine. Back in the day, the traditional way of making Vietnamese coffee would be to use the Ca Phe Phin filter coffee method, which is a metallic, individualized, personalized coffee filter that sits on top of your cup of coffee and brews a quality filter coffee.

If you are opting for this method, you will find the device available on Amazon and is very cheap. In Vietnam, they cost literally pennies, less than a dollar or two.

Since it is a slow method of brewing coffee, it is advantageous to brew it in advance.

Using A French Press To Brew Your Coffee

You can also use a French press, which is an easy and delightful way of brewing coffee as you have full control over all the variables that affect the flavor of coffee.

Like a ca phe phin a French press is very easy to use.

Use a coffee to water ratio of 1:12, one part coffee and 12 parts water.

An idea amount of coffee to brew is 20 grams (0.66 Oz) and 240 ml (8 Oz) of water.

Ensure that you are using fresh coffee beans and grind them to a coarse, even grind size.

It is entirely optional which coffee beans you use; you can go full hog and use Vietnamese coffee beans or your fave beans from elsewhere. It is entirely your choice.

When you are adding your ground coffee to your French press coffee maker, ensure that they are of a coarse, even grind size.

Give your press a light shake while it is sitting on a flat, even surface to ensure that you have an even distribution of your coffee grounds.

Heat your water to the perfect temperature range for brewing, which is 92C to 96C (196F To 205F). If you don’t have a digital thermometer, boil your water and let it sit for 20 to 25 seconds to cool down.

Pour your water slowly and evenly over your coffee grounds and stop when they are wet, just covered in water. Let your coffee grounds bloom for 20 seconds to 25 seconds. This is an important step that many coffee lovers skip over.

Slowly and evenly pour your remaining hot water and then with a long spoon stir the water evenly for about a minute.

Push down on your plunger until it is below the surface of the water.

Wait for 3 to 4 minutes to allow your coffee to extract and brew. When it is ready, push down on your plunger until it reaches the bottom and then decant. It is VIP that you decant your coffee as it will continue to extract and eventually become too bitter to drink.

Making The Perfect Espresso Shot For A Coconut Coffee

As I mentioned earlier, it is, by far, much more common for a Ca Phe Dua (Vietnamese iced coffee) to be made with a shot or two of espresso.

Select your freshly roasted coffee beans and grind them to a very fine powder-like grind. 200 microns is the perfect grind size for an espresso.

Weigh 30 grams of grounds using your coffee scale.

A perfect coffee to water ratio for an espresso is 1:2. This ration gives a great tasting and strong shot that has all the right flavors and not too strong and not too much of the nutty flavors from the coffee.

Set your coffee scale on the drip tray of your espresso machine and time how long it takes you to pull a 60 ml (2 Oz) double shot.

The brew time should be 25 seconds with a variance of +/- 5 seconds.

If it takes too long to brew, you will need to adjust your grind size and make it slightly smaller. If your brew time is too short, this is an indication that your grind size is too large.

(assuming you have an ideal water temperature of 96C (205F) and water pressure of 9 bar (130 PSI)).

Making Your Coconut Slushy

This the important part – without the coconut slushy this coffee beverage is just not that awesome Vietnamese Iced Coconut Coffee.

To make this it is best that you have a high-speed blender; if not, don’t worry, a regular blender will get the job done.

Don’t worry if you can’t put ice into your blender, simply crush some ice beforehand.

This recipe works much better when you use canned coconut cream instead of canned coconut milk.

Whichever one you use, it will froth much better when you store it cold in your fridge.

Add 90 ml (3 ounces) of your coconut cream and 90 ml (3 ounces) of sweetened condensed milk and ice to your high speed blender.

Blend until you have a good, thick yet smooth consistency. It is much better to over blend and blend again to ensure your slushy is not lumpy or has any chunks of ice.

The aim is to have a nice thick coconut slushy for what is a tasty frappé style drink.

Put It All Together – Completing Your Vietnamese Coconut Coffee Recipe

I have seen this part done in a few different ways by baristas in Vietnam and I lived in the country for 3 years and enjoyed Vietnamese coconut coffee regularly.

I’ve seen the shot pulled and poured into the bottom of a tall glass with the coconut slushy poured on top.

I’ve also seen the opposite, with the slushy poured into a tall glass first and the coffee poured over it.

It is also common for the coffee to be added to the blender and blended with the slushy.

Which method you choose is up to you.

The first method is the most common with the benefit of enjoying the coconut flavor first and then the mix of coconut and coffee as you get towards the end of the drink.

This is a long slow drink to enjoy as the slushy melts, it melts into the coffee.

Optional: Dust with cocoa powder and/or chocolate shavings for a brilliant chocolaty coconut taste.

Frequently Asked Questions About Coconut Coffee

Will Coconut Oil In Coffee Break My Fast?

In my opinion, there is no harm in adding coconut oil to coffee and will not break your fast at all. I coffee fast regularly and feel that it is better (for me) than a water fast. There is no harm at all as coffee helps to keep you going and is an appetite suppressant.

Coffee and coconut oil is a good (better) idea as it is a drink that is loaded with nutrients and is Keto diet friendly.

What Are The Health Benefits Of Bulletproof Coffee?

Bulletproof coffee is a particular recipe that uses coconut oil which contains healthy medium chain triglyceride (MCT) fats. It’s a type of fat that your body can easily break down.

Health benefits of bulletproof coffee include:

• A reduced risk of heart disease.
• A reduced risk of heart attack.
• Aids digestion.
• Assists in weight loss.
• Helps to reduce blood sugar levels.

All of these claims can be backed by numerous scientific research.

Does Coconut Have Caffeine?

No, there is no caffeine in any part of a coconut be it the coconut meat, coconut milk or coconut water. Not even the coconut shell contains any caffeine at all.

Coconuts may give you a refreshing energy boost; this is due to the nutrition profile and not caffeine.

There are a lot of beverage retailers that sell various coconut drinks that have caffeine in them. This includes coffee and energy drinks. The caffeine content is from the coffee or is added to the coconut beverage.

Does Coconut Oil Kick You Out Of Ketosis?

No, coconut oil will not kick you out of a state of Ketosis, it will though help you to maintain a state a ketogenesis. Coconut oil is pure fat and does not add any carbohydrates to your diet.

Also, it is high in medium chain triglycerides which is a healthy fat that is said to be good for burning fat. To clarify, in case there were or are any doubts, coconut oil is keto friendly.

Is Coconut Milk Coffee Healthy?

Coconut milk contains a substance called lauric acid which has antimicrobial properties and thus will aid your body defense.

It also contains the following nutrients:

• Iron.
• Potassium.
• Manganese.
• Copper.
• Magnesium.
• Selenium.
• Folate.
• Vitamin C.

This is in addition to the nutrient content of coffee which includes Riboflavin, Niacin, antioxidants and phenolic compounds. It is fair to say that coconut milk coffee is healthy.

Why Does Coconut Milk Curdle In Coffee?

If you add cold coconut milk to hot coffee, it is likely that it will curdle. This is something that is common for many plant-based and nut-based milks to do this.

To avoid the curdling of your coconut milk, you can add it to cold brew coffee or heat your coconut milk first.

Does Coconut Taste Good In Coffee?

Yes, coconut tastes great in coffee, be it coconut milk or coconut cream. Coconut oil doesn’t add much taste but adds a lot of health benefits. 

What Is Coconut Coffee Made Of?

Coconut coffee is usually made with coconut milk, coffee and if made well by your barista or local coffee shop it will be sweetened with condensed milk and coconut sugar. 

Final Thoughts – Coconut Coffee

If you have read this far you have a whole host of information all about coconut coffee, the health benefits and how to make a tasty Vietnamese coconut coffee and what it should taste like.

Join our online coffee community on Facebook / Meta, introduce yourself and share your own tips about this tasty coffee, if you made it, or better still some of your awesome photos of your coffee creation.

Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location