Vietnamese Traditional Coffee Filter (Phin) 11 Ounce, Gravity Insert

Short version: Nicely made, good size to make a mug of coffee, easy to clean. Long version: Ok, my kids think I'm crazy, I avoid using plastic for food - especially HEATING food in plastic which includes coffee. I have been on the hunt for an entirely metal/glass coffee maker for years. I tried french press coffee, but there's a couple of problems - first french press coffee apparently raises your cholesterol and secondly, you have to pay attention and remove it from the press after 4 minutes so it doesn't overbrew. That's the biggest problem for me, I can't wait around 4 minutes to make sure, and I'll start coffee and walk away, and realize an hour later that it's still in the french press. Visiting my sister-in-law, she showed me one of these Vietnamese coffee makers (thanks again Merry!!!) and made me a wonderful cup of coffee! I immediately ordered this one - it is well made, makes a full mug of coffee and best of all, I can leave it brewing and walk away and come back to a nice cup of perfect coffee! I do put a coffee filter in mine, just to remove the stuff that raises your cholesterol, but it's not necessary. SUGGESTIONS: I finally learned how to tell the perfect temperature water (should be about 195-205F) If you have a kettle going, listen for that simmering kind of sound it makes BEFORE it boils. When it gets to that sound, right before boiling, that is the perfect temperature for making coffee. If it is actually boiling, it will make the coffee bitter, if it's not hot enough, it will be sourish. I am making the best coffee of my life! If you are going to put a filter in it - lay the filter across the top, put the coffee in the middle, and push it down with the strainer part. This is a lot easier than pushing the filter in before filling it with coffee and then trying to fit the strainer in. The only drawback is that it only makes one cup of coffee at a time, I wish someone made one of these that made a pot :)

I normally drink perked or boiled (cowboy) coffee, but some days just don't have the time to make it in the morning, or only want 1 cup late at night and don't want to make a whole pot (and then have to clean a whole pot!). I was looking for some quick way to brew up a single cup that didn't involve keeping a supply of paper filters on hand or running boiling water through a plastic drip cone. I don't like French press coffee (and they're a nuisance to clean properly besides), and instant coffee is awful. While perusing Amazon for an answer to my dilemma, I ran across this Vietnamese coffee filter and ordered it immediately. It came 2 days later, and within minutes after taking it out of the box and washing it, I had a hot cup of coffee in my hands. It's compact and stacks for storage, good-quality stainless steel, simple to use, a breeze to clean, and no paper filters! It comes with clear, easy-to-follow instructions and a phone number to call if there's any questions/problems. The 11 oz. size, which is what I ordered, makes enough to fill a good-sized mug. I used a heaping scoop of the regular coffee that I use in my percolator, and it was good but just a tad weak for me, so the next cup I made, I packed the grounds down a little tighter. This caused the brewing to take a couple minutes longer, but produced a stronger, yet very mellow cup of coffee. I also used filtered water that was brought to a full rolling boil. Once finished brewing, it was the perfect, hot drinking temperature. The coffee was so good, that this will be my regular daily coffee maker from now on, and I'll be saving my percolator for when company comes.

It works well. Takes about 4 minutes for water to run through and make good coffee. I use Vietnamese coffee. The container is hot when I take it off the top of my mug and prepare to drink my coffee, but not too hot if I remove it pretty quickly.

I have a lot of different coffee makers, including traditional drip, french press, percolators, automatic, and even aeropress. This contraption by far offers the best combination of simplicity, portability, speed, ease of cleaning, and taste. It is such an elegant invention. Whoever thought of this was a genius. You just place the larger perforated disc on top of your favorite coffee cup, put the main cup component on top of that, put a tablespoon of coffee at the bottom of the cup component, shake it a little to let the grains settle flatly on the bottom, put the perforated disc with the center handle on top, twist that about 45 degrees. Pour in two tablespoons hot water, twist the disc again while pressing down on that gently. When this water has drained out, pour hot water in to the top of the container, put the cap back on, and wait til it's all filtered down, You get minimal sediment (even with finer grinds) without the use of a paper filter, much less sediment than all the other methods except for those that use a paper filter. The cap doubles as a catcher when you are done and want to put the rest of the contraption on your counter without having coffee spill onto your working surface. Ingenious, I tell you. I just love this contraption to death. I am a coffee addict, and this is my mainstay, besides the coffee and the water, that is.

one - cup size is not a concern for me, it's good. But, the worst thing about this purchase is that some of the holes are stuck by some black stuff that I dont know what it is, a little bit of the black stuff came out after I used it, it is stick. I also don't like that the it is not that kind of Vietnam coffee filter that has the screw. Although I didn't expect too much based on its price, I am still disappointed and won't recommend it.