In the middle of New York, there are only Americano, latte, and Vietnamese coffee shops with strong flavors that make Americans wait in line to buy them.
Under high-rise buildings in New York, a small wooden coffee counter – like the coffee carts on Vietnamese streets but more beautiful. On the table, a large metal filter is placed in a prominent position, many people passing by enjoy watching each drop of coffee drip down.
The girl standing at the counter, meticulously brewing each cup of coffee is Nguyen Nhu Thao, 28 years old, originally from Quang Tri, co-founder of First Phin First.
First Phin First operates under the mobile coffee model, opened in June and was founded by Thao and her boyfriend Chad with the desire to bring Vietnamese coffee culture to the US. Occasionally, they will open a pop-up counter with a wooden coffee cart on the streets of New York.
Thao and Chad’s coffee shop in front of a burger restaurant in New York. Image: NVCC
Their main job is serving coffee counters at events in the city. Recently, Thao revealed that First Phin First was chosen to serve at the upcoming Netflix and Robinhood online trading platform events.
Thao came to the US in 2013, initially living in California – where there is a large Vietnamese community so finding a Vietnamese-style coffee shop is not difficult. Since moving to New York three years ago, Thao has always had a headache finding a Vietnamese coffee shop with robusta beans and brewed with a filter. Here, people like to use arabica beans, making Americano or latte style, with a gentle flavor in large cups.
“Vietnamese filter coffee is clearly different, small but strong,” she said, starting to think about the idea of opening a small coffee shop.
Thao said that at first she did not love coffee, but during a summer vacation when she returned to Vietnam, she accidentally “fell” in love with milk coffee. Every morning when she wakes up, Thao needs a cup of coffee to stay awake and that is also the reason for the name “First Phin First” – inspired by the American saying “First things first” and a play on the word “Phin” coffee, meaning the most important thing every morning is drinking coffee.
In early 2024, Chad lost his job after a staff cut and they seriously decided to sell Vietnamese coffee. Initially, they organized a number of coffee experience sessions for friends with the goal of finding the right type of beans and adjusting the recipe to American tastes. In June this year, they opened their first pop-up counter in front of a burger restaurant in New York. According to Thao, maybe due to Chad’s marketing ability on TikTok, the pop-up counter was more crowded than expected.
They sold hundreds of cups and the owner of the burger shop that lent the storefront also said it was the most effective sales day ever. Curious customers come for coffee and then stop by to buy a burger to eat, making both parties satisfied.
Thao and her boyfriend stood at the counter at an event in New York. Image: NVCC
Thao said Americans are interested in Vietnamese-style brewing equipment and the flavor brought by milk coffee. She said most Americans often compliment politely even if they don’t really like it. However, many customers proactively texted her and asked about the next pop-up session, so perhaps milk coffee has somewhat won their hearts.
One of the most “viral” videos on TikTok of “First Phin First” recorded the stunned expression of a foreign guest after trying coffee, reaching more than two million views. In the video, the customer exclaimed: “Oh my god, this is great, the sweet and bitter flavors blend together at the same time”, and commented on the fragrant chocolate flavor from the coffee cup. In another video with more than 1.5 million views, an emotional female customer almost cried when trying a cup of milk coffee for the first time.
Thao’s coffee counter looks like a small wooden cart, just big enough to hold a few blenders, milk bottles and large filters imported from Vietnam. When holding events, she often sets up a table and displays a few red plastic chairs – something that makes passersby curious. The basic menu is Vietnamese-style coffee such as Bac Xiu, coconut milk coffee, milk coffee, but definitely no black coffee.
She said there was a time when a customer thought “ice black” was just the size of an Americano, so he asked for it to be made separately. After the first sip, this person felt dizzy and asked for more milk.
Because Thao still works a fixed job, First Phin First does not organize many pop-ups. From June until now, First Phin First has only done about four independent pop-ups, but each session was packed with customers. One time, the line of people lined up across the street just to try a “small but strong” drink from Vietnam. Each cup of fragrant, strong coffee, made with fine robusta beans imported from Dak Lak costs only 6 USD, 1-2 USD cheaper than Americano sold at other coffee shops.
According to Thao, the attraction from pop-ups helps them get the attention of many customers. Currently, every week, they have two event schedules rented by companies and individuals, paying per person. Their most stressful work session was having to serve coffee to more than 200 guests. In addition, some customers have booked appointments until next year.
“We mainly make money from events, pop-ups are hardly profitable, one time we even gave away all the coffee for free,” Thao said, saying she wanted to introduce Vietnamese coffee and create a community of loyal customers.
In the middle of New York – where everything operates at high speed – the slow coffee filter seems out of rhythm. However, that difference has helped them receive a lot of attention. The 28-year-old girl shares her model of selling drinks at highly competitive events in New York. If they are not different enough, they will be eliminated quickly. However, the Vietnamese coffee filter may have brought initial success to both.
Thao has never studied coffee formally, but her love for Vietnamese coffee culture is second to none. She also wants to quit her current job to focus on opening a small shop, but everything is quite complicated and needs more calculations.
If she opens a shop, Thao thinks she will have to use a coffee maker because the brewing speed is not enough to meet customer needs. However, the shop will use 100% Vietnamese robusta to spread Vietnamese coffee culture and the filters will always be there for those who want to experience it.
Among the familiar lattes and Americanos on the streets of New York, Thao’s condensed milk coffee brings with it the “unique quality” of Vietnamese people. Thao’s story is a small slice of the flow of Vietnamese culture in a foreign land – where a cup of filter coffee is enough to make many people stop in the middle of a busy city.