| Before there are Starbucks, Coffee Bean & | | | | evaporated milk and less sugar in the cup. More |
| Tea Leaves, most people in the region of | | | | sugar, ka tai. But for no sugar, it is kosong, a |
| Singapore and Malaysia know only kopi, a Baba | | | | Malay word which means nothing. |
| Malay language for coffee. Kopi is basically | | | | |
| robusta coffee. Espresso and cappuccino are | | | | Sarabat stalls are coffee stalls run by Indians and |
| extravagant coffee in the early days, meant for | | | | Malays. They are famous for their teh tarik. |
| the rich, and only available in hotels. | | | | Teh means tea, and tarik means pull back. A |
| | | | | cup of tea with milk and sugar added is then |
| Today, a cup of espresso coffee or any other | | | | juggled between two cups at an altitude. The |
| gourmet coffee still costs a few dollars, and a cup | | | | original purpose is to lower the temperature of |
| of kopi is only between 70 and 90 Singapore | | | | very hot tea for easy drinking on a hot day, for |
| cents. | | | | the climate in Singapore and Malaysia most of the |
| | | | | year is of summer. However, the action has |
| Latte or long black is unknown in local coffee stalls | | | | also produced a foamy top for the tea, much like |
| and kopi tiam. Tiam means shop in Hokkien, a | | | | cappuccino. This spurs the creation of kopiccino, |
| Chinese dialect. Instead it is commonly called | | | | using the same method but instead of tea, it is |
| kopi, kopi-o, and kopi-c. | | | | coffee. |
| | | | | |
| Kopi is not brewed in coffee maker, but steep in | | | | Many migrants came from China in the old days. |
| a tall metal pot with a long spout with a cotton | | | | Chinese meal will always have a cup of Chinese |
| coffee filter, a long cone bag, within. Milk and | | | | tea besides their food. It is not surprising to find |
| sugar are not served separately on the table. | | | | in the local coffee shop and food court, too, that |
| When you order your kopi, you have coffee with | | | | coffee and tea are usually ordered together with |
| condensed milk, a sweetener, and sugar, already | | | | meals, much like having a cup of Chinese tea, or |
| added. | | | | ice water in western meal. But for some, hot |
| | | | | kopi is still best reserved after a meal. |
| Kopi-o is black coffee, with sugar added. O | | | | |
| sounds like black in Hokkien. | | | | Nevertheless, for those who still crave for a piece |
| | | | | of cheese cake with gourmet coffee, it is still |
| Instead of condensed milk, Carnation evaporated | | | | Starbucks, hotels, or café. For others with a |
| milk is added to kopi-c, with sugar. The c stands | | | | budget, Ikea offers value for money for a cup of |
| for Carnation, a brand, even though some have | | | | brewed coffee with cheese cake. |
| replaced it with other brands. | | | | |
| | | | | Any opportunities to travel to Singapore and |
| Most of the early kopi tiam are started by | | | | Malaysia, kopi with roti kaya is a must. Roti is |
| Chinese who are Hainanese. Today their lingo still | | | | bread in Malay, and kaya is a coconut egg jam. |
| stays. Ask for kopi-c siu tai, it is coffee with | | | | |