Local names for coffee in Singapore, characteristics of Chinese Nanyang-style coffee brewing, and historical introduction

By MOOK Scenic Family Travel Life Network, reported and compiled by Chen Guanxin

Traveling to Singapore, the convenience of being able to communicate in Chinese everywhere is sure to leave a deep impression on netizens. However, when having breakfast at local eateries, besides ordering kaya toast, the coffee orders like “Kopi-O” and “Kopi-C” are also sure to be memorable. Today’s travel tidbit will chat with netizens about what kaya toast is, and how to order coffee the local way.

When traveling in Singapore, if you want to easily enjoy a cup of your favorite coffee early in the morning, you’d better first remember what “Kopi-O” and “Kopi-C” mean. (Image provided by Moleskine Editorial Department)

First of all, what Singaporeans call a “Kopitiam” is what we’re familiar with as a “coffee shop.” “Kopi” means “coffee” in Malay and Hokkien, while “Tiam” is the Hokkien pronunciation for “shop.” As for the “kaya” in kaya toast, it is a jam made from coconut milk and eggs, spread together with butter on charcoal-grilled toast or bread, and has a sweet flavor.

As for a complete Singapore-style breakfast, besides kaya toast paired with a bowl of half-boiled eggs to drink, coffee is definitely indispensable. In the early days, the Hainanese came to Singapore by sea. Since other job opportunities were already taken by earlier immigrants, they had to work as cooks or housekeepers in foreign households, where they learned how to make pastries and coffee and innovated upon them. They came up with a roasting method that involves stir-frying coffee beans with butter and sugar over charcoal fire, resulting in a richly aromatic coffee. The way coffee is brewed in Singapore is also different from the usual method—it involves first putting in condensed milk (traditional Singaporean coffee uses condensed milk with coffee, not creamer or whipped cream) and sugar, then pouring in the boiling hot coffee to allow the coffee and condensed milk to mix thoroughly. Because condensed milk is used, the taste is very rich and mellow.

When ordering, you’re bound to hear locals saying things like “Kopi-O” and “Kopi-C.” As mentioned earlier, “Kopi” means coffee, but if you just ask for coffee, you’ll get a cup of coffee with condensed milk. If you want coffee with just sugar, tell the shopkeeper “Kopi-O”—the “O” stands for “black” in Hokkien. If you want both sugar and condensed milk, then say “Kopi-C,” where the “C” stands for “fresh” in Hainanese.

At this point, some netizens might say, “I only drink black coffee, so what should I do?” Don’t worry—just say “Kopi Kosong” if you want a black coffee with nothing added. “Kosong” means “empty” or “nothing” in Malay.

Finally, in Malay, “Ais” means “ice,” so if you want an iced coffee, just say “Kopi Ais”! And for those who prefer tea, simply replace “Kopi” with “Teh” (the Hokkien word for “tea”), and you’ll be good to go.

Singapore coffee terms

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