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Century-old coffee shops, a burgeoning speciality industry and a rare coffee species make travelling in Malaysia as enticing to coffee lovers as a fresh brew first thing in the morning.
Rising 87 metres above downtown Kuala Lumpur’s Chow Kit district is Malaysia’s tallest mural: a Dayak woman whose towering headdress is garlanded with tropical flora, fauna and fruit, while balancing precariously atop a ripe papaya and young durian is a bowl of glistening noodles studded with plump prawns. Painted on the southern side of the RED by Sirocco hotel on Jalan Kamunting, Sabah-born Kenji Chai’s “Courage to Dream” aims to encapsulate Malaysia’s diverse cultures. It’s an apt backdrop for the business at its base: Yut Kee Restaurant, one of KL’s oldest and most popular kopitiam.
A combination of the Malay word for coffee and the Hokkien for shop, kopitiam have long formed part of the country’s national daily landscape. In the late 1800s, when Chinese people from the southern island province of Hainan and the southeastern province of Fujian migrated to what was then British-controlled Malaya, many found work in hospitality. After the post-World War Two economic downturn rendered their jobs scarce, some seized the opportunity to start their own coffee shops and small restaurants. Today, kopitiam are an integral part of Malaysia’s multicultural identity, and for visitors to the country, sipping a cup of rich, velvety kopi at an intergenerational business such as the near century-old Yut Kee is a memorable experience.
“Malaysia is made up of multiple races, but you can put aside whatever differences you have when you’re enjoying a coffee and a meal,” says Yut Kee’s third-generation proprietor Mervyn Lee. “As a result, kopitiam still get people from all walks of life coming through their doors. You can go alone or with others, you don’t have to dress up or dress down, you go as you are.” Lee affirms that travellers are always welcome: “Malaysians are generally known for our hospitality, for our friendliness, and we’re more than happy to make recommendations.”
It helps, however, knowing how to order kopi like a local. Lee explains that in the Hainanese style, at the end of the roasting process, a combination of sugar and margarine is added to the beans, which are usually robusta but sometimes a blend. This gives them a “smoky, oily veneer, that distinctive deep black colour, and richness”. Although the beans may differ, this roasting style is typical across the country’s kopitiam, but the most crucial thing to remember is that the resulting bold, chocolatey brew is served with sweetened condensed milk by default. Unsweetened black coffee is kopi O kosong, while an unsweetened white cup – stirred with evaporated milk – is kopi C kosong. For black sweetened with sugar, ask for kopi O, while for white with sugar it’s kopi C. When a sultry afternoon requires an iced refreshment, simply add peng to the end of your preference.
Straight out of Old Town
If Peninsula Malaysia were to have a traditional coffee capital, it would be Ipoh, the capital of the northwestern state of Perak. In the 1800s, drawn by the state’s tin-mining boom, southern Chinese migrants began roasting robusta with palm oil margarine to impart a milder flavour with faint caramel notes, which lightened the colour. Stirring the cup with condensed milk further softened the hue, hence the name “white coffee”. Operating since 1937 in the heart of Ipoh’s old town, Kedai Kopi Sin Yoon Loong is a pioneer of the city’s signature brew.
Ipoh’s heritage district is also the origin of OLDTOWN White Coffee, one of Malaysia’s most popular white coffee brands. Founded in 1999, its products are exported to more than 30 countries, and almost 200 cafe outlets can be found across Malaysia and in neighbouring countries including Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hong Kong.
A heavenly trio
While the affordable comfort food on offer varies across the country’s kopitiam, two items are likely to appear on every menu: kaya toast (known locally as roti bakar kaya) and half-boiled eggs. Countless Malaysians – along with Singaporeans whose kopitiam culture is also deeply ingrained – will ardently agree that kopi, kaya toast and eggs make the world’s most blissful breakfast trio. Popular throughout South East Asia, kaya is a luscious, silky spread comprising coconut milk, egg yolks and sugar, which sometimes is given a fragrant lift with pandan.
Though preparation methods differ, traditionally bread is toasted on charcoal then generously slathered with kaya and sandwiched around slices of butter. The eggs are served soupy and, with a few shakes of white pepper for smokiness and a few drops of dark soy sauce for saltiness, become the perfect companion for the crisp, sweet toast. Tucked away in an alleyway off Campbell Street in the heart of George Town, Penang, Toh Soon Cafe still grills its bread with the traditional method. Locals and travellers alike form long queues for the compact kopitiam’s classic brews and toothsome toast.
Liberica’s time has come
While these ubiquitous eateries are considered the birthplace of local coffee culture, KL is home to a thriving speciality sector driven by cosmopolitan cafes, world-class baristas and whimsical coffee bars. Some of the more notable venues include One Half in Taman Paramount, founded by three-time Malaysian Barista Champion Keith Koay; Toothless Coffee, the city’s only omakase coffee bar; and Piu Piu Piu, a one-man stand sequestered on the second floor of The Zhongshan Building creative hub in Kampung Attap.
The rising star of Malaysia’s speciality industry is the rare species Coffea liberica. Originating in Liberia, West Africa, it is now mostly grown and consumed in Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia, representing less than 1.5% of the global coffee market after arabica and robusta. Liberica’s larger, denser cherries have long been overlooked by the rest of the world due to their relatively low yield. However, as climate change impacts the higher altitudes preferred by the world’s two favourite coffee species, the hardier tree – which grows well in warmer lowland regions such as Peninsular Malaysia’s southern state of Johor and the highlands of Sarawak in Borneo – is being heralded by some coffee specialists as one of coffee’s best hopes for survival.
“More coffee species from the known 130 species are being explored to find which ones can best adapt to harsh climates. Only liberica is suitable for cultivation in hot and humid low-altitude areas and can be mass-produced,” says Dr Kenny Lee Wee Ting, co-founder of Earthlings Coffee Workshop, a dynamic and dedicated collective that supports local growers, conducts speciality coffee education and operates a cafe in Sarawak’s capital Kuching. For many years, he and his associates have strived to optimise the quality and quantity of liberica that has been grown by the region’s indigenous communities since the mid-1800s. “Sarawak has a rich history of liberica cultivation,” he explains, “and is therefore a destination coffee enthusiasts should not miss.”
Another alluring destination is My Liberica in Johor, Malaysia’s only seed-to-cup liberica producer run by second-generation coffee farmer Jason Liew. Twenty-five years ago, Liew’s father planted liberica after his entire crop of limes was stolen one fateful night. As it can’t simply be plucked from the tree because it requires processing, he saw liberica as a more secure alternative. Today, the company produces 43 varieties of speciality beans and other coffee products, operates four cafes, conducts tours and is testing innovative processing methods in collaboration with Saša Šestić, the 2015 World Barista Champion. In 2021, with a blend containing My Liberica beans, Hugh Kelly placed third at the World Barista Championships.
So, what does liberica taste like? Naturally, it depends on the processing method and the roast, but Dr Kenny Lee Wee Ting says when processed well, “you can taste notes of jackfruit, mangoes, dried figs, melons and a lot of sweetness.” Liew agrees: “Liberica is special for its sweetness and body. It is full-bodied, very round. When mixed with other varieties of coffee, it can play a good supporting role without overshadowing them. It also fuses well with milk. Unlike a lot of arabica beans that cannot cover the milk taste, liberica will bring out some very special flavours.” From the nostalgic ambiance of the nation’s treasured kopitiam to its speciality industry’s bright future, Malaysia is a coffee connoisseur’s dream.